Reflections on Areopagus Ministry

Every time that I read through the book of Acts I'm stunned by the boldness and apparent fearlessness of the apostles. In particular, I was reading recently Paul's encounter with the philosophers in Athens. Now, this passage has been used every which way in terms of contextualization. But, this time I was struck by the simple fortitude of Paul. This backward Jew is standing among some of the great thinkers of the world while they ridicule, demean, and look down upon him.

It made me think about how this situation, in which Paul finds himself, is very similar to the intellectual environment of Europe. I'm sure confessional Christianity in Germany receives it fair share of "What is this babbler trying to say." The reality is that as a follower of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I will frequently be seen as intellectually inferior.

A veteran missionary at our conference told a story of an interaction he had long ago. He befriended an intelligent and well-meaning person and began to share God's love with Him. This person was confounded by the missionary's belief in Jesus. After much thought, he said to the missionary, "I understand you now. You missed the Enlightenment!"

Somehow I have to be okay with this opinion. I know that I'm no where near that. The mere thought of this situation drives me to anxiety. I hate the idea of people belittling me or not taking me seriously. In my flesh, I desparately want to be approved of. By God's grace though, I'll be like Paul, who saw only the approval of his Father as necessary, and spoke with great boldness in the face of rejection.