Followers of Christ Jesus

1Th 2:14  For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:
1Th 2:15  Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:
1Th 2:16  Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

The Jewish people who practice their religion will not dispute the fact that their history proves their rejection of their own prophets.  Go ahead and read their history. They tormented their prophets. They turned their backs on their prophets and over and over they were called by those prophets to repentance. Time and time again they did NOT heed the call to repent and they received the punish for that failure. Were there times when they listened and were spared? Yes.  But the facts are the facts and their history proves that they as a people rejected many of their prophets. So, if that fact is true and something they won't dispute why do they dispute their rejection and their murder of the Lord Jesus? Maybe it's more a rejection of His being the Son of God, of His being God with God, of His being the innocent Lamb. As long as they do not recognize the Sonship and innocence, the sinlessness of the Lord Jesus they don't have to feel guilt for the crime they committed.  Or maybe it's because they had the Romans do their dirty work they feel that their hands are clean. There are many maybes but the facts are the facts, undisputable.  Do we blame the Jewish people today for the crime committed 2000 years ago? We shouldn't, not anymore than we should blame the white people today for their ancestors practicing black slavery.  We shouldn't, not anymore than we should blame all Germans today for their ancestors slaughter of the Jews.  Each and every guilty person will face God in judgment and by the grace of Jesus they will have repented, but if not, they will be punished then for their crimes, their sins. Yet, when this word was written it was still very fresh in the minds of the Christians, the guilt of those who rejected the Savior.  Why was it so fresh? Because all of the Apostles were Jews themselves. They were of those who rejected the Lord Jesus, but they chose to continue on into the new light of the Savior's arrival, the Messiah realized.  This doesn't mean that a lot of their former friends and even family members didn't rejected the truth.

They separated themselves from those they used to worship with and this was a very real happenstance, this is HISTORY.

Reread the above verses-

1Th 2:14  For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:
1Th 2:15  Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:
1Th 2:16  Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

Those who accepted the truth of Jews and then of Gentiles will be SAVED.  But those who opposed the truth and tried their utmost to keep others from it will receive the justified wrath of God.

Today we must believe in the TRUTH.
Today the world is filled with LIES.

If any are seeking the truth and meet opposition from others the story will be the same, the very true, the very real story and it won't have a happy ending. 

We cannot stand in the way of truth.

We cannot let others keep us from the truth either.

Many will try to keep us from the truth, maybe not as violently as they do in some countries around the world, but they will.  Many will hold up their false beliefs and demand that we accept them as truth and they'll do it all the while not claiming to be as the Jews and others who deny Christ, but they'll do in in Christ's name.

Narrow is the way, few will find it.

Mat 7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

You aren't going to stand with the majority, you can't, not if you are truly following the truth of our Savior.

We have to beware of those today who call themselves spiritual Jews, they too have become corrupt. Not all of those claiming to be spiritual Jews will be God's, anymore than those who are Jews claiming to be God's people are His, when they don't even believe in His Holy Son.

May God keep us in HIS TRUTH no matter what, no matter who!

All by HIS GRACE, all by HIS LOVE!

The Word of God, not the word of men

1Th 2:13  For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

The word of men and the word of God.

How many people believe the word men?  A lot. We have authorities on everything there is to be an authority on. We have theories proven and unproven and we have people who believe them all just on the say so of the authority of man. If a person says they are an authority on a subject and then reveals document after document, degree after degree proving they've studied all there was to study on that subject, others believe them. They've studied, they've been rewarded for their studying by receiving documents and a lot of them receive a title as well, a doctorate. They can call themselves a doctor of the subject they've intensely studied and mastered the knowledge of.  We get one of these people in our presence and they expound upon the subject they know so much about and we believe the things they are saying. Why wouldn't we believe them? They are learned men or women and have done something we have not, and know so much more than we do. They have the authority now to speak as a knowing one. We don't possess the authority and so we cannot speak as one with that authority. 

