Relevant Text: Acts 17:23
Full Text: Neh. 7; Acts 17

Audience | When I think about how to “go and make disciples” in New York [1], I often tell myself, “Think Paul in Athens, not Paul in Jerusalem.” In Jerusalem, Paul preached Jesus as the fulfillment of the Scriptures. In Athens, however, Paul knew that the Greeks could’ve cared less about Jewish prophecies; they were obsessed with philosophy.

Athens | As Paul toured Athens, the intellectual and cultural center of the ancient world, he saw idols and temples everywhere. Yet, instead of being impressed with their great architecture, he was “greatly distressed” [2]. So he decided to reason with their philosophers. His source material was their own imagery, not Scripture. He referenced an inscription he saw on one of their altars: “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD” [3], and he quoted their philosophers and poets [4]. His point? Just as Jesus fulfilled the Jewish Scriptures, he also fulfilled all wisdom and philosophy. As Paul concluded, “What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you” [5].

New York | We may think our city is postmodern, but – like Athens – its icons reveal the truth. For example, in architecture, the New York Stock Exchange portico has a statuary tribute to Integrity, who protects “the works of men” [6]. Yet, as we all know by now, the stock market is hardly a protector. Jesus, on the other hand, “establishes the work of our hands” by protecting our eternal significance [7]. Also, in literature, no contemporary author compares with J.K. Rowling [8]. Yet, the immense popularity of her Harry Potter series reveals our longing for its gospel truths, e.g., substitutionary atonement, death and resurrection, and the victory of good over evil [9]. In the midst of our culture, therefore, we can say, “What therefore you worship as unknown, this we proclaim to you” [10].

Prayer | Lord, Teach us how to be faithful Christians in our culture – not condemning it, but engaging it and exploring its true longings. Today, as we pass by the icons of our culture, open our eyes to see how they reveal a deep longing for you so that we may creatively point to the all-satisfying joy of knowing you. Amen.

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Footnotes

[1] See Matt. 28:19  [2] Acts 17:16 ESV [3] Acts 17:22-23 ESV [4] See Acts 17:28 [5] Acts 17:23 ESV [6] NYSE History (click: here)  [7]  See Ps. 90  

[8]  The 7 Harry Potter novels sold more than 375M copies and were translated into 60+ languages between the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (the original UK title) in 1997 and the end of 2007, when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published. The first 5 movies each set records for opening box office and the series as a whole had, by early 2008, already surpassed both the 21-film James Bond series and the 6 Star Wars films as the most successful movie franchise of all time. John Granger, How Harry Cast His Spell (2008).

[9] John Granger, in his book How Harry Cast His Spell, argues, “’Why do readers young and old love Harry Potter?’ … The answer, believe it or not, is very simple, if frequently misunderstood. Readers love Harry Potter because of the spiritual meaning and Christian content of the books” (Introduction) (2008). See also Andrew Peterson, Harry Potter, Jesus and Me (July 11, 2011).  

[10] In J.R.R. Tolkien’s essay, On Fairy Stories, he argues that the great stories of all time are considered great because their truths are rooted in the Truth of Jesus. Thus, as children read fairy-stories and ask, “Is it true?” and, indeed, long for them to be true, we read the Gospel and our hearts leap with joy and ask, “Is it true?” and it is! As he concludes in his epilogue, “The peculiar quality of the ‘joy’ in successful Fantasy can thus be explained as a sudden glimpse of the underlying reality of truth. It is not only a ‘consolation’ for the sorrow of this world, but a satisfaction, and an answer to that question, ‘Is it true?’ The answer to the question that I gave at first was (quite rightly): ‘If you have built your little world well, yes: it is true in that world.’ That is enough for the artist (or the artist part of the artist). But in the ‘eucatastophe’ we see in a brief vision that the answer may be greater – it may be a far-off gleam or echo of evangelium in the real world. The use of this word gives a hint of my epilogue … I would venture to say that approaching the Christian Story from this direction, it has long been my feeling (a joyous feeling) that God redeemed the corrupt making-creatures, men, in a way fitting to this aspect, as to others, of their strange nature. The Gospels contain a fairystory, or a story of a larger kind which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories. They contain many marvels – peculiarly artistic, beautiful, and moving: “mythical” in their perfect, selfcontained significance; and among the marvels if the greatest and most complete conceivable eucatastrophe. But this story has entered History and the primary world; the desire and aspiration of sub-creation has been raised to the fulfillment of Creation. The Birth of Christ is the eucatastrophe of Man’s history. The Resurrection is the eucatastophe of the story of the Incarnation. This story begins and ends in joy. It has pre-eminently the ‘inner consistency of reality.’ There is no tale ever told that men would rather find was true, and none which so many skeptical men have accepted as true on its own merits. For the Art of it has the supremely convincing tone of Primary Art, that is, of Creation. To reject it leads either to sadness or to wrath” (1947).

