OUR NEXT CHAPTER 003
Acts 17:16-34
DEVOTIONAL
READ :
Thomas Jefferson described Meriweather Lewis and William Clark as men of “ undaunted courage .” What about Lewis and Clark ’ s famous exploration of the newly acquired Lousiana Purchase caused the then-President to use those words ? What about their journey has carried their story through the pages of history to this day ?
Put simply , they bravely went to a place they knew nothing about and pushed the boundaries of the American dream further than ever before . Thomas Jefferson knew what all of us know today . Going to a new place with a new strategy takes guts . It takes “ undaunted courage ” to expand our horizons , try new things , and be willing to fail .
Around 1700 years before Lewis and Clark ’ s expedition , the Apostle Paul was walking into a place he had never been , filled with people he didn ’ t know , to share the good news they had never heard . By the time Paul walked through the city center of Athens , he had already been stoned , imprisoned , and disgraced for the gospel . Paul was also a man of “ undaunted courage .” Despite all of the opposition he faced , wherever he went , he boldly proclaimed the truth that Jesus died for our sins , was buried , and God raised him from the dead on the third day .
The city of Athens was the epicenter of pagan religion in the first-century world . Imagine the bravery required to walk right into the center of the city and debate with Jews and pagans about the truth of the gospel ( Acts 17:16-17 ). And then , when he ’ s asked to speak to the people with the most power in the city ( people who could have him killed with the snap of a finger ), he calls them out for their idolatry and points them to Jesus without hesitation .
Once again , it takes guts to push the boundaries of the gospel to places it ’ s never been . It takes a willingness to do some hard things to turn the page to a new chapter in the history of God ’ s work in the world . As a church , we are convinced God has big plans for our next chapter . God wants to use our church to reach the hundreds of thousands of people in our county who are unchurched and lost . What will it take for us to see this kind of work in our church , neighborhoods , and families ? It will take guts . It will take “ undaunted courage .”