Lord of All

Paul declared himself an apostle to the Gentiles to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who were not Jews. When he visited Athens, he was disturbed in his spirit when he saw the level of idol worship. He spent his time in the synagogue teaching the Jews and others about the salvation of Jesus Christ. “Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection”

(Acts 17:18).

They took Paul and brought him before the Areopagus who were the leaders in Athens, to try to gain an understanding of what he was saying. The Athenians had a thirst for new philosophies and new ways of thinking. In addressing the group of leaders, Paul mentioned that he noticed an inscription: ‘To the unknown God.’ Paul told them about God whom he knew but to them was unknown. He told them that God made the earth and everything in it. “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place” (Acts 17:26).

Paul urged them m to seek God although he was not far away from them. In expounding to them about God, Paul quoted one of their famous writers who said, ‘In him we live and move and have our being.’ Paul was telling the Athenians that they were indeed the children of God who was able to live in them as they live in him. As such there was no distinction between race, class, culture or geographical location. We are all children of the most high God and God does not show partiality. It is humans who divide people into categories to satisfy our desires for recognition and status.

We are equal in the sight of God and our qualifications, experience, credit rating or bank balance does not determine our place in God. This is why Jesus said in Matthew, “whatever you have done to the least of these, you have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40). We have taken nothing into this world and we can take nothing out with us. Let us hold our physical possessions and titles loosely as they can be here today and gone tomorrow. God created us in his image and likeness and he has assigned great value to each of his children.

A.P.-Y.