To the Unknown God

"Then they took him to the Council of Philosophers. "Come and tell us more about this new religion," they said. "You are saying some rather startling things, and we want to know what it's all about." (It should be explained that all the Athenians as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas.) So Paul, standing before the Council, addressed them as follows: "Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious,
for as I was walking along I saw your many altars. And one of them had this inscription on it--`To an Unknown God.' You have been worshiping him without knowing who he is, and now I wish to tell you about him. "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 there is. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. "His purpose in all of this was that the nations should seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him--though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist. As one of your own poets says, `We are his offspring.' And since this is true, we shouldn't think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone. God overlooked people's former ignorance about these things, but now he commands everyone everywhere to turn away from idols and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead." When they heard Paul speak of the resurrection of a person who had been dead, some laughed, but others said, "We want to hear more about this later."" Acts 17:19-32 NLT



This passage of scripture is so deep and rich. I read it this morning on my way to work and thought "Wow! I've read it before, but never realized the depth!" Here is Paul, preaching a foreign gospel, a foreign concept to a VERY polytheistic group of people. Some scoffed and called him crazy, but others were intriqued. They convinced Paul to head to the top of Mars Hill where all the philosophers gathered and there he preached the gospel. He was able to use their superstition as an open door to minister the Truth without dogmatically telling them they were going to hell. Some didn't believe and called him crazy, but others were deeply touched and got saved.

The people were extremely religious. So much so that they even had an alter to worship "the Unknown God." They were so religious that they were afraid of leaving anybody out for fear they might smite them. They truly didn't know the Unknown God of Paul. Even though the US is not considered much of a polytheistic nation, there are people living right in our own communities who don't know this Unknown God, but yet fear Him and don't want to anger Him as if He is this big, mean, long-bearded lightnening thrower, ready to smite at any second for any infraction.

I worked with a wonderfully sweet lady a few years ago. She loved her wine, and in my opinion, possibly a little too much. It was not uncommon to hear stories of a-bottle-a-night from her. But as much as she enjoyed lots and lots of wine, she absolutely refused to drink on Sundays. She didn't want to anger God, so she refused to have any alcohol on Sundays, as if the day of the week mattered. She was superstitious in her belief in God. She believed he existed, and even claimed to follow Him, but when it came right down to it, He was her "Unknown God."

How many people do we talk to on a daily basis who acknowledge God's existence but worship occasionally at an alter of superstition and religion without ever getting to know God in all his love and goodness? How many people worship at the alter of the Unknown God by attending Christmas Eve Mass and refraining from the things they enjoy for Lent, but have never known anything other than a cold, distant statue made of religion and man's invention? It is our job as Believers to stand atop the Mars Hills of our jobs, gas stations, grocery stores, restuarants, pubs coffee shops and movie theaters and proclaim to these people the wonder, beauty, love and life that is the Unknown God. There are Mars Hills everywhere if we will just open our eyes and hearts to the need and our ears to the leading of the Holy Spirit.