John’s first letter ends with the simple admonition, ‘Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.’ (1 John 5:21) It’s tempting to dismiss that as irrelevant in modern society, since in many countries, we no longer worship statues or images made of wood, stone or metal in the way that used to happen. However, when we realise that an idol is anything we substitute for God (and that fame, wealth, power, sex, food, alcohol, drugs, parents, spouse, children friends, work, recreation, television and possessions – even church, religion and Christian service – can all be idols), John’s warning does not seem so bizarre.

In Acts 17:16-34, we find Paul in Athens, in a city surrounded by evidence of idolatry (it was ‘swamped’ by idols). Deeply distressed by this fact, Paul attempted to reason and debate with Jews, God-fearers, ordinary people and philosophers alike in order to show them that they should turn from idols to the living God. He spoke of God as the Creator, Sustainer, Ruler, Father and Judge of the world and debunked the myth that people can make and control God, either by confining him within limits which we impose (such as beautiful buildings) or by domesticating him (making him dependent on us.) All idolatry ultimately tries to bring God under our control and instead of humbly acknowledging that God has created and rules us, presumes to imagine that we can create and rule God.

We may feel that idolatry is not a Western problem, but the reality is it’s a very human problem. People don’t like to submit to God; we prefer to make our own rules and worship a safe, tame god of our own making. Paul reminded the people in Athens that they needed to repent. (Acts 17:30) His message still stands for us today, and John’s warning still applies, even to those who are already following Christ.

Paul’s speech in Athens (Acts 17:16-34) shows us how he constantly turned every opportunity he had into a proclamation of the gospel. He started where the people were, talking about their altar to an unknown god and quoting from their own philosophers, but went on to describe God as the creator and sustainer of all mankind, the ruler of all, the Father of all creation and the judge before whom justice would be served.

In so doing, he exposed the lack of logic in serving a multitude of gods. If God created everything and everyone, it is absurd to think He could be contained by a man-made building, however ornate it was! (Acts 17:24) If He sustains everyone, giving life and breath to us all, then it is absurd to think that He can be sustained by us. (Acts 17:25) We depend on God; He does not depend on us. The world was formed from one man (Adam) and all nations came from him. (Acts 17:26-28) The history and geography of all nations are ultimately under God’s control. His purpose is that humans (made in his own image) should seek him (or ‘feel after him’, a verb which ‘denotes the groping and fumbling of a blind man,’ as John Stott says.) If God is the creator, He can also be called the Father of all mankind, and therefore all idolatry such as was common in Athens is inexcusable because idolatry is the attempt either to localise God (confining him within limits which we impose) or to domesticate him (making him dependent on us.)

Paul begins his speech by talking about the altar of an unknown god and ends by talking of the people’s ignorance which has now come to an end because of all God has revealed and done through Jesus Christ. Now is the day of salvation, the day of repentance, an opportunity to be seized because judgment is definitely coming. The death and resurrection of Jesus mean He has been declared Lord and Judge by God and so the appropriate response is repentance and faith. Some in Athens took this step of faith and became believers. What is our response going to be?

Dave (back in his suit tonight!) spoke from Romans 5:1-8 tonight, talking about peace and specifically the peace we need between humanity and God. This passage reminds us that at just the right time, Jesus died for the ungodly – peace with God was made possible through His sacrifice on the cross, enabling us to have free and unlimited access to God.

We all need peace with God, and Isaiah 57:19-21 reminds us that life without God is rather like the sea. The sea is affected by the moon (which governs the tides) and by gravity, and in some ways, the two cause tension and mean the sea is in constant motion. Isaiah tells us the wicked are like the sea in that they are constantly restless, never satisfied. People have a conscience telling them what is right and wrong, and in all of us there is a battle between good and evil. People without God are not satisfied; they pursue different things to try to find satisfaction but ultimately we all need God in order to find true satisfaction.

Whether we consider ourselves to be near God (as the Jews did) or far from Him (as the Gentiles were considered to be), Eph 2:17 reminds us that all need the reconciliation and peace which the gospel offers. In Acts 16, we see Paul (a Jew) and a Philippian jailer (a Gentile), but both needed salvation in the same way. Peace with God is what every person needs and, as the Christmas story reminds us, this is available to all men now (Luke 2:13-14).

Jesus promised to give His peace to HIs disciples, and Paul promises us a peace that transcends or surpasses human reasoning and understanding. (Phil 4:6-7) The peace that comes from knowing God personally spills over to every area of our lives and gives us the ability to live at peace with God, with ourselves and with others.

Philippians 2:19-30 is one of those forgotten passages. Tucked between the lofty first eleven verses of the chapter where Paul outlines great Christology and practical Christian living and Philippians 3 where we see how to press on in faith, these verses mentioning ordinary plans and ordinary people (Timothy and Epaphroditus) often get overlooked. But we serve a God who is interested in the ordinary and the mundane and ‘the dull routines, the empty boredom, and the unattractive responsibilities that make up much of most people’s lives’ (Eugene Peterson, ‘Under the Unpredictable Plant’), so we do well to ponder the lessons we can learn from these verses.

