Bible Reading: Acts 14
Acts 14:15 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.
Paul and Barnabas were used by God to heal a man in Lystra. When the crippled man walked, the people thought the apostles were Jupiter and Mercury. They ran to the priest of Jupiter and he was going to sacrifice a bull to these gods who had come to visit them!
Acts 14:14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out…
Why? They were men just like these of Lystra. They used this as an opportunity to preach. Their message was simple. Turn from the vanity of believing in gods like Jupiter and Mercury and turn to the only true God who is the Creator. The apostles called the belief in these Roman gods vanity. In another place the Bible tells us exactly what these ‘gods’ are.
1 Corinthians 10:20-21 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
These ‘gods’ that the Greeks and Romans worshipped are devils. Just as Satan tried to get Jesus to worship him in the wilderness, devils lie to people and receive worship from them. All over the world, there is evidence of this kind of idolatry. The message from the apostles is to turn from this vanity to the truth. This is exactly what Thessalonians did:
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
There is only one God. All others are devils who are deceiving people who do not know the truth. All people need to turn from these vanities and turn to the living and true God. We need to heed the warning given to us by the apostle John:
1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
In Christ,
Rody
