God is IN Your World -and- There Will Always Be Unbelievers

 

God is everywhere!

Literally, everywhere the new and growing church turns there are great and mighty acts being done that show God is at work in their world. Chapter 17 of Acts brings us into three different areas along this part of Paul's journey. Yes, God is at work through Paul and Silas and the message is being presented. People are finding the Lord in droves. It should also be noted that everywhere they go, people are popping up who do not believe. Some of them causing problems and agitations. Some of them hear that Paul has moved to another area or city, and they pack up and go there just so they can bother him and contradict him. If you want evidence that God is at work in our world, take a careful look at where the devil's advocates are playing their tune. Most often they are spilling their tea right in the midst of the very work that is being done for the Kingdom. Paul ran into it regularly and Chapter 17 is here for our benefit so that we can know exactly what it is like. Three cities. Three opportunities. Maybe we don't take the time to see them as that. A chance to share Jesus with someone. Lets see how Paul and his friends might handle it. 

(From verse 5) But other Jews were jealous. Maybe the issue wasn't so much that they didn't believe, but that they wanted to be in power and control where Paul was sitting right now. Paul has the attention of the crowd. They listen to him. The message he has is one they want to hear and need to hear. These Jews wish they had for themselves. I know it might be hard to comprehend. This issue sometimes is not so much that our opposition doesn't believe what we are presenting in Jesus. It has to do with who gets the opportunity to be the one to be up front speaking to the crowd. To feel that exhilaration. Some people don't want that kind of attention for themselves. Others crave it. The scripture here doesn't elude to that idea that they did not believe the message Paul presented. It says they were jealous. Another good point to dive into here is that we cannot allow people with those kinds of desires to keep us from fulfilling the work that is before us. And, they will try all kinds of things to intimidate the followers of Jesus. Jail them. Fine them. Say or do just about anything to tarnish what other people might think of them. Sadly, it is what we might have to put up with as we share Jesus Christ with our world. Yet another place where I re-read the words of James and shake my head. "Consider it pure joy, brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds." Not exactly the kind of moment in life when I would look up at heaven and say "Thank you". But, it is exactly the moment when we know that God is at work in our world. Whenever we see people acting like this, instead of feeling anger or bitterness toward them, we should take a moment and realize that God is at work on their heart. The way they are acting at this moment is the pure carnal response that happens when the Spirit is grinding against the hardness of heart. 

And, it doesn't get any easier. On to Berea we go. 

Sometimes the difference between finding people who will listen and dealing with discontent is a simple matter of how the people were raised to act and be. Our scripture share that the Jews in Berea were a "more devout" type of community. Instead of seeking a way to be in division with Paul, instead of playing devil's advocate against the message Paul presents; this group listens. They take the time to hear Paul out. They also take the time to actually put what Paul has presented up next to the holy scriptures themselves and see if Paul actually knows what he is talking about. And, that's when it all makes sense for them. 

Here comes another hard truth. You don't have to look for hard times. They will come looking for you. Some of the Jews from Thessalonica need an excuse to stir up some trouble. They hear Paul is up in Berea. They don't like what Paul has to say. Lets go up there and get in his business. Does anybody else see the perfect correlation and parallel to our current times from this passage? Haven't we been seeing much of that in the description of people from Acts. Our world cannot help itself when it comes to taking the wrong angle on things and getting itself in trouble. All the protests and riots and agitations we have seen in our world in the last 20 years could be compared to what Paul and his associates are dealing with in the early life of the church. Repackage it. Call the emphasis and and movement by a different name. Pretty much the same. There will always be people who will not accept the message of Jesus Christ. Again, I would like to press this point. There is nothing here to suggest that the Jews from Thessalonica did not believe Paul's message. Bowing the knee to Jesus, whether in actual physical presence or as an attitude of heart, can only be done if the person we are dealing with is humble enough to accept that they are a sinner and Jesus is Savior from that condition. 

Well, then comes the problem with people in Athens....

As we deal with unbelieving people in our world, we truly have about two categories. Some people are very close to what we say we are, socially, politically, theologically. Some people are a universe away. Such it is when dealing with Jews and Gentiles. Jews believe in One God. Christian see that One God as part of the narrative that leads to Jesus Christ. There are still Jews who have not made the connection. They are still waiting on the Messiah to come. Christians believe the Messiah has come. 

Then we have Gentiles. Many Gods' Lots of Deities. Many explanations of anything supernatural. This the world Paul walks into in Athens. They line their gods up on pedestals in the street to give honor to them all. But, lets leave one pedestal open. "To an unknown god" Oh, just in case we forgot one! Have we actually taken the time to notice those open doors that we can use in our society and world in order to get the message of Jesus where it needs to get? In needs ot get to the hearts and minds of men and women who have put up their walls and try to keep the truth out. But, if we pay attention, like Paul did here, we will find those places where we can slip some truth into play and watch the transformation begin. There were people in Athens who, for all intents and purposes, thought they had all the answers, Leaving that one pedestal open showed an ever tiny opening that suggested, "Just in case we missed something...won't you tell us?" Sometime run into the hardest hearts. If we take the time to listen and see what makes up our world and how the people are reacting to the word of Jesus, we might just find the place and the time and the perfect moment to get the truth where it needs to go. 

Maybe we need some more Billy Graham crusades.
Maybe its as simple as taking a chair and table to your local college campus in order to sit down and have a conversation. 

Maybe you walk into Wendy's tomorrow and see someone you know over in the corner enjoying a Baconator. You walk over, sit down, and take a moment to share some conversation. And, if the door is open, if you sense there is an opening, you put that word about Jesus into play and see what happens. 

God is IN your world.
Go with Him. 

Blessings