Winter 2005 Rapport: Thoughts from the Prez

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Mars Hill and Moorhead, Minnesota

In the AGTS world prayer center, we have the honor to house an historic pulpit. It came from the Swedish Free Mission in Moorhead, Minn., where the Pentecostal message was preached even before the Azusa Street revival. A small piece of paper, barely visible, is taped to the inside of the pulpit. Its content reads, “Friend, let us bow our head and knees to Him that has the power over our life and Seasons.” I am struck by the challenge, given to every preacher who spoke from this pulpit.

There is a striking correlation between this challenge and Paul’s words in his famous Mars Hill sermon: “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” (Acts 17:24, 25, NIV).

Paul was interacting with people whose spirituality allowed humans to fashion gods. They even had created statues to gods of which they were unaware. Paul simply said that the God who counts cannot be fashioned with hands and is not limited to the human ability to conceive of him.

The people of Athens had the same tendency we in the technology rich twenty-first century have—to reduce life to what can be observed and manipulated concretely. The more human resources we have at our disposal, the greater the likelihood we will deceive ourselves into believing we have power over life and the seasons.

If we hope to offer a transforming breath of fresh air to our communities and our world, it will come from the God who is “not served by humans as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.” Paul knew this when he preached at Mars Hill; so did the folks in Moorhead, Minn. I think it’s worth our consideration in 2005.

 

 

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Updated: Tuesday, January 18, 2005 9:06 AM