What Everybody Knows

Acts 19:21-41

“…Who is there that does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple keeper of the great Artemis and of the statue that fell from heaven” (Acts 19:35)? This is what the town clerk of Ephesus said in order to avoid a riot among silversmiths and others. The crowd had gathered to oppose Christians who were drawing adherents away from the worship of the goddess Artemis and cutting into the sales of handmade idols. What a profound question, though, to ask of the contemporary world. Who is there that does not know…Justin Timberlake, or Yao Ming, or Nike footwear, or Coka-cola, or Renaldo, or Barak Obama, or Silvio Berlusconi, or Michael Jackson, or (fill in the blank)? Who is there who can avoid the latest media frenzy, or the latest fashion craze, or the latest political scandal? Who is there that is not under pressure to conform with their own culture?

And who is there that does not know Jesus Christ, or the work that God is doing in our world through people of faith, in good times and bad, in seasons of want and of plenty, in the roughest neighborhoods of the poorest countries and the most affluent compounds of the world? The truth is that many may know about God, about Jesus, about the Way, but in our world the faith is one of many factors that strive for attention, and I would suggest it has always been that way. There are always other voices calling to us, other personalities appealing to us. Contestants for our attention seem to drop from the skies on a daily basis. How challenging it is to stay focused on the heart of the matter. How difficult it is to remain steadfast in the faith.

Personally, I can’t wait for the American football season to begin. I’m a huge fan. But I know that on any given day I have to make a choice between football and my faith in God. It isn’t always easy, I’ll admit, but it is something that I need to do because it is what is right and, just as importantly, it is what is best for me. In a world full of attention-grabbing headlines and outrageous antics the gospel of Jesus Christ may seem pale by comparison. Yet the call to remain steadfast in faith is one that we simply must accept with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, because there is no real meaning to life in a consumer-driven culture of fame and notoriety, but there is eternal hope in the God who calls to us.

Prayer: Lord, may your voice be the only one we hear, and may you be the only light on which we focus, that our lives may have the meaning that you alone can give. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.