(By Thor Knutstad)

I love Acts chapter 17. This chapter is another detailed account by Luke of one of Paul’s many missionary journeys. The New Testament church at that time was continuing to explode upon the scene of the known world throughout Asia and and in Europe. Chapter 17 in Acts, specifically Acts 17:24-28, is a full presentation of God and the Gospel of Christ. This unique passage of Scripture is filled with God’s heart toward His people (toward all peoples whether Jews or Gentiles) – and His purpose to make Himself known.

While walking through Athens in Greece, Paul sees many idols and altars and inscriptions to false gods. The Greeks had created false centers of worship. These gods to them were “unknown” and “not reachable.” Upon seeing an altar labeled “to an unknown god,” Paul proclaims the God who is knowable, and who demands to be known. Can you just imagine Paul seeing that “unknown god” altar? I imagine him thinking and praying, “Okay Lord, here’s that opportunity that I have been waiting for! Let us preach!” Then while they disputed Paul’s treatise of the Gospel, he then uses their false logic against them for the sake of truth. You see, the Greeks, in their logical and quite philosophical worship of logic had probably thought, “Well, if the other gods aren’t really gods then an altar to an unknown god will suffice.” I wonder if this was more about their seeing those false gods as not reachable or more about their fear of not wanting to get it wrong. It’s probably both. But it is still an absurd claim – no matter how logical they claimed to be.

Yet the apostle Paul proclaims the true God who can be known. In Paul’s dispute of their idols and altars of worship, he makes note of some key points in Acts 17:24-28 (to read the whole account I suggest that you review all of Acts 17:16-34 for the complete context). Paul’s statement includes the following important points:

He calls them religious and appeals to them on the basis of what they believe and in what he has seen. His term religious may actually be taken as sarcasm to mean that they were “superstitious” as a sort of jab or seriously. Biblically, it is hard to tell, but it is an interesting comment. Being called religious isn’t always a good thing.
God is a personal Creator and gives life to every created thing on earth and is the creator of every nation and every person.
God determines the times, seasons, and exact places where men and women should live. I love this! Paul is attributing God as being Sovereign and in control and decisive in the existence of everything – including TIME! Wow!
God is near and close to man and wants man’s “reach” for Him.
God is unlike idols and altars of gold, silver, and stone; He is not a manmade image.
God commands repentance to ALL men.
God will judge everyone in the future.
God gives us the Savior, Christ Jesus, who is resurrected proof as Messiah (by the way, the Greeks believed in an immortal soul but not a resurrected body). This would seem completely foreign and absurd to their logical beliefs.

If you have read the entire passage, then you know that these philosophers disputed with Paul in the early part of the passage and called him a “babbler.” They accused him of advocating false gods because he was preaching the Good News of Jesus and the resurrection (of Christ and eventually of all men). They accused him of bringing in some strange new teaching (history records that they thought that they were the custodians of bringing “new enlightenment” and “new truth teachings” to the people). No wonder they took offense to his Gospel message! They actually sneered at him and only a few actually became followers of Christ. This is sad but true. Even Gospel fluency, loving others well, and living on mission to your neighbors, friends, and community gets rejected because of the message. Their hearts didn’t receive these great truths. What a shame! What fools! What sadness! Even when the message is relevant, practical, pure, and true, many will reject and scoff and slander and not receive.

Yet like Paul, we look for opportunities and well-timed, apt, and fitting replies to others as we live on mission daily in our lives. Paul’s replies to their disputes of his message are the Gospel. May our own lives and message be the same – relevant, practical, pure, fitting, well-timed, and full of Truth in Christ as we walk and live unashamed of our risen Savior and blessed resurrected redeemer – King Jesus! Praise Him.

(By Nate Howard)

Imagine...

Tomorrow, you awaken to find ShopRite has disappeared — along with every other grocery store! What if the police department was no more? What if, heaven forbid, chocolate ceased to exist? What if technology as we know it, including the internet, cell phones, even electricity, vanished without a trace?

It’s hard to imagine survival without life’s so-called necessities. But here’s a more challenging question: What if all Christian churches disappeared? What if Living Faith Alliance disappeared? Would it make any difference if we didn’t exist? Would anyone notice?
God imagines His church to be a world-changing church — that our presence would be felt, that people would know we exist. God said, "I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, that they might be for me a people, a name, a
praise, and a glory." (Jeremiah 13:11)
God intends the life of Jesus in His people to significantly alter the world. That’s what we want as well. We’ve set the course of LFA to be in pursuit of the life-changing presence of Jesus, impacting
South Jersey one life at a time.
The 5-year goals we have embraced (see the front cover) describe the kind of impact we imagine, not just as one church, but as a number of networked churches — call them church plants or multisite.
We want to engage our world, intentionally talking with our friends about the Gospel, experiencing the joy of watching them become Jesus followers, connected in true community, living a
purposeful life of mission.

Look again at the graphic. Do you see the five essential practices we intend to grow in? It really does start with you and me. So as we begin this new year, the questions facing each of us are:
‣ What values need to shift in our life?
‣ How must we change?
‣ What will God need to do in you and me for us to become the
church God envisions?

I hope you can see there is an urgency that each of us connect with
God. That’s why we are beginning 2015 with an all-church week of
prayer. Please use this guide to enter in to the life of your church.
Set aside this week and let your faith rise to grasp what God has
for us.

“Making God Known – Acts 17:16-34”

Would the World Notice if the Church Ceased to Exist?