Now here we have the apostles who are THANKING God without ceasing- why? Because the people have received the word of God. The people have HEARD the apostles speak but did NOT receive the word of men but the word of GOD. They did not receive the word as being the apostles words, they took the words that they were given and believed them as the WORD of GOD- which is the TRUTH. The WORD of GOD can work effectively in a person when they truly believe the word is GOD'S and not MAN'S.

When you are called to spread the Word of God, to give the gospel to others, you are NOT called to expound on YOUR knowledge.  You are NOT to give YOUR words.  We are not to speak to others in order to have them marvel at our expertise on the Bible. We are to give them the TRUTH in God's Word. The life of the Words. We are giving them GOD'S WORD and He alone is the AUTHORITY on HIS Word, His truths.  We might be charged to speak the words that God has given to us through the Holy Spirit, but we are to never claim those words belong to us.

We don't want people to believe in the Word of God by saying …so and so told me what they believe and now I believe.  We want people to believe in the Word of God by saying I believe what I've been told because it is God's truth, it's a truth that can stand on its own even if the very same person who told me about the Word of God suddenly denies it all.   The Word of God is truth and NOTHING changes that, our belief or unbelief does NOT alter the word of God, it remains.  

Man's words are not filled with truth. You can take a man's words from a hundred years ago and show where they were wrong, their theories disproved in light of another man's more modern theory.  Yet so many people believed everything that man said a hundred years ago and would stake their lives on his words being truth.  We like to call it- truth for the time- meaning it's alterable if time changes things. Yet God's word is NOT truth for a time, it's truth for ever and will never be disproven, never.

Men can try to tear it apart into a million pieces and try to stick their own truths into it but it will remain forever unchanged GOD'S WORD, on GOD'S authority!

1Th 2:13  For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

People can believe what they want to believe, that's where the freedom of choice comes into play. You can whip someone into submission. You can torture them into acting how you want them to act. You can brainwash a person, we all know this is possible. You can try to and sometimes succeed in taking the power of choice over what a person believes away from them, but ultimately it's that freedom inside each of us to have the thoughts we choose to have that NO ONE can take from us. I don't want to force anyone to believe in anything I have to say, not a single thing. If a person is going to believe in the Word of God it has to be because they believe it truly is GOD'S WORD and not man's. The conviction of God's Word as TRUTH for all is the only conviction we need.  God's truth.  God's Word.

Do we truly believe God's word is of God and not man?  We have to, it is TRUTH.

Believing in the power behind the Word given by God is what will effectively work in us.

There is power in God's word because it has the authority of God Himself, our CREATOR, our REDEEMER, our LOVE, our LIFE ETERNAL.

We must believe in God's Word, not in the men who  preach their own words. A true man of God will guide others to God and God's Word -not to themselves and their words.

May we always and forever believe in the Word of GOD in all His Power, all His Authority!

In HIS LOVE!

Walk worthy of God

1Th 2:7  But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:
1Th 2:8  So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.
1Th 2:9  For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.
1Th 2:10  Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:
1Th 2:11  As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,
1Th 2:12  That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.

Gentle- not forceful, not overbearing, not demanding- but gentle, this is how the apostles preached the gospel to people. Were they adamant, perhaps at times. They didn't sugar-coat the truth, they didn't beat people down and sit on them to shove it down their throat. They preached with LOVE, just as JESUS did.

They labored, the travailed as they preached the gospel- their desire for people to KNOW the truth was a deep desire, not something superficial. Their hearts were in their work. They didn't want a single person to miss out on knowing the truth that could lead to their salvation.

The apostles conducted themselves as Jesus would have them. They were LIVING messengers of His word, they were living examples of a live connected to the Savior.

They loved these people they were NOT related to and yet they treated them as a father would treat their children. When you love your children you act responsibly and you deny them things you in your parent wisdom knows could harm them. You try to teach them lessons so that they're prepared for the life they'll one day have to live without them to be their guides. We want our children to be independent and be able to raise their own children to be responsible and so on. We don't tear down our children but we teach.  We don't abuse our children but we discipline.  God, our loving heavenly Father lives the same way with us. His love guides all His actions. 

The apostles wanted people to walk worthy of God- God who has called them to His kingdom and glory.

