Surrounded…But Spirit-Filled
- Pastor Mark
- Jul 20
- 8 min read
Acts 17:22–28; Colossians 1:13–29
Ponder with me please… Paul standing on the Areopagus ("Mars Hill") in the city of Athens, outnumbered, surrounded by agnostics (gods cannot be defined), humanist intellectuals (mankind has all the answers), philosophers (never reach a conclusion, just think about things and simply speculate constantly), poly-theists (believers in many gods), skeptics (there’s a God, really?), and pagan idol worshipers (putting passion for anything and everything (like Roman chariot racing, wrestling, Circus Maximus events like Gladiator combat, mortal prisoner combat, exotic animal displays, public executions, mock war fare demonstrations, etc.. Roman culture and American culture share exuberant passion for human contests; like Americans like Boxing, Bowling, FIFA, the MLB, NFL, NHL, etc..).
So, consider yourself to be Paul, for the sake of this narrative.
Paul has religion (so do we), Paul respects the “civil-civic culture of Rome and Athens”, understanding that everyone has the inherent right of making choices, that “men and women are created equal, we all are endowed by our Creator-God with certain 'unalienable/undeniable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
The Holy Spirit gives Paul, the starting point of his Sermon-Lesson (verse 23), from the observation that these Athenians have an altar in the city to an "Unknown God." And so he says,
"What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you."
Another way to say that would be: "The time of your ignorance is now over. I have the answer to your unidentified deity." Identifying who God is, through Jesus, with our advantageous Helper Holy Spirit is today, our pragmatic practical way to help the confused and confounded and condemned find the "way, the truth, and the life" that only Jesus offers. No mystery. No confusion. Just the simplicity of a radical outsider equiping and helping and empowering Believers to 'stand-up' as Paul stood up on the Areopagus.
"The time of your ignorance is now over. I have the answer to your unidentified deity."
Like Paul, when Christ-Followers are "surrounded" by challenges, disappointments, unexpected disruptions (that could be financial, health-issues, family situations, church family needs, neighbor’s needs, work-related), insecurities, limitations, and other such “opportunities”, etc... we can certainly relate to the Apostle Paul who "stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus (at Mars Hill) and said, 'Men of Athens! I see that in every way
you are very religious.'"
Is not the Helper, the Holy Spirit, speaking to the Latter-Day Church through these words today? Methinks so.
Surrounded... But Not Defeated
And with that in mind, let's consider together that life has an odd way of surrounding each of us occasionally, by throwing a whole plethora of messy stuff of "unanticipated disruptions" right at us when we least expect it. Sometimes in bunches and other times in bits and pieces. One minute you’re fine, and the next minute you’re completely baffled and thrown off course.
When you, me, we are surrounded by that kind of chaos and disorder and/or disillusionment, we can completely relate to the Apostle Paul, standing right smack in the middle of Mars Hill. I am sure that when Paul looked at that sophisticated, hyper-educated, pagan crowd in Athens, he called on the H H S for help, and basically said, "Hey folks, I see you’ve got a monument for absolutely everything—even an 'Unknown God' just in case you missed one!" (Acts 17:22-23).
And, yes, the Athenians were surrounded by their own ideas and conclusions and solutions, trying to cover all their bases.
Guess what? The Helper - the Holy Spirit - is speaking the exact same message to the Latter-Day Church today. He’s looking at our modern-day culture, our packed brains, filled with “what-ifs”, “buts”, and “whys”, and our constant anxieties and worrying, and our Triune God is asking:
"Are you going to just speculate about your anxieties, or are you going to get right and be the D-P-S-A light?"
Recollect that I often acrostically contend that the “P E A C E” of Jesus is His D-P-S-A Presence Essence Assurance Coalescence and Effervescence activated in us at the right time with the right(eous) responses that His P E A C E can only bring as we “walk by faith not by sight” intentionally filled and empowered by our H H S.
Get Right... and Be the Light.
Filled by the Holy Spirit
If we want to shake up the arena of where we actually live, work, and breathe, we must realize that God isn't looking for ‘Gladiators’ or ‘Hesitators’, only IMMITATORS of Jesus. one day, take time to read the Gospel of John, slowly, deliberately, and purposefully.
And, it will be obvious that our Lord and Master, it seems, uses three kinds of people:
the available
the fill-able
and yes, even the inflatable Believers!
The other day I passed by a “Grand Opening” of a business, and saw one of those inflatable giant “Tube Figures”… a goofy, bright green spiffy ‘tube-man’ dancing, zipping – zig - zagging, and buoyantly bouncing. Rightly so, these ‘inflatables’ have zero strength of their own.
They are filled with ‘man-made’ compressed air; when the man-made compressor is turned off, they are just a flat, sad piece of rubberized fabric de-flated, flat and fizzled out on the ground. Hmmm. So let's say that the very moment we humbly ask for D - P - S - A - H H S power, and He turns on the Holy Spirit-filled formidable Jesus honoring empower fan, BOOM! Up we go with a gush and rush of Godly wind drawing attention to "THE MAN" and promoting interest in "hows", "whys" and "what-ifs" of our faith-life! When we are filled with the vibrant ‘Holy Spirit’ ethereal air of our Triune God and we are inflated because of, by, through, and with our Helper Holy Spirit, we stand up, we will stretch out, we will dance, we will JOYFULLY wiggle, zip, zag, and we will, in Jesus’ Name, get everybody’s attention! Hmmmm… just like on the day of Pentecost!