1. People matter. So often, our attention is focussed on celebrities and the famous, but these verses remind us of the ordinary helpers who are such a vital part of the Christian life. Timothy and Epaphroditus are described in warm terms (son, brother, co-worker, fellow soldier) and although we don’t know exactly how they helped Paul, we see the value of faithful service here. Paul would talk about many people with different gifts making up the body of Christ (Rom 12:5-6, 1 Cor 12:4-6) and we too need to appreciate and value each person, for we are all necessary in the body of Christ. People matter ultimately because we are all made in the image of God (Gen 1:27) and the Christian should value all human life, since the value placed upon it is the value of God’s Son. (John 3:16) This is why Christians campaign against abortion, euthanasia, eugenics and murder and why many Christians are at the forefront of campaigning about disability issues, for people matter, no matter who they are.
   

2. Nothing is too small or unimportant to be significant to God. We often forget that the unseen, ordinary acts of people are seen by and known to God. God cares about us so much that He is interested in our toothache and our tears. Nothing is too small to matter to Him; a cup of cold water given in faith will bring its own reward. (Matt 10:42) Our service and lives may feel unimportant and insignificant to us, but God can see beyond the tedium of the now and can bring forth eternal rewards from our ordinary acts of kindness.

3. Never give up! It’s so easy to become discouraged, to let weariness take over and to lose heart. No matter who we are in the local church, we matter and our service matters. It’s crucial that we get this message, because if we don’t, we are tempted, in the ordinariness of everyday life, with its dull routines, empty boredom and unattractive responsibilities – not to mention its challenges, trials and tribulations – to give up. Paul warns against this in Gal 6:9, and Heb 12:1-3 gives us the way to keep running the race marked out for us – by focussing on Jesus. We have to keep the long view as He did so as not to give up. Nicky Gumbel says, ‘life is a set of challenges, problems and hassles. We sometimes imagine that if we could just deal with the immediate challenge that we are facing, all our problems would be over. But life is not like that. If we resolve one problem, others are just around the corner. The temptation is to see these challenges as preventing us from carrying out the ministry God has given us. In actual fact, dealing with the problems is the ministry.’ (BIOY, 6^th July 2020) By persevering and developing in faithfulness, we become, like Timothy and Epaphroditus, servants of God who make a difference in a big way!

Whether we realise it or not, we all have influence on others. Even the most ‘insignificant’ person will influence their family and friends in ways they may not always recognise. When we stop and consider who we are, we will all realise the influence of others on our lives: parents, siblings, family, teachers, friends, work colleagues and neighbours, to name just a few. The media and celebrities may also have a great influence on us, shaping our tastes in many things – for good and for bad. My thoughts today on influence have been influenced by Nicky Gumbel’s comments in his Bible commentary, for example!

Most of us feel our influence is not very great, but as the African proverb reminds us, ‘if you think you’re too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent the night with a mosquito’!

I once did spend the night with a mosquito, in a hotel room in the Loire valley in France, and not only did its persistent buzzing frequently startle me from slumber but my body testified to its influence the next day with a series of very itchy bites!

Influence can be for good or for evil and we influence others through our words and our lifestyles.

Words

Our words can either build people up or tear people down (see James 3:9-12). A gentle word can defuse tense and volatile situations (Prov 15:1). Wise words are gracious and calm, not filled with recrimination, blame and anger. (Eccl 8:17, Eccl 10:12) We can help or hinder people through our words and if we use wise words, our influence can shape how many people live.

Lifestyles

God is looking for consistency between what we say (and how we say it – speaking the truth in love) and what we do. Our faith should influence how we live – trusting God, working hard, making the most of every opportunity, being honest, refusing to let anxiety cripple us. (Eccl 11:10) Our faith should make us generous towards others so that we can be a blessing to them. (Eccl 11:1-2, The Message)

Influence can last beyond our lifetime – so let’s ensure our influence is a godly one!

J-P spoke tonight from Matt 18:1-6, focussing our attention on what we can learn from children. During lockdown, many of us have spent longer periods of time with our children than previously, and whilst this has often given us problems to solve – juggling working from home with home schooling, for example – it has also given us the opportunity to survey life from the perspective of a child. Children live life to the full; they are especially able to live in the moment and to enjoy the little things in life, such as learning to cook. For adults, we can find cooking a chore, but making pizzas – making the dough, choosing and chopping the ingredients, adding toppings, watching the pizza cook in the oven and then finally tasting their own creation – was  a highlight during that period of lockdown.

Jesus told us that whoever takes the lowly position of a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 18:4) This was especially surprising given the lowly position that children did indeed take in many cultures in the past, but shows us Jesus’s emphasis on the faith, innocence and joy which children so often demonstrate. Often, it’s necessary to get ‘back to basics‘, to dwell in the fundamental truths of the gospel. (John 3:16) We embrace every milestone with our children, taking videos of their first crawling, their first steps, their first words, clapping them and showing our joy in their achievements. In the same way, we need to celebrate with others the milestones in God which we achieve and must savour and celebrate the triumphs of those around us.

We have a sacred responsibility towards our children, as Matt 18:6 makes clear. We are to protect, nurture, train and correct our children, being honest with them when we don’t have answers to their questions and seeking to pursue truth with them. Lockdown has not been a safe or happy experience for many children, and we need to understand that children are like sponges, absorbing the attitudes, values and principles of those around them. They learn from us, so it’s especially important to be good role models for them – but we can learn so much more from them, especially when it comes to faith and trust!