We are to walk worthy of God because God has called us ALL to His Kingdom and His Glory.

We are NOT to walk as those who have no hope in them. We are NOT to walk content to flaunt our sinful ways. Maybe we do have sins that easily beset us, but those sins aren't something to be proud of, something to show off, something to commit as if they weren't deadly to us.  We do not walk worthy if we relish our sins. We do not walk worthy if we are not striving against sin.

Heb 12:4  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 

We do not walk worthy if we take the love of God and ignore it, if we fail to live with that love as a reality in our lives.

All by the grace of God we live, we love.

God is witness

1Th 2:5  For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:
1Th 2:6  Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.

Flattering words.
Cloke of covetousness.

Flattery is pretty lying. Flattery is putting fancy clothes on a skeleton. Flattery serves NO purpose other than to create an atmosphere of untruths. The liar knows they are lying, the one being lied to may be deceived or allowing the lies because in all their horrid untruth they bring some strange comfort. We've all used flattery even if unintentional, and we've all been victims of a flatterer. The truth distorted becomes a lie and a lie is evil no matter how gorgeous that lie is, no matter how soothing that lie is, no matter how amazing that lie is. We call evil good and good evil.

Isa 5:20  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Flattery is evil and not using flattery is a good thing. If we use flattery then we are using lies.  People will say the end justifies the means, but that is us calling evil good, we've made an art of doing so. We can do it all we want, we can lie and call our lies truths but that will NEVER make them truths, never. Pretty lies are pretty evils and the most gorgeous of unrepented, unforgiven evils will still deserve death.

A cloke of covetousness.

A garment of intense desire to have what another haves to the point of letting it consume your life. Letting the desire for an object to be your god in place of GOD. Letting that THING be your all in all. The apostles did NOT use a covering of idolatry in their work. They did NOT let ANYTHING other than the desire to do God's will, overcome them. They kept God FIRST in all they did and GOD was their witness.

God is OUR witness too.

God witnesses our lives in all its aspects, nothing is hid from Him.

If we seek glory from others, He knows.

God knows us and we can pretend He doesn't even exist and live accordingly if that's what we desire, but the truth is the truth. God knows our hearts, God tries our hearts.

All we can do is pray for the righteousness of Christ to cover all our unrighteousness.

Maybe we can't say that we aren't prone to using flattery, or being caught up in covetousness, but we have to be able to say that we are sinners and in need of a Savior, a Redeemer,  someone to forgive us and create a cleanness in us that we cannot create ourselves.

We need to listen to the Gospel and we need to share the Gospel all as our LORD directs us knowing God is our witness.

God's love tries our hearts all through LOVE.

We hear about tough love as if it's something new but it's as old as time. Love allows trials and tribulations all geared to created a person that is more dependent upon God than anything else. Love allows these upsets and horrors with the ultimate desire for faith to be realize in its fullness.

As our worlds come down around our heads and we lose everything we are tempted to hold dear, we have to holdfast to the one thing that means everything, God. We can't pretend to even begin to comprehend all the whys and the wherefores, we have to believe our God is in control even if it means our death.

By the grace of God may we NOT use flattery, or consent to being flattered. By the grace of God may we NOT use a cloak of covetousness in our lives. 

May we live through HIS strength and not our own, trusting in HIM for all things!

All by HIS grace and mercy, through HIS LOVE!

Allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel

1Th 2:3  For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile:
1Th 2:4  But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

When we speak of God do we concern ourselves with whether or not we are saying things that are pleasing to our listeners?  Is it our intention to be pleasing to them? Is our objective to be men pleasers?  Seriously, is this our desire, to be pleasing to others? How many of us strive to please others?  Not the pleasing that comes from loving someone, but the pleasing that makes us feel good about ourselves, is this the sort of pleasing we are into? Doing good to look good to others, so they think we are good, is this the sort of life we lead?  When we get all caught up in trying to please OURSELVES through the accolades of others we've lost sight of the ONLY one we are to truly please.  We KNOW that we cannot do anything falsely to please God. While our fellow man might not be able to see through our selfish desire to gain their good graces, God sees through any and all subterfuge we dare to attempt towards Him. 

