09/17/2025
I was chatting with a friend about all of the swirling social unrest this week and he posed a question about Charlie Kirk to me about the expression of Kirk’s faith. As we hashed out our viewpoints it occurred to me that within the biblical narrative that it wasn’t JUST the religious views of the first Christian’s that got them in trouble with society.
What was societies problem with followers of Jesus? I would contend that it wasn’t because they worshiped Jesus. It was because worshiping Jesus