Is that not exactly what happens when a Christ-follower gets filled with the Pneuma - the Helper Holy Spirit’s D-P-S-A wind and breath of the exclusively, purposefully given Holy Spirit? I need to be in-filled and in-flated, you need to be in-filled and in-flated with a breezy - vibrant - mighty gush and rush of the Holy Spirit – pumping each of us UP these D A Z E and enabling each of us to be all our Lord Jesus intends us to be! Isn't your Lord resurrected from the dead?!? Isn't He ALIVE?
When’s the last time you danced for JOY for Jesus?! When have you jumped for His JOY because of His GRACE and HOPE and LOVE that He freely gives!?! When’s the last time you got so happy in Jesus’ Name that you ‘zippyingly’ and zealously spoke out and spoke up boldly, giving your testimony [on your ‘Mars Hill’] of how our Triune Godhead has carried you through confrontations or the DAZE of confusion or the complaints or the contentions of living life!? And BOOM! Miraculously, you were not “conformed to the world but suddenly you were transformed by the SPIRIT-FILLED renewing of your mind, thinking and living and proving that which is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God?!?
God isn't looking for Gladiators or Hesitators... only Imitators of Jesus.
Step In. Step Up. Step Out.
So, when the challenges of life crowd in on you, it is time to insist for H H S boldness to step-in, step-up, and step-out?
Step In
Step-In to His P E A C E – our ‘religion’ requires our avid participation in being and bringing His Presence Essence Assurance Coalescence and Effervescence everywhere you, me, we go.
Step Up
Step-Up to the plate of your identity. You aren't a victim of your circumstances or anyone else’s impositions; you are a child of the King. YES, the world closes in sometimes, and we can feel like Waffle House hash browns diced, chunked, scattered, covered and smothered, and left soldering on the plate; that's when we lean into Jesus! He is a prayer call away!
Step Out
Step-Out into your own Areopagus, your own Mars Hill; your own neighborhood, your workplace, your home place - your living room; or where you shop, bank, enjoy hobby-ing, camping, ‘glamping’, fishing, water skiing, etc… and why not try to show a watching world what/who Jesus is really like!?!? Why not ask the question that will change lives… “Have you ever accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior?”
Yes, Jesus has salvaged each of us from our lost-ness, has He not?!? Why not offer the same opportunity for others?!
Step In. Step Up. Step Out.
Christ Is First
After all, we do believe and agree that the Word of God is true, do we not?!? And our trust in the WORD includes Colossians chapter 1, verses 13 through 29, does it not?!? 13 “For Jesus rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: 16 for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also the Head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
And, about 11 years or so ago, I was called and 25 "I was made a minister of NCF, His Church, according to the commission from God granted to me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is, preaching the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery…” Namely that… “Christ is in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every person we meet and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person as complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose I labor, striving according to His power which also works mightily within me.”
A Final Challenge
Since Jesus holds “first place” in everything, should He lead us to make His Great Commission our first-place priority?
Who do you have in mind to lead to Jesus?
We may not be able to tell everybody, but can you lead somebody to Jesus this week! Ask and you shall receive; seek, and you will… ‘….…’??
Yes, I do wholeheartedly believe that Jesus is looking at our modern-day faith-culture closely; it does seem that our brains are packed and filled with “what-ifs”, “buts”, and “why-mes”, and our Helper Holy Spirit is waiting on you… divinely anticipating to fill you with the “what-ifs”; “what-if I start leading the lost to Jesus?” “What-if I share my faith?” No “buts” or “not mes” or “can’ts”… only “YES LORD!” “I will do as you say…”; I quoted Billy Graham last week, who contended that… “America is great because she is good, and if she ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great... The greatest need in America today is a divine awakening; a divine personal awakening to lead the lost, the marginalized, the ostracized to Jesus. The problem is no one is witnessing to advance the Kingdom."
"WHAT-IF" all Christ-Followers re-dedicate ourselves to “get right and be the light"…knowing that… "For in Him we live and move and have our being…” Acts 17:28
Can we, could we, ask our Lord Jesus and our Helper Holy Spirit to “in-fill” and “in-flate” us and “turn the Holy Spirit's fan on high-speed”, and all ask to be filled with buoyant, bouncy, cheery, dancy, happy, rowdy, zippy – ziggy – zaggy – zesty notable JOY in Jesus Name?!? Our radical Master would expect such from His Latter-Day Spirit-Filled Bride, wouldn’t He?
Hope To See You This Lord’s Day… I will try to preach about Paul on Mars Hill once again, if, and only if, the Spirit is willing!! R U ready to be bouyantly and bountifully blessed?
Brother Pastor Mark
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