We must LIVE not to PLEASE our fellowman, but to PLEASE GOD, to do what is pleasing in His sight with the CLEAN heart that ONLY HE can give to us.

The apostles here is talking about witnessing to other of the gospel of Peace, of salvation found in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. When they speak they used NOT deceit! When they speak they use NO unclean, sinful lying words. When they speak they used NOT guile, no untruth crossed their lips.

God ENTRUSTED them with the gospel, with HIS TRUTH and that is the ONLY TRUTH They speak.  They didn't care if the men listening liked what they were saying. They didn't try to sugar-coat their message in order to make those listening happy.  They didn't go to the gentiles and start making up stories filled with pagan deities in order to garner their attention. They did NOT do a single thing to compromise the TRUTH of God! Those listeners might have wanted to hear how they could find eternal life through their own favored gods; they may have wanted to hear that they just had to work hard and be good to be saved.  Many people want to hear pleasing things, we call it natural and it is to our flesh nature. To hear that none of their former gods could save them eternally; to hear that they can't possibly work to save themselves wouldn't be pleasing but the apostles didn't care because the truth given to them by God demanded that they adhere to the truth and only then could they please God. Lies DO NOT please God. When we speak to please men rather than God we can succeed, but not eternally.

Does this mean God wants us to be bullies? Does this mean God wants us to force feed people His word? Does this mean we have to be nasty in any way in order to get our Savior's truth across? No. Can you imagine Jesus acting that way? Seriously, can you?  Don't say, 'Well, I'm not Jesus.', because even though that is true, we are to follow HIS EXAMPLE! Speak the truth! Speak it plainly! If people do NOT want to hear the truth then you keep on going, you keep on preaching to others. If NONE want to hear it, you just keep on living your life as our Savior would want you to live it- IN LOVE- NEVER in constant anger, constant malice, constant upset, constant bickering, constant animosity.  Our ACTIONS truly can speak louder than ANY words we might feel we have to speak. 

1Th 2:3  For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile:
1Th 2:4  But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

We are allowed of God - to be put in TRUST with the gospel.

Amazing, so incredibly amazing! We are entrusted with something so wondrous! Please God help us to spread YOUR word as YOU would have us, not as we would have it. PLEASE LORD, please let us speak YOUR GOSPEL, YOUR TRUTH that YOU have trusted us with!

HELP US to PLEASE YOU, not people! 

YOU FATHER GOD, YOU try our HEARTS, try them o' LORD, try them, purify them with YOUR LOVE.

More tomorrow all by the GRACE of GOD!

IN HIS LOVE!

The law written in their hearts

Rom 2:1  Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

How easy it is for us to judge others and then turn around and do the same things we just judged. How often do you hear of judges and ministers soliciting prostitutes and then turning around and condemning them from their benches and pulpits? The people against gambling, turning around and saying oh this harmless pastime isn't gambling- and they pay for their bingo cards, they turn over their dollar bills for paper cards with numbers on them hoping to win a big cash pay out.  People accuse others of lying, cheating, stealing and so much more while turning around and doing it themselves all the time. 

We truly are inexcusable when we dare to judge others. We truly do condemn OURSELVES because when we judge others and pretend we are somehow better because maybe our wrongs aren't quite so visible but sins hidden in the heart, sins hidden so that others can't see them but GOD sees them all.

Rom 2:2  But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

God's judgment is always true, we cannot hide from God.

Rom 2:3  And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

People do think this! They really , really do. How many people honestly believe they are going to face the judgment of God? If they really thought this would they live the way they do?

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

How many people despise the riches of God's goodness, of God's forbearance, of God's longsuffering? People despise these not understanding that God's goodnesses found in these things can LEAD them to REPENTANCE!

