Acts 17: What’s the Latest? (And why it may not matter . . . )
Acts 17:21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new.
Oops — sorry I’ll have to blog later — the latest post just came in on my cell phone . . . after that I’ll have to play the latest version of my favorite game that comes through my phone. And I haven’t checked up on all my Facebook friends yet today . . . After that, I may have to go shopping to make sure I have the latest trend in my wardrobe. (Okay, I’ll write my blog, but I was making a point — LOL).
The latest — are we more concerned about knowing the latest or about walking in truth? I accepted Jesus Christ when I was 14, which was many years ago. I also gave my life to Christ during my last year of high school — I had a more adult understanding of what I was dong at that time. When I accepted Christ, I was not following the latest trend: I was dong something that had been done by my parents, grandparents and great grandparents. I am grateful for my spiritual heritage of serving Jesus and his church. My father was a church elder, my mother was the Sunday school superintendent and secretary-treasurer of the ladies group; my Mother’s dad was a Presbyterian Sunday school teacher, my Father’s dad was a church treasurer. My Father’s grandfather (his Mother’s dad) was a Methodist minister in the 1930s.
The Methodists were on fire for God in the 1930s. My aunt ended up taking some of her schooling in the States, boarding with her grandparents. She has described what part the church played in her life at that time.
She wrote: “My grandparents . . . were very strict. They would allow no dancing or card playing. There were regular evening prayers. Sunday mornings we attended Sunday School and church, and in the evenings, Epworth League, church again, followed by a fellowship hour for teenagers. Wednesday evening we attended prayer meetings. Revival services were held periodically.”
When my husband and I attend prayer meetings in the evening we are not doing anything new. Some of the prayer meetings we attend are on zoom, so the technology we are using is fairly new. But the need to cry out to God was not only around in my grandparents time: it pre-dated Paul’s trip to Athens.
I don’t need to focus on hearing the latest. I need to focus on hearing and applying truth. I need to focus on developing a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life.
When Paul spoke to the Athenians, he spoke truth, not the latest new things. People reacted in three ways. Some mocked him because he spoke of the resurrection of the dead, some wanted to hear more and some believed. As I speak/write about my experiences of God, and how His Word is affecting me, may many of you readers come to a saving knowledge of Christ if you do not already know Him. May those who know Him, grow closer to Him.
Prayer for those who want to begin a walk with Jesus: Confessing to God that I am a sinner, repenting of my sins (turning from them) and believing that the Lord Jesus Christ died for my sins on the cross and was raised for my justification, I do now receive and confess Him as my personal Saviour. Amen.
Prayer for those walking with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me to always be more concerned with truth than with the latest trends. Amen.
Note: My aunt’s identity is not mentioned and the book her story is published in is not identified on the internet to protect family privacy.
CC: K Carswell 2022
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by Permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
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