According to Ray Stedman, at the time Paul visited Athens, although it was no longer an important political city, it was still the academic capital of the world. It had the inheritance of Pericles, Demosthenes, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Sophocles, Euripides--"men who have established patterns of thought that have affected human learning for centuries. Almost all philosophies follow in some degree, the teachings of these men" ("Athens vs. Paul." The Pattern Setters. Message #8. Catalog # 439. 8 November, 1970). The historian Pliny records that at this time there were over 3,000 public statues to various gods, and many more placed in private homes and properties. Athens was a very religious society.

Paul observed that on the one hand, there was worldly culture, the worship of the human mind ("All the Athenians and foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas"--Acts 17:21), and on the other hand, there was the worship of idols made by human hands ("Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: 'To An Unknown God.'"--Acts 17:22-23b). Paul wisely used the altar to the 'Unknown God' as his introduction to the One True God:

"Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands, and He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him though He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, 'We are His offspring.' Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone--an image made by man's design and skill. In the past, God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 1:23c-31). Paul received the same mixed reaction as we receive--some believed, some did not.

Our culture is not so different from that of Athens. We "worship" our pretty things, our academic degrees, our families and friends, our cars, houses and stuff. We even make idols of our service to God--How blessed God is to have me on His side--I need to prepare for my Bible study, fix food for the poor, clean my closet so I can donate the old clothes, write my blog (ouch!), run here and run there, because God needs me. That attitude is no different than those who were serving the idols of Athens. No, we need to slow down and talk to Him, and listen for His reply, and worship Him--forge the most important relationship of all, our relationship with our Heavenly Father, for He desires relationship, not religion.

"'Come now, let us reason together' says the Lord. 'Though your sins are scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.' The mouth of the Lord has spoken" (Isaiah 1:18-20).

"What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be there God and they will be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate,' says the Lord. 'Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father  to you and you will be my sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty" (II Corinthians 6:16-18).

"Come near to God and He will come near to you" (James 4:8a).

Our God is not a god of religion, but a God of relationship. He desires us, He does not need us. He loves us, and has demonstrated His love for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Heavenly Father, I draw near to You. I desire a strong relationship with You. Meet me where I am and change me so that I may worship You, relate to You, in spirit and in truth. Amen.