We want to be led to repentance, don't we? We want to feel the weight of our sin, the wrongness of our iniquities. It's only when we truly comprehend the evil in our wrongdoing that can seek God's forgiveness, that we can repent- admit to our wrongs, our sins and desire to turn away from them. God's FORBEARANCE, God's LONGSUFFERING, God's GOODNESS all this will LEAD us to REPENT.  We need to comprehend the depths of God's love for us through His forbearance and longsuffering, through His goodness. When we truly realize the love of God only then can we find that place of repentance. Please LORD help us to seek your goodness, please.

Rom 2:5  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Rom 2:6  Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

If we fail to repent, if we fail to comprehend the judgment that is true, that we all face, then we are LOST. Every man will have to account for their actions. You might think that actions don't matter because we don't save ourselves through our actions, but our actions are a result of our lives. Like it or not, there will be an accounting and we can't ignore that. We can't label a single sin as being harmless, or too small to confess.  The tiniest of known, un-confessed sin, is enough to separate of us from our Savior. We must seek forgiveness, we must repent.

Rom 2:7  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

Seek for glory- NOT self exaltation, NOT money, NOT self glory, NOT self honor, NOT immortality. We HAVE to PATIENTLY seek eternal life, and none of those other things!  Some might argue that seeking immortality is seeking eternal life, but if we are seeking self immortality- the means of living forever through our own ways, we will NEVER find it. We have to seek eternal life through our SAVIOR and ONLY through our SAVIOR.

Rom 2:8  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
Rom 2:9  Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
Rom 2:10  But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
Rom 2:11  For there is no respect of persons with God.

Rom 2:12  For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
Rom 2:13  (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
Rom 2:14  For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Rom 2:15  Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

WHEN the Gentiles which have NOT the LAW do by NATURE the things CONTAINED in the LAW- these having NOT the law, ARE a LAW UNTO THEMSELVES, which show the WORK of the LAW WRITTEN in their HEARTS, their CONSCIENCE also bearing witness, and their THOUGHTS the mean while accusing or else excusing one another!

The LAW can be written on our hearts, it SHOULD be written on our hearts.

2Co 3:3  Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

Job 22:22  Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.

Psa 37:31  The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

Psa 40:8  I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

Pro 3:1  My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments

Isa 51:7  Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

*
Rom 2:15  Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;
Rom 2:16  In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

The secrets of men will be judged- this is undeniable.

And those who think they are right with God through their actions but do not have God's law in their hearts will not be judged righteous. So many neglect the law written in their hearts, so many do not let their conscience bear witness, way too many think things that amount to accusing others unjustly, or excusing wrong doing.

Please LORD, please LET YOUR LAW BE WRITTEN ON OUR HEARTS!

THROUGH YOUR GRACE judge us through YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, not ours. BLESS US LORD! BLESS US PLEASE! SAVE US!

Turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God

1Th 1:9  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;
1Th 1:10  And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

You turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God.

Idols.

I don't know personally anyone who has set up a shrine to a stone deity representing a false god, who worships at that altar.  I KNOW they exist throughout the world, but I just don't know anyone that actually worships a 'sun god' for example.  I know they exist and exist in great numbers but my personal interaction with them is non-existent.

What is turning to God from idols?

What were the disciples dealing with?

Rev 2:14  But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

Rev 2:20  Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

Act 17:22  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.
Act 17:23  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.
Act 17:24  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;
Act 17:25  Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
Act 17:26  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;
Act 17:27  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:
Act 17:28  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.
Act 17:29  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.
Act 17:30  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Act 17:31  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.
Act 17:32  And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.
Act 17:33  So Paul departed from among them.
Act 17:34  Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

'...the Romans referred to the rocky hill as "Mars Hill", after Mars, the Roman God of War.

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The Romans are known for the great number of deities they honored, a capacity that earned the mockery of early Christian polemicists. The presence of Greeks on the Italian peninsula from the beginning of the historical period influenced Roman culture, introducing some religious practices that became as fundamental as the cult of Apollo. The Romans looked for common ground between their major gods and those of the Greeks, adapting Greek myths and iconography for Latin literature and Roman art. Etruscan religion was also a major influence, particularly on the practice of augury, since Rome had once been ruled by Etruscan kings.

