A couple thoughts from my Bible reading this morning:

On Athens:

“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols.”

And we certainly live in cities full of idols, if greed and the worship of philosophy is indeed idolatry as the Bible suggests.

The Athenians, responding to Paul, said, “For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean.” (Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)”

And we certainly live in a culture that is always looking for something new and tossing out the old and the tried and the true.

On Corinth:

“And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, ‘Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.’”

Yes, Paul was fearful, as many of us are when confronted with crazy philosophies and bogus science that is diametrically opposed to truth and to Biblical guidance. We’re told in the Old Testament and out of the mouth of Jesus that “God made them man and woman,” (and this is what science supported for millennia until just the last few decades) but do we remain silent when every possible concept of sexuality is accepted and promulgated by our culture? And every possible form of religion and spirituality is commended and encouraged by our culture except for Biblical Christianity?

We are to “speak the truth in love,” and we know that kindness leads to repentance, but it is in no way kind to tacitly give our approval on behaviors that are clearly self-destructive and sinful.

Our culture pretty much ignores human organ harvesting in China and the abuse of women and children in every Islamic country, all while banning any speech or thought that does not align itself with the philosophy of the Party.

It’s time to first analyze whether our beliefs and actions align themselves with Biblical Christianity, and then speak forth Biblical truth and light to the dying world in which we reside.

A couple of recent studies pointed out that a large segment of our society is afraid of stating what their beliefs are for fear of repercussions.

We must not give in to fear, and we are required to speak truth in love.

A commission is “an instruction, command, or duty given to a person or group of people.” It is “authority entrusted to someone, delegated authority or power.”

Paul recognized his commission and walked in the authority of it, just as we are called to do as Jesus charged us:

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”