i-dol-a-try [ahy-dol-uh-tree]
–noun, plural -tries.
1. the religious worship of idols.
2. excessive or blind adoration, reverence, devotion, etc.
Read: Acts 17:22-31
It’s so easy for us as believers to look at this passage and say “this doesn’t apply to me. I’m saved. The Athenians were oblivious to the true God.” To an extent you would be right. Idolatry is so easy to spot in the unbeliever. Some worship money. Some worship the opposite sex. Most worship themselves. None worship the Lord. But I also pray that we dig deeper. Let’s look at the nuts and bolts of this passage and see how maybe we have turned great things in to idols.
In verse 23, The Athenians erected a sculpture “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.” They were worshiping though they knew not the God that they worshiped. He goes further to explain that the God who made this world isn’t in a building made with hands. Symbolizing that you can’t confine God to human architecture. He also explains that he isn’t served by human hands. Meaning God doesn’t need us. In Verse 26, He explains that every nation was birthed through Adam and that God predestined the rise, fall, and position of nations on Earth. Finally, he explains that our job is to seek God and cast aside our idols because Christ is returning to judge humanity.
The big question is how does this apply to the believer? How have we erected altars “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD?” Unfortunately, what I have noticed in the church is many of us know the things of God, yet we don’t know Him at all. Similar to the Pharisee’s, we know the law, yet don’t understand mercy and grace. We pride ourselves on an awesome quiet time and prayer, yet we pray out of obligation and not from a pure drive to know the Lord. I would contend that we have made an idol of our religious practices. We have constructed altars made of vain prayer, study time, and good works. We don’t study to earn merit with God or man but we study because we want to know our Creator. We don’t pray because it makes us seem spiritual but we pray because we want to commune with our Father. One must look inside and ask the question, “Why do I do these things?” Are they to the glory of me or unto the Glory of God?” He is worthy!
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