Meeting People Where They Are
Acts 17:16-23 It is an awesome thing to serve a God who Is whoever you need Him to be in whatever situation you find yourself. He revealed Himself in Old Testament times by different Names that spoke of the way in which He made Himself known. For example: "Jehovah Jira" ? The Lord provides: "Jehovah Roi" ? The Lord who Sees; "Jehovah Rapha" ? The Lord who Heals; "Jehovah Shammah" ? The Lord who is There; etc. Sometimes we go through such overwhelming situations just to know that He is There and that He Sees, can carry us through. Not only can it help us get through such circumstances; but as we experience Him, He become Someone that we can offer to others in their times of crisis. That is basically where Paul found himself in Athens. He discovered that they had an idol erected for every imaginable thing and in case they had forgotten something, they had one for the unknown god. Paul took advantage of this and presented the True God as the One who was unknown to them. Athens had a custom; they would gather on Mars Hill and present to one another all the latest ideas. Paul was asked to speak and used this opportunity to present Jesus. This is what Paul meant when he said that he had become all things to all people. He learned to make Jesus relevant to any and every situation. I believe that this is what God expects of us. He desires us to be sensitive and open to opportunities to introduce Jesus to people where there are. To make Him known to them on the page they are, so that God can move them to the page where He is. God's way is often not easy, but in contrast to ours ? His is possible.
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