As a historian myself, one of the most enjoyable books of the Bible for me to read is the book of Acts. It is a great social history of the early church and one of my favorite little bits from it is the 19th chapter where Paul is in Ephesus. While he is there, the local craftsmen get upset at his preaching as many were involved in the making of images of Artemis and Paul was converting the population at such a rapid rate, they began to fear a decline in demand for the work. A riot ensued and within that context, a little verse sticks out to me, another one of those funny little verses from the Bible when you remove it from its context.
Act 19:32b (NIV): " Most of the people did not even know why they were there."
It always reminds of the hidden camera shows where they get a few people to just line up at a door and see hom many passers by will just stop and get in line without having a clue as to what they are in line for. Its amazing how that seems to never fail to attract people! Or when you look at old pictures of yourself and wonder what ever made you buy/wear THOSE clothes or get THAT hairstyle. Or when I look at the college students I see everyday who don't want to read or attend class or do any of their assigned research and yet are raking up an incredible amount of college loan debt to be in school!
Actually, I'm most reminded of that verse when my son asks from the backseat on a Saturday evening, "why do we have to go to church Daddy?" Do I even know why I am going there? Do I have an answer for my son? Thankfully, the answer is yes to both. But the explanation will have to wait for a later post.
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