It was when Paul went to Mars Hill is when the Greeks, Athenians, and others heard the gospel for the first time. Praise God. It was at this time that it is written, “then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.” (Acts 17:22-26) This is just the first part of what was taught. And we learn that God does not dwell in temples made with hands. Therefore, building up a temple for God to dwell in, as Mormons do, is wrong and uncalled for. This goes against what Paul said here. It is important that we worship God in Spirit, and not ever confine Him to a certain place or building, as was spoken. Also, through Jesus, we can be forgiven through His offering for sin on the cross. This blood atonement was for all people in the past, present, and future. Amen.
Paul also said, “that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:27-31) We are taught to seek the Lord, for He is never distant. We are the offspring of God and we ought to respect Him also. Not by making images, or statues of God. He doesn’t want anyone to be making things out of gold, silver, or precious metals, in order to represent the godhead or trinity in fashion at all. This goes against all the images and statues that the Catholics have of the Saints, Mary, and Jesus. God is against this idolatry. Therefore, we are called to repent of our unbelief and sins against God. We will be judged in righteousness, but only a few people will be found worthy. Are you one of God’s chosen? If so, then all God’s light to shine through you.
Let us pray:
Oh Lord, thank You for everything You have done for me. Thank You, Lord, for paying the penalty for my sins on the cross. Although it was some time ago that all this took place, I can still imagine the pain and anguish You must have gone through for the sake of me and all of mankind. The very thought of You suffering is hard to take in and bear, but I know it had to happen. You were always called to be the Lamb of God, who was to take away the sins of the world. And as a believer, I know it would be silly of me to create a building for You to dwell in. You were never supposed to be confined to a box, but to indwell in us. Therefore, I come to You daily in earnest prayer, that the Spirit may be with me at all times. This is when I am made much stronger to resist temptation and do Your will, than when I am in the flesh alone. I stumble when I think I have everything figured out. This is when I become the weakest, for I think that I am better than others in my pride. Thankfully, this doesn’t happen as often anymore. You have ripped out of my life every ounce of pride and replaced it with Your love. So I will continue in Your love, that others will also experience Your love through me. Shine brightly, Lord, even through a person like me. Whatever I can do for Your kingdom, move me to the front of the line. I am here to serve You and do as You say. You have my heart! I love You, Jesus. Amen.