“And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, we will hear you again on this matter. So Paul departed from among them. However, some joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris and others with them.” – Acts 17:32-34
From this scripture, we understand that everywhere the gospel is preached, there are three kinds of people. Two out of the three kinds of people are not inspired by God. At the end of this piece I would want you to place yourself in which group you belong.
Paul preached the gospel where he saw people worshipping an unknown god. It is amazing how people can spend hours chanting to what they do not know. Now, when they heard about the resurrection, some of them mocked. It is not new to find people mocking at what others are doing. There are people who have mocked that I left my profession of architecture to carry Bible and preach the gospel. Well, I thank God that I am doing what I am doing and I give Him the glory that He called me to be a preacher and not an architect for which I trained. These people in the scripture above mocked the people of God for preaching the resurrection. If you are one of those who mock, my advice is for you to stop mocking the One that died for you. Nobody else died for you except Jesus Christ.
The next group of people said, “We will hear you again.” They did not laugh; they just said “We will hear you again.” That is a more dangerous part because you are not sure of hearing it again. You are privileged if you have heard the gospel several times and still you have not decided for Jesus Christ. You may never hear it again. This is why I say it is dangerous for you because the devil can kill you before you hear it again.
There is nothing like saying: I am in the process of being born again. Being born again is an instant decision. It is something that you do, then the growth process (which may take you, perhaps years) begins, for you to understand the dynamics of the kingdom of God, about prayer, about the devil and hell, about repentance, forgiveness, etc. The truth is that we never stop learning until Christ returns.
It is dangerous to be thinking that you have time. Think of how death occurs – you hear of some peoples’ stories, you know that this life is nothing. A man boards a flight and calls his son or driver telling them I will be in Abuja in the next forty-five minutes. Come and pick me at the airport. And he never gets there. Some just finish signing a contract and joyfully want to share the good news with their family, but just like that, they die. People go to bed and do not wake up in the morning. Some just say excuse me, they walk out of a room and they drop dead. One of my good friends went to see another friend. While waiting at the outer office, he asked the secretary to dial a number for him. Normal as she dialed the number and got through to the person on the other side, my friend was gone. That is how life is. You never know what is going to happen the next minute. What I am saying can be scary, but it is the truth. People have died without expecting death to come – accidents, fire, gas explosions, etc.
Now, let us look at the wise group. (My prayer is that you belong to this group). Verse 34 – “However, some men joined him and believed.” This third group joined themselves unto him and believed. This is all I am asking you to do. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe that He is Lord; He is God. Believe that He died for you two thousand years ago. Believe that He rose from the dead and He is alive. Believe that at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow. Believe that He is coming back again. I do not know when Jesus is coming, but there are signs that His return is close. Believe in Him and you shall be saved.
“However, some men joined him and believed …” Do not let the unbelief or the mockery or the postponement of some people stop you from believing. Giving your life to Jesus is something you can do right now. All you need is to say from your heart: Lord, I believe that you sent Jesus Christ to die for me.
Do you think that God has left us alone at the mercy of the devil and without hope? Do you think that God will allow the devil just to mess up without any way of solving our problems? No, God is not a wicked God. He has sent Jesus that through faith in Him, if you are born of God, you will overcome the world and the devil. The Bible says that greater is He who is in us (those of us who have accepted Christ and Christ is living on the inside of them) than he that is in the world. Jesus, who is the greatest one, is ready to enter your heart. He wants to live in you and direct your life and show you how to live.
Friend, there is hope for you. Do not kill yourself. Life is not over. I got a phone call some days ago; the caller said she wanted to end her life. My reply was: if you do it you will end in hell. Why did I say that? It is because I know that with Jesus, there is hope. The devil would push you to end your life for you to go to him in hell. But if you hold on to Jesus, you will overcome and then go to heaven.
Do you want to give your life to Christ now? Do not say tomorrow. Do not mock others, but just believe and let us pray the most important prayer in the world. I prayed this prayer with my whole heart many years ago and since then my life has never been the same.
Lord Jesus, be merciful unto me. I am a sinner. Come into my life, be my Lord, Saviour and Master. I believe You died for me. I confess Your Lordship over my life. From today, I will serve You. I believe that You are the Son of God. I thank You Father. Amen.
Father, in the name of Jesus, with all of my heart, I release Your power and blessing into the lives of those that gave their lives to Christ. I come against every curse and every power of Satan and unbelief working against their lives. I command such powers to be loosed in the name of Jesus. Lord, grant them the grace and the ability to receive the word of God and to believe that Jesus is Lord, and to walk in this path. I thank you because I know You have answered our prayer and there is joy in heaven in Jesus name. Amen
The more of the word of God you have, the more of God you have. As you keep going on this path, your life will be going from glory to glory, from joy to joy, from faith to faith and before you know it, you are a completely new being.