Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

July 12
Monday


A SPIRITUAL
JOURNEY

READ:
Acts 17:22-31
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You turned to God
from idols to serve the
living and true God.
__1 Thessalonians 1:9
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The miracles that God worked through Moses challenged the many gods of Pharaoh. Yet, in another time, there was a Pharaoh who promoted the belief in one deity. Pharaoh Akhenaten pointed to the rising and setting sun as the great deity who gave life to the earth. His religious symbol for Aton, the sun god, was represented by a single disc of light with emanating rays. Though this Pharaoh's idea came closer to the one God of the Bible, it was still idolatry.

When Paul addressed the people in Athens, he was grieved by the idolatry in that city. Yet he used the people's imperfect understanding of God to point them to the God of Scripture. Of their efforts in trying to find God, Paul said: "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands" (Acts 17:24).

In our increasingly pluralistic world, the people around us may worship a multiplicity of deities. Yet their spiritual journey need not end there. We never know when someone might be moving toward the kingdom of God. Following the example of Paul, we should respect a person's religious background, watch for spiritual receptivity, and then point him or her to the one true God of Scripture. __Dennis Fisher
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```````````A PRAYER: Dear Lord, help us to lead the lost`````````````
```````````away from all that is false. And to lead them`````````````
``````````````````to You--the one and only God--`````````````````
``````````````````who alone offers true life. Amen.```````````````
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God alone is worthy of our worship.

***********Today's Bible Reading __ Acts 17:22-31****************

22 Then Paul...said, "Men
of Athens, I perceive that in
all things you are very
religious; 23 for as I was
passing through and
considering the objects of
your worship, I even found
an altar with this inscription:
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.
Therefore, the One whom
you worship without
knowing, Him I proclaim to
you. 24 God, who made the
world and everything in it,
since He is lord of heaven
and earth, does not dwell in
temples made with hands.

25 Nor is He worshiped with
men's hands, as though He
needed anything, since He
gives to all life, breath, and
all things. 26 And He has
made from one blood every
nation of men to dwell on all
the face of the earth, and has
determined their
preappointed times...., 27 so
that they should seek the
Lord, in the hope that they
might grope for Him and
find Him, though He is not
far from each one of us;

28 for in Him we live and
move and have our being, as
also some of your own poets
have said, 'for we are also
His offspring.' 29 Therefore,
since we are the offspring of
God, we ought not to think
that the Divine Nature is like
gold or silver or stone,
something shaped by art and
man's devising. 30 ...{God}
commands all men
everywhere to repent,

31 because He has appointed
a day on which He will judge
the world in righteousness by
the Man whom He has
ordained. He has given
assurance of this to all by
raising Him from the dead."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Although facing a crowd of intellectual pagans, Paul gives a
message that's surprisingly clear. The Creator, evident in nature,
has commanded all to repent based on the historic event of christ's
resurrection from the dead. The gospel should be given clearly,
whatever the audience. __DENNIS FISHER

[Lani]

*Amen2*

Awesome Prayer!!

Thanks cimi, for your ever resilient spirit and continued courage to share His word.... Seeds are planted and waiting daily!

Luv Him in ya sis!!

Peace and Love in Christ,
Lani