Devotional Blog Thursday, March 16th

Daily Devotional for Thursday, March 16th

The Introduction to the Sermon

“Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you,” Acts 17:22, 23.

 

As Paul entered Athens, he was grieved by the prominence of idol worship in the city. We can only imagine all the peculiar and even horrific sites of wicked idolatry and relics of pagan worship scattered throughout the city. As Paul was brought to the Areopagus, he stood among many statues which were forged to false gods of all sorts. As Paul began to preach, he astutely seized an illustration from their own statue “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.”
Rather than standing on Mars Hill and shouting down the Athenians or debating with them, Paul used the relics of their false worship to begin pointing them to Jesus. This is a profound lesson to each Christian as we seek to effectively proclaim the gospel in our daily lives. We may find it easy to stand and curse the wickedness of our culture or condemn lost sinners for behaving like lost sinners. Like Paul, we must learn to use what people understand to be able to take their minds and hearts toward the gospel.
Paul was standing amid stone relics at a place of pagan worship. He could have easily begun to curse them for their wickedness and shouted at them while waving poster board signs painted with condemning religious phrases. Yet, he was moved by their mysticism and confusion as he began to boldly speak the truth of the gospel. Rather than shouting them down and cursing them for their sinfulness, he compassionately engaged them and pointed them to Jesus.

 

REFLECTION: Shouting at lost sinners for behaving like lost sinners will never win them to Christ. The gospel must be preached so that lost people will come to Christ.

Steven Ridings