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In many ways, our world today mirrors the one in which the apostle Paul set out to share the Good News of Jesus. We have become so post-Christian that society now resembles a pre-Christian culture, where there is little knowledge or memory of Jesus. In this sense, we are not unlike the city of Athens, where Paul once preached.

After leaving Thessalonica, Paul brought the gospel to Berea. When the Jews in Thessalonica heard that the message had reached Berea, they traveled there to disrupt his work. Despite the opposition, many in Berea believed in Jesus. Sensing the danger Paul was in, the new believers encouraged him to leave the city. Some of them accompanied him as he departed for Athens, while Silas and Timothy remained to disciple the new believers.

While waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens, Paul went to the synagogue on the Sabbath and spent the other days in the public square, likely selling tents and sharing the Good News as he worked.(1) As he explored the city, he saw altars, idols, and temples dedicated to various deities, including an altar to an “Unknown God.” The Athenians seemed eager to honor any god they might have overlooked, yet they did not know the One true God.

Paul noticed these objects of worship because he was actively looking for them. A few years ago, i gathered with a group of believers in New York City to discuss how we could more effectively share the gospel with the diverse people groups who now live in the U.S.—people from nearly every language, tribe, and nation. We were reminded that Christ’s Great Commission includes both going to the ends of the earth and reaching out to those who have become our immediate neighbors.

During the gathering, we were challenged to open our eyes, ears, and hearts as we walk through our neighborhoods, to notice the people and cultures God has placed along our paths. We often walk through life with our heads down and blinders on—seeing but not observing, and hearing but not listening. To truly be witnesses, we must first witness the lives and needs of those around us, just as Paul did. When we remove the blinders, we gain insights into those around us and their “objects of worship.”

Like Paul, we must learn to “see”—both literally and figuratively. Physically, we should look at the actual altars, idols, and temples around us to gain insight into the beliefs of our neighbors, asking God to use these observations as bridges for sharing the Good News. God enabled Paul to see the altar to the “Unknown God” and use it as a point of connection to speak to the Athenians’ spiritual hunger and introduce them to the One true God.

We should also see figuratively, beginning with “altars.” Altars are not the objects of worship but a means of worship. Altars are often associated with places of prayer or commitment in churches, synagogues, temples, and other religious settings. However, they can also be metaphorical. In life, altars can represent anything we are unwilling to give up, no matter the personal cost. For example, ministry can become an altar where people sacrifice family and relationships, believing the activity of ministry itself is worth the cost. Any worthy cause, if it consumes us, can become an altar. Addictions, too, often become altars where lives are sacrificed.

Next, we are to look for “idols,” which are the actual objects of worship. In Christian faith, service to Christ is an act of worship, yet there is a danger of making our service itself the object of worship, focusing more on what we are doing than on the One for whom we do it.

Money is another common idol. Jesus spoke often about wealth because it has an insatiable pull. Early in our marriage, my wife and i often said, “All we need is $10,000.” Once we had it, we found ourselves saying, “All we need is another $10,000.” This pursuit can easily become endless. Success, too, is often idolized, whether in career, hobbies, relationships, possessions, or other goals. When our pursuit of something becomes all-consuming, it has taken the place of God.

Finally, we should look for “temples.” A temple can itself become an idol if we focus on it more than on God. Paul reminds us, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?”(2) Yet, he continues, “…You do not belong to yourself.” Sometimes, in our focus on physical health, we risk idolizing our bodies. Similarly, people may elevate their place of worship—the building, programs, or atmosphere—to the point where these things overshadow God. Another example is nature itself. Many see God’s creation as beautiful, but it becomes a form of idolatry when we begin worshiping the creation instead of the Creator.

When Paul addressed the council in Athens, most did not believe, but some did. Among them were Dionysius, a council member, and a woman named Damaris.(3) The Holy Spirit used the “bridge” of the altar to the “Unknown God” to draw some of those who heard to faith in Jesus. Their mention by name suggests they were prominent individuals or familiar to Luke’s early readers.

As we conclude this post, let us remain watchful for the objects of worship around us and open to the ways the Holy Spirit might use them as bridges for sharing the Good News. Just as in Athens, there may be someone just across that bridge, waiting to hear.

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You can read about the apostle Paul’s message to the people in Athens in the seventeenth chapter of The Acts of the Apostles.

Portions of this post are adapted from chapter 47 of my book, Until He Returns. For more information about the book, click here.

(1)  Acts 17:16-34 (NLT)

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there…. Then they took him to the high council of the city. “Come and tell us about this new teaching,” they said…. So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about. He is the God who made the world and everything in it….From one man He created all the nations throughout the whole earth…. His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him…. For in Him we live and move and exist…. And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone. … Now He commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to Him. For He has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man He has appointed, and He proved to everyone who this is by raising Him from the dead.” When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.” That ended Paul’s discussion with them, but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council,  a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

(2)  1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT)

(3)  Acts 17:34 (NLT)

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