On Mars Hill in Athens, Paul preached one of his most famous sermons concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, identifying his God and Father as the “Unknown God” the Atheneans had been worshiping unaware. In his address Paul reviews for his audience God’s true works in the past, who acted as creator of the universe, the maker of the nations, and source of human life, his offspring. He declared his works of the present, i.e., his desire to save all people, reaching out to humankind, calling all to repent and to turn from their idols to serve the living and true God. And finally, he announced God’s work for the future, where one day he will judge the world through the One whom he has chosen, Jesus of Nazareth, whom he raised up from the dead.

In the sovereign plan of God, the Father has determined a day when he will weigh the actions of the world through his Son, the very one whom he elected as King and Judge, who is alive forevermore.

Paul told the Athenians that although God does not need humankind, yet he is actually “not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ “ (cf. Acts 17.28). He argued that since we are God’s offspring, we should not imagine God to be like objects of gold, silver, or stone, according to human imagination.

Thank you, God, that every person is made in your image, after your likeness, for it is in you that we live, move, and have our being.

“In her book God’s Story, Anne Graham Lotz uses the word eyewitness while explaining how God made the world: “Who was the eyewitness of Creation?” she wrote. “The simple yet astounding answer is God Himself!” God was the one writing, telling, and acting out the drama. He Himself developed the plot, prose, characters, and dramatic tension of a script placed in His heart long before the dawn of creation. And as the ultimate Storyteller, He alone is responsible for the pacing and continuity of the storyline. He’s also the only one with authority to edit the manuscript.”

~ Vernon Whaley, Called to Worship: The Biblical Foundations of Our Response to God’s Call. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2009. p. 3.

Let God Arise! Seasonal Focus
The Spirit Is Here, Acts 2.1-21

Book Reading
Whaley, Called to Worship