"STRANGE THINGS TO OUR EARS"

STRANGE THINGS TO OUR EARS

“You are bringing some strange things to our ears.”

Acts 17:20 - NKJV

The message of the Gospel may sound strange indeed, for most people.

In this text, the Athenians, who according to the author Luke were people who spent their time “in nothing else but either to tell or to hear something new” - (v. 21), were intrigued by the preaching of the newcomer, the Apostle Paul. His message was too simple, too plain, and too demanding! Imagine worshiping exclusively the true and only God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, imagine dealing with sin, or talking about an immortal soul that will be accountable one day!!

Little the inhabitants of Athens knew that the message Paul was preaching barely touched the surface of the essence of the Gospel: they still would have to hear about forgiving their enemies, abandoning their idols, loving God above all and everything, living a pure and holy life, and much more. But the foreign and strange message bothered them, it was a strange thing!

Meanwhile, the Bible makes clear that “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 

As Christians, we must keep disseminating these “weird things”, because even if our message sounds foreign, absurd and “out of this world”, it’s because it is!! 

Yes, the nature of the message of the Gospel may sound weird, because confronts, challenges and points out realities from up above, it shows the path to self-denying and stimulates the lifestyle of taking up our cross, but in the end, it will be that same message, which is translated into Jesus Himself, that will grant us a beautiful, eternal and wonderful life in the presence of the Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, forever and ever.

By the end of this same chapter, we can observe the answers they had to the Gospel, (answers which frankly, didn’t change much in the last two thousand years): some mocked, others postponed their commitment, but some were good soil, and received the message of salvation in Jesus brought by Paul.

May the Lord help us to continue spreading “these strange things” until the end, where everything will make complete sense to all.

Wishing many blessings to you and your family!

Pastor Joshua