Going Alone
When Paul found himself alone at Athens he planned on
waiting quietly for the rest of his entourage to come down and join him so they
could continue to Corinth. However, as
he walked around the pagan city his heart was heavy for the people living in
such darkness. He soon found himself on
Mars Hill preaching the gospel which led to debates with some of the greatest
philosophical thinkers in the world.
These people were professional debaters who spent their time debating
deep philosophical concepts. They
worshiped many gods. They were well
educated. They had no patience for someone from the outside coming and telling
them they were wrong. They had no patience for someone proclaiming something
as absurd as God becoming man, dying for the sin of the world and being
resurrected from the dead. Resurrection was
viewed as foolishness. Yet, Paul found
himself alone, defending his beliefs.
Paul’s time in Athens is one of the least fruitful times of
his ministry. It was a hard few weeks
trying to do ministry alone amid a very difficult culture. America today is more like Athens than
Antioch where the church flourished and sent out missionaries. We live in a culture that denies God and
worships science. We are an educated
nation that loves to debate. Many times,
believers find themselves in situations in the work place where they are
isolated and alone without the support of the church. Like Paul we all have a decision to
make. Do we buy our time and wait for
better circumstances or do we open our mouth and preach the gospel? I believe that Jesus desires for us to go
alone with boldness amid a difficult culture.
Paul understood this truth that he wrote years later to the
church in Rome, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are
they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to
preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those
who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:14-15)
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