Worshiping an Unknown God

October 13, 2016 Year C

Acts 17:22-34

People say they believe in God, but they don’t know Him or worship Him. People say they are religious, but they don’t go to church. People like to enjoy the latest fad, but they don’t want to make commitments.

We live in very similar times as the people of Athens in this passage. We live in a world where people are worshiping an unknown God. They worshiped God in ignorance (Acts 17:30). We do too.

We are ignorant of the command that God will judge us for abandoning Him when He clearly made a way to come to Him (Acts 17:30-31).

People today say that they know Jesus, but they don’t follow Him. Instead, they fashion a worship experience of their own making. They abandon the clear way that Jesus said to experience worship.

Jesus never wanted us to make idols (Acts 17:29). Jesus never wanted us to worship in isolation. Yet people today choose to abandon the very community Jesus created for worship – the church.

Jesus created the church (Matthew 16:18). He expected Christian to commit to His church. You cannot know God without knowing the Son. You can’t know the Son outside of the church.

Other gatherings are great (like Fellowship of Christian Athletes), but they cannot be a replacement for the church. Replacing the church with anything other than the church is creating an idol.

How many of you attend a church? How many of your parents attend the church with you? The reason I ask this question is because you are the next generation. The difference between people worshiping a God they don’t know and worshiping the true God is the level of commitment.

It doesn’t matter what church you identify with: Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Episcopalian, Full Gospel, non-denominational, Assembly of God.

Go to church. Worship the Known God. If you say that your parents don’t go, then invite them. Be the witness that you say you are by attending these lunches. Being a Christian witness isn’t just for school. It’s for the home as well. Go home and invite your parents to church. The church needs your families. They need their participation, not just yours.

If they don’t know God because they don’t know Jesus, then pray for your parents. Share the Gospel with them. Invite them to worship this God which is unknown to them. Use their non-commitment as a starting point.

Don’t let them give you excuses. Excuses are about the past, not the present or the future. You go to church to worship a known God. They should join you.

If that doesn’t bring them to church, or you can’t bring them because your parents won’t go, or they are stubborn. Then make the choice today’s to not make the same mistake with your children.

Prayer: God, please reveal Yourself so that I may worship You as the True God.

Photo by Plexes (originally from Pixabay)