“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.” – Acts 17:16-17
What a great example for Christians! Traveling alone in Athens, Paul becomes so upset by the widespread idolatry around him that he was compelled to share the gospel with anyone and everyone who happened to be wherever he was. He shared Christ in the synagogue and the marketplace, the sacred to the secular.
What would it look like if every ChristIan today got so upset about the widespread idolatry in the culture surrounding us that we began lovingly sharing Christ with everyone who happened to be in the same place we were??? Our culture and lives are full of idols, things which function as gods driving and motivating us and others: power, pleasure, politics, sex, entertainment, applause, sports, health, wealth, fame, comfort, convenience, safety, family, career, and celebrity, just to name a few.
What if, instead of either joining in the idolatry ourselves or silently shaking our heads about it, we shared Christ instead? Faithfully, daily, as we go, and with whomever we encounter. Sharing Christ is the only truly effective way to push back against the idolatry filling everything around us. May we each become more like Paul!