Tag: act17

The Gospel Goes to Mars!

The Gospel goes to Mars! Mars’ hill, that is… 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. (Acts 17:22, KJV) Persecution is following Paul everywhere he goes. In our reading today, Paul has been in Thessalonica, Berea, and now is in Athens. Athens is deeply pagan and choked with philosophy, which troubled Paul. How does he communicate the Gospel to pagan philosophers who have set up shrines to every religion, god, and philosophy known to them at the time?

Notice what Paul says as he stands on Mars’ hill amid such a culture. …for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about. “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. (Acts 17:23–25, NLT) What stood out to me in these verses is that all their gods and philosophies could not meet their needs. Only the Lord God satisfies needs. At the bottom of philosophy and paganism is vanity.

Believers, let us rejoice that the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ has made us right with the God who made the world and everything in it, who is Lord of heaven and earth and gave life to everything that breathes. Let us be unashamed to stand on the Mars hill of our pagan and philosophical culture and proclaim Jesus Christ, for He alone is the only one who can satisfy every need. At the bottom of everything else is vanity. 

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Acts 17-18:18.

The Center of our Priorities!

We now come to the Book of Haggai this morning. The Lord has a message for His people who have returned from exile to rebuild the Temple. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? (Haggai 1:2–4, ESV) The point behind the question is one of priorities. 

For well over a decade, the rebuilding of this Temple had stopped. Setbacks and opposition had discouraged it. In Jewish life, the Temple was the center of everything, yet the center of everything had shifted to something else. Comforts, convenience, and prosperity had become the priority while an unfinished Temple stood in the shadowy background. Yet, for all the energy and hope put into these misplaced priorities, they were not better off. This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes! … Why? Because my house lies in ruins … while all of you are busy building your own fine houses. (Haggai 1:5-6, 9, NLT)

What is the center of the believer’s life? We can answer this in two regards. First, notice what the Apostle Paul said. For in him we live, and move, and have our being… (Acts 17:28, KJV) Second, notice what Jesus said. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33, KJV) Nothing can replace the true center of the Christian’s life, both in who it is (Christ) and in what we do (seeking first the kingdom of God). May Christ and His kingdom remain the center of our lives—for that’s the priority!

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Haggai 1-2.

Sovereign Over All!

Today’s reading takes us into the heart of Daniel’s visions of kingdoms, strange beasts, rams and goats, big horns and little horns, and profane tyrants. It all looks perplexing to Daniel, so he prays for clarity. 

As I read through and thought about these chapters, the sovereignty of God over all the nations, kings, and peoples of the earth, along with seasons and times, stood out to me. In one instance, Gabriel, the angel, came to Daniel and interpreted one of the visions, which we have the advantage of looking back and seeing its fulfillment with stunning precision. For example, we see the prediction that Alexander the Great would defeat and divide the Mido-Persian empire among his four generals.  The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia. And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king. As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power. (Daniel 8:20–22, NKJV) Wow!

One of Daniel’s striking actions in these chapters is the amount of time he spends in prayer. He even prays for things and situations that are pre-determined by God. Why—what for? So a question arises in my mind, and maybe yours too: if the movement of nations and peoples and of times and seasons are under the sovereign control of God, should we pray about them? Should we pray about the election in our nation? After all, the Bible says that God sets up one leader, takes down another, and even controls how long they get to rule—notice how Paul explains this in the New Testament. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. (Acts 17:26, NLT)

The answer is yes! We absolutely should pray for and participate in what God has already determined to be, for it is an expression of our faith in His unfailing Word, which teaches us He is sovereign! It is also an act of obedience to the command of Jesus to His followers to pray, Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9–10, ESV) God’s sovereignty is an opportunity to express our faith and obedience in and to our God!

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Daniel 7-9.

Overcoming The Jackals!

O people of Israel, these prophets of yours are like jackals digging in the ruins. They have done nothing to repair the breaks in the walls around the nation. They have not helped it to stand firm in battle on the day of the LORD. (Ezekiel 13:4–5, NLT)

In today’s reading, God has nothing good to say about Israel’s prophets. He likens them to jackals—vicious opportunists digging among the ruins, preying on God’s people. They have prophesied in the name of the Lord, but their message is not from God. Instead, the message is a scheme of their imagination. They have seen and heard nothing from God. They have told lies, made false predictions, and, according to Ezekiel 13:6, they think they can force God to fulfill their prophecies because they have claimed His name! These prophets have created an illusion of safety and peace when there is none. Of course, God’s people loved hearing what they were hearing—spiritually, the nation was a disaster. 

What a reminder for our day. God has spoken! It’s called the Word of God—the Bible. In these last days, it is crucial to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). To compare what we hear and see around us with the Scriptures (Acts 17:11). Receiving conviction, repenting, and not walking away from the mirror of God’s Word, forgetting what we saw and heard (James 1:22–24). And allowing the Spirit of God, which is the Spirit of Truth, to lead us into all Truth, which is the Word of God (John 14:26, 16:13, 17:17). The jackals are out on the prowl (2 Peter 2-3), let us not fall prey to their opportunistic ways. 

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Ezekiel 13-15.