Reading: Acts 16 - 19
My Verse: "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean." (17: 19,20 ESV)
This is a wonderful illustration, Lord, of how to reach people of different world view. Paul demonstrates here how one can reach a people of another culture in a reasoned and respectful way.
Paul spoke to the Athenians where they were. "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious." The Athenians were idol worshippers - and had numerous idols including one to "the unknown god." This gave Paul a great opening and he proceeded to bring the entire gospel to them - informing and enlightening them to the error of idolatry and who this unknown God was.
Paul told them that this god was "The God Who produced and formed the world and all things in it, being Lord of the heaven and earth, does not dwell in handmade shrines. Neither is He served by human hands, as though He lacked anything for it is He Himself Who gives life and breath and all things to all [people]." (17:24-25)
Paul then quoted their own authors to support what he was teaching. By doing this he not only showed that he understood where they were but also that he had respect for those writers.
There is such pressure today to be tolerant of the beliefs of others. Paul did not tolerate anyone's erroneous beliefs but he didn't just bash them either. Always "he reasoned" with them respectfully.
Lord, I pray that I will strive to use reason and respect with others. I pray that I strive to understand the perspective of others, never to compromise Your Truth, only to use that knowledge to reason with them.
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
My Verse: "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean." (17: 19,20 ESV)
This is a wonderful illustration, Lord, of how to reach people of different world view. Paul demonstrates here how one can reach a people of another culture in a reasoned and respectful way.
Paul spoke to the Athenians where they were. "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious." The Athenians were idol worshippers - and had numerous idols including one to "the unknown god." This gave Paul a great opening and he proceeded to bring the entire gospel to them - informing and enlightening them to the error of idolatry and who this unknown God was.
Paul told them that this god was "The God Who produced and formed the world and all things in it, being Lord of the heaven and earth, does not dwell in handmade shrines. Neither is He served by human hands, as though He lacked anything for it is He Himself Who gives life and breath and all things to all [people]." (17:24-25)
Paul then quoted their own authors to support what he was teaching. By doing this he not only showed that he understood where they were but also that he had respect for those writers.
There is such pressure today to be tolerant of the beliefs of others. Paul did not tolerate anyone's erroneous beliefs but he didn't just bash them either. Always "he reasoned" with them respectfully.
Lord, I pray that I will strive to use reason and respect with others. I pray that I strive to understand the perspective of others, never to compromise Your Truth, only to use that knowledge to reason with them.
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
No comments:
Post a Comment