Bold Talk

Today's meditation comes from Acts 17: 22 - 34. Paul is in Athens, the place which was not where he had planned nor anticipated he would go to. You see, Paul was on a journey that was planned, sanctioned and blessed by the Lord Himself. But Paul’s life was threatened by some Jews in Thessalonica and he was forced to abort his plans and take cover in Athens. Paul never asked to be taken to Athens either, he was escorted there by friends.

Let’s take our first stop here. What happens to you when your plans are not going as planned? What is your talk, when you and no one else from the travelling party, have to be withdrawn for some unforeseen reason? Learn from Paul. It could have been a time of regret and disappointment, complaining and whining, an occasion for bombarding God with questions about His faithfulness. It could easily have been seen as a failed mission, failure on his part and be made into a dark and depressing time. Yet, even when Paul was separated by force, the enemy had no victory whatsoever. Will you see how our faithful God was able to use even this unplanned detour and surprise visit, to His advantage? Will you see how He was able to use Paul boldly, even without his traveling companions? Will you know this same God in your life also?

As Paul goes into this unplanned and unprepared for place, the Lordship of Almighty God is made plain as Paul talks to the Athenians. You see, Paul is serving the One, True and Only Lord. Precisely because He is Lord, He is able to prepare for all things and be faithful to Paul, to enable him to talk boldly. Let's take another stop right here. As long as the Master is prepared, the servant has no worry. Is this truth evidenced in you, O servant of the Lord? Paul is then used to bring resurrection to these religious people who are ignorant in their worship. They are the Ignorant Religious. This is how the resurrection takes place.

There was the resurrection of God’s Name. Paul had spent his time looking around the city and had seen the One, True God, buried as it were, among all their other gods. Paul singled out that one altar with an inscription which said, “To an Unknown God”. They were worshipping alright, but in ignorance, for they did not even know the Name of the God they worshipped.

There was the resurrection of God’s Nature. If they had known the kind of God this was, and who they were worshiping, they would have never even dreamt of thinking that God would live in temples built by human hands. They did not know that unless the Lord builds a house, all human effort, labour, sacrifices and good intentions will be in vain. God is Lord and He does not need humans to give Him anything, for He is not served by human hands. He is the One who gives life and everything else to humans. If He is the One who gives all, how can He need anything from people? The Lord, the Great I AM, does not need the advice of the created. He created man and woman so that they would seek Him and find Him. When people repent of their own ways and seek God, He will always be found, for He is never far away.

There was the resurrection of God’s Nurture. God is Lord and He does not need any human to create an image of Him. Note, God is not just Creator, but He created all humans in His image and likeness. People are made like Him, for they are His offspring. But these Athenians have buried the very nurture of God by making Him ‘dead’ to them. To think that the Divine Being, says Paul, is like gold, silver, wood or any such, an image made by human design and skill, is pure ignorance. They need to see that they are His offspring and to see themselves, their feelings, their emotions, their joys and sorrows, laughter and tears, is to see God. They would have a resurrection of truth in terms of God’s nurture of them. They would no longer have to be manipulating their images and understanding of God to receive from Him. They will come to know a God who feels for His children, knowing His nurturing, as a Father cares for His offspring.

There was the resurrection of God’s Now. God used Paul to bring God Himself to life, to a religious but ignorant people. Paul never hesitated to be bold in talk as he tells them of this Now God. With words, as clear as crystal, Paul does not just make the Name, Nature and Nurture alive to them all, but he shows them the Now God. Paul tells them that in the past, the Lord God overlooked their ignorance of Him. He overlooked the fact that they were worshipping Him in ignorance, having not known Him. But not again. He commands them now, to repent of their past, ignorant ways. They will need to stop how they see God, how they worship Him, how they think and talk about Him and manifest that change. They will have to accept the Risen Lord in their lives, as they too receive all that He is anxiously and joyfully waiting to bestow upon each. The Now God has taken away ignorance and they are now free to choose.

What then were the responses of the people to Paul’s Bold Talk? Some sneered at Paul and made all that he said as nonsense, pure folly. Others heard, but procrastinated and asked to hear more at another time. Still others heard, were convicted in their hearts and were converted.

Is not our Lord the One Omnipotent? The Lord is never fazed by any detours, disappointments or distractions we may experience. He Is Lord. In the same way He used Paul to know and give Bold Talk, during a time of disappointment, an unplanned time, to bring resurrection, to the Athenians, He could do the same for you and in you. The choice is still yours.