In the movie Patriot Games, Jack Ryan, played by Harrison Ford, witnesses an attack on the British Secretary of State to Northern Ireland. Rather than hide his face from the violence, Jack Ryan (in typical Harrison Fordian fashion) springs into action, rescuing the secretary and even killing one of the terrorists.
Later on in the film, when he is questioned by one of his friends concerning his heroics, Jack Ryan responds, “It just pissed me off. I couldn't just stand there and watch him shoot those people right in front of me. It was... rage. Pure rage... Just made me mad.” In other words, Jack Ryan, when confronted with certain tragedy, could not sit still. He had to act.
In Acts 17 we find the apostle Paul confronted by a reality which he could not ignore. In verses 16 and 17 of said chapter we read: “While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.”
Athens was a city full of temples and images of pagan gods. Paul saw these things. He knew that the false gods were worshiped, he knew that people were lost in their ignorance and false religion and he knew that God was not receiving the honour and glory that were due Him. And so Paul acted. He shared Christ. He confronted false belief.
Our city of Toronto is a city full of false gods as well. There are the mosques and the temples dedicated to Hinduism and Buddhism. But there are also the gods of entertainment, money, possessions, lust and so forth. Anything (excluding the true God) can become an idol if we devote our lives to it and give it prominence. Anything can be worshiped.
When we notice people around us pursuing false gods are our hearts moved as Paul’s was? Do we speak up for the true and living God? And there are other questions we need to ask as well. In a city like Toronto, how can we go about sharing Christ? And in particular, how can we share Christ with the young adult population? There are some principles I would like to share from Paul’s time in Athens as seen in Acts 17:16-34 that will shed some light on these questions.