Relevant Text: Acts 16:22-23
Full Text: Neh. 6; Acts 16

“The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison …” [1]

 Letter from a Birmingham Jail (excerpt)
Martin Luther King, Jr.
1963 [2]

“I have traveled the length and breadth of Alabama, Mississippi and all the other southern states. On sweltering summer days and crisp autumn mornings I have looked at the South’s beautiful churches with their lofty spires pointing heavenward. I have beheld the impressive outlines of her massive religious-education buildings. Over and over I have found myself asking: ‘What kind of people worship here? Who is their God? Where were their voices when the lips of Governor Barnett dripped with words of interposition and nullification? Where were they when Governor Wallace gave a clarion call for defiance and hatred? Where were their voices of support when bruised and weary Negro men and women decided to rise from the dark dungeons of complacency to the bright hills of creative protest?’

“Yes, these questions are still in my mind. In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. Yes, I love the church. How could I do otherwise? l am in the rather unique position of being the son, the grandson and the great-grandson of preachers. Yes, I see the church as the body of Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists.

“There was a time when the church was very powerful in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being ‘disturbers of the peace’ and ‘outside agitators.‘ But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were ‘a colony of heaven,’ called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God intoxicated to be ‘astronomically intimidated.'”

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Footnotes

Relevant Text: Acts 13:10
Full Text: Neh. 3; Acts 13

Search-and-Rescue | On March 23, 2003, a US Army convoy took a wrong turn and was ambushed near Nasiriyah. A rocket-propelled grenade hit the Humvee that carried PFC Jessica Lynch. Since she was severely injured, Iraqi forces took her as a POW to a hospital, where she was abused and raped. When the US military learned of her location, they organized a search-and-rescue mission. On April 1, US Marines staged a diversion to draw Iraqi soldiers away from the hospital, which enabled Joint Special Operations to launch a raid and successfully extract Lynch [1].

Straight Paths | Like the US military, God is on a mission to seek and save the lost [2]. As the church in Antioch was worshiping and fasting, the Spirit called Barnabas and Saul to go to Cyprus. He was sending them on a mission to seek and save the governor of Cyprus, Sergius Paulus, who was in a city nearly 275 miles from Antioch. Unbeknownst to them, God was already working in the governor’s heart. Thus, when they arrived, he “summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God” [3]. It was astounding that this powerful, pagan ruler would request to hear the gospel from these unknown, insignificant men. It had to be the Lord.

Crooked Obstacles | An acquaintance of the governor, however, was “seeking to turn the [governor] away from the faith” [4]. Saul, however, was Spirit-filled and stopped him: “Will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind” [5]. Immediately, the governor believed and, after seeing the man go blind, was astonished at the Lord’s teaching. No obstacle would stop God from bringing the governor to faith. He would send, pursue, search and save him. He was on a mission. And He was successful.

Prayer | Lord, You have straight paths that lead to faith and you send us out as emissaries on your mission to seek and save the lost – including some of our own family and friends. Yes, there are obstacles, where straight paths are trying to be made crooked. Yet, you will have none of it. You long for your people to be free from the heavy and lonely and deceiving burdens of sin [6]. So, you conquer all obstacles to carry us along the straight paths of faith. Amen.

Relevant Text: Acts 12:5
Full Text: Neh. 1-2; Acts 12

Efficiency | A New York minute, Johnny Carson quipped, is “the time it takes from when the lights turn green till the guy behind you starts honking his horn.” Yes, New Yorkers think simple tasks should be done quickly – street-walking, food-ordering, MetroCard-swiping. Even complicated tasks – stock-trading, eye surgery – must get faster. Yes, efficiency is king. But when it comes to Christian community, how should we measure efficiency?

Fellowship | In the months following Pentecost, the church grew from 120 disciples worldwide to over 5,000 Christians in Jerusalem alone. As it grew, however, it was persecuted. Here, James was beheaded and Peter was imprisoned. But “the church was earnestly praying to God for him” [1]. There was a network of home churches in Jerusalem that was praying. When they got down on their knees, God sent an angel to Peter on the night before his trial. That angel broke him free and led him past the guards.

Faith | Yet, God didn’t release Peter because their faith was perfect. In fact, when he arrived at Mary’s home, most of them didn’t even believe it was him! When the servant girl heard his voice through the door, she got so excited that she forgot to open the door and returned to tell the others: “Peter is at the door!” [2] But they didn’t believe her: “You’re out of your mind … It must be his angel” [3]. When they finally opened the door and saw Peter, “they were astonished” [4]. Then he told them what happened and how God answered their prayers.

Response | Who knows how long these home groups had been praying for Peter. They weren’t measuring efficiency in units of time, but by the degree to which they were getting involved in what God was already doing in their midst. When they met together and prayed, He did transforming and empowering things – even when their faith was imperfect. And as a result, God was glorified to use them to open the hearts of many to the gospel of Jesus.

Prayer | Lord, We long for you to do great things among us. Therefore, teach us to measure efficiency by our love, compassion, joy, holiness and zeal. Make us bold witnesses – in our homes and on our knees – for our lives are short. Let us not be satisfied with ordinary fellowship. Instead, for the sake of your name, let chains fall off and your people set free among us. Amen.

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Footnotes

[1]  Acts 12:5 NIV1984  |  [2]  Acts 12:14 NIV1984  |  [3]  Acts 12:15 NIV1984  |  [4]  Acts 12:16 NIV1984