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Turning from idols- from worshiping false gods of which there were many.  Their religion of worshiping idols was a very serious one, not laughable as it is to us today in our so called enlightened world.  The mere concept of people worshipping Mars, Jupiter, Apollo, Zeus, Poseidon, etc. seems almost ludicrous. We know people did it and were very serious about it, that it was very real to them, but to us it seems strange and archaic. If I told someone I was worshipping the god Jupiter, they'd give me strange looks and might ask me exactly what that entails. I'd explain that I erected a little shrine to him and that I pray to him and give him gifts and ask for his guidance.  Most likely they'd shrug their shoulders and say - 'To each his own.' Meaning everyone has the right to believe what they want to, and they don't have to agree with them.  My worshipping Jupiter wouldn't affect them, it'd be harmless as far as they were concerned as long as it didn't involve hurting anyone in anyway.  But the TRUTH of the matter is all worship of false gods is harmful- eternally harmful.

We live in such a time as virtually 'anything' goes. Do as you please as long as it stays within the letter of the law- and maybe even sometimes we'll overturn or change a law to accommodate new beliefs if there is a majority consent.  We call this intelligence. We call this right and good. We call this modernism. We aren't encumbered by such nonsense as our ancestors who were filled with superstitions and crazy customs. In a book written by C.S. Lewis- Mere Christianity- He states something like the following- I'm paraphrasing here. 'Of course the world doesn't hunt witches any more- they don't believe they are real any longer. If they truly believed they were real and had real powers to harm people they'd still be hunting them.'   The truth is they stopped believing in them, they didn't suddenly agree to let witches- real, harmful witches who use curses and spells- to live. Are their witches today? Yes. Do they curse and put spells on people? Yes. Are they effective in what they do? No.  People just don't believe, and why would you possibly be against something you don't believe has any real affect on society? People don't believe religion has any power - real power at all- no matter what the religion is. They believe they are mostly harmless fables silly people continue to believe in though all real tangible evidence says they're fools for doing so.

Even the harmful religions- the jihadists of radical Islamic belief- who believe in killing those who do not adhere to their faith, they are considered silly as well- very dangerous but silly because they are caught up in fables. 

Idol worshipping today exists, it's alive and well, only the biggest, most popular idol people worship right now is …

…themselves.

Have they set up altars to themselves? How many live solely by their own desires? Perhaps working and living under a boss only in order to ultimately serve themselves and fill their lives with their own desires.   Throughout the day what is most often on their minds? Their own plans, right? Their own plans that will serve to make them if not happy, then content. Life revolves around themselves and all that live around them are there to assist in their desires if possible.

To those caught up in their self worship, others who choose not to be caught up in self worship seem to be the strange ones, the fable believers.  But most often the self worshippers will still find a kindred spirit in the fable believers because they see that in spite of the fable believers declarations of other worship they still in actions and a lot of words act like self worshippers.

1Th 1:9  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;
1Th 1:10  And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

This REAL faith, this REAL belief, this REAL turning from idols to SERVE the living in and true GOD; this waiting for HIS SON from heaven, whom HE raised from the DEAD, even JESUS, which DELIVERED us from the wrath to come- is a LIVING FAITH.

We are worshipping the eternal life of our God who always was, always is, and always will be. We are not worshipping a created one, but the ultimate Creator of ALL. We are not worshipping an unhearing, unseeing,  non-breathing  God we are pretending has life. We are not worshipping a created being that is in a constant state of deterioration living towards dying.  We are not worshipping one who does not know the end from the beginning. We are not worshipping one who makes empty unrealistic promises based upon our flesh desires. We are not worshipping a selfish God, but a selfless God who truly deserves all praise, all glory, all honor from us- not to feed an oversized ego- but because the truth of His selflessness.

We serve a selfless God, this is the TRUE LIVING GOD. The CREATOR, the REDEEMER, the SELFLESS ONE.

All in HIM ALWAYS!

May we serve HIM ALWAYS, turning from all our idols!

By HIS LOVE! By HIS GRACE! By HIS MERCY!