A couple of weeks ago the Christian charity Tearfund published the results of a survey it had undertaken about British attitudes to faith during lockdown. There is quite a lot of information in the published findings, but the key points are:
Nearly half of adults in the UK (44%) say they pray
24% of UK adults say they have watched or listened to a religious service during lockdown
Over half of those who pray (56%) agree that prayer changes the world.
It seems to me that the survey shows there is an emptiness in many people’s lives and a recognition that there is something or someone beyond our own understanding. The survey shows, that deep in people’s hearts, their souls, they hunger to know God even though they may not know who God is.
Today, I want to focus on the story of Paul in Athens in Acts 17: 22 – 31.
Paul is alone in Athens. He has been driven out of Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea. He is being a faithful witness in a strange and complex place. A place where the culture encourages worship of all manner of false gods and idols.
We know a lot about a culture where people worship false gods and idols – whether it is consumer goods, fashion, beauty, military might and technology to name but a few. Paul would have understood the problems we as followers of Jesus face in trying to get our culture to recognise and worship the one true God.
Paul’s starting point is a recognition that the people of Athens are seeking spiritual satisfaction and that is to their credit.
“People of Athens I see how extremely religious you are in every way” Acts 17:22
Paul was clever in Athens. Instead of going on the attack and pointing out where the Athenians were wrong, he finds ways in which to engage with their culture, to work with them and relate to them.
Whilst some atheists would reject out of hand the very idea of something more than this world, many people give an expression to their spiritual yearning by putting their “faith” in something else. Consumerism, humanism, nationalism and so on. And people become very loyal to the idols they put their faith in. It was no different in Athens where people were loyal to their particular god.
What Paul had to do, and what we must do in our time, is to make people recognise that they need to live their lives according to the ultimate loyalty – God, as seen in Jesus Christ. And to do this, Paul looked for openings in people’s hearts and souls.
One of the things our culture is into, is use of modern technology. For example, when a new model of mobile phone comes out, many people want to have it immediately.
Therefore, if we are to engage with the culture around us, to show people the way to the one true God, we need to work with that love of technology, that idolatry.
Many churches have been putting services online and people are finding their way to these services during the lockdown. And I know from my own blog, (where I publish these reflections) it has been read by people outside church. Through this technology we can find wats to bring God into people’s hearts.
Paul also seemed to realise that he needed to adapt his approach and the sharing of the message to the culture. This is a difficult thing to do. We don’t want to water down the Gospel. But at the same time, if the Gospel message is to be heard, it needs to be delivered in such a way as fits with the culture. Paul realised, as I’ve said, that the Athenians were searching for the one true God. By building an altar to “the unknown god”, they seemed to be vaguely aware that there was more. They had a longing for something more. But they did not know what that was.
In our culture, when people fill their lives with desiring consumer goods, or trying to look more beautiful or trying to gain power, they are looking for fulfilment in their lives. They do not know what will fill the emptiness in their lives they just know there is something more. In reality, they are searching for the one true God as only He can give life in all its fulness.
Paul was not critical of the Athenians for having idols and worshipping false gods. His message was welcoming and hospitable as opposed to unwelcoming and hostile. He knew that the Athenians needed the message of salvation and hope that Jesus Christ brings. But his starting point was, as we’ve seen, the recognition that they were looking for meaning in their lives. Paul acknowledged this when he was talking with them, acknowledged their creative powers of thought and invention, and invited them to go further in their thinking with him.
It seems to me that the challenge for us as followers of Christ is to find ways of welcoming people into God’s loving family, whilst at the same time not avoiding the need for repentance and faith in Christ.
That the living Jesus is the only Messiah and the one Lord means all other competing loyalties and practises must be set aside in order to begin a new life in him. Despite Paul’s eloquence, most people in Athens were unable to do this and people today face a similar challenge when they encounter the Gospel. For many of those who are turning to prayer at this time, the need to look at their own lives and values and seek forgiveness and then a willingness to start life in a different way, will be a step too far. But we can pray that some who are exploring at this time will come to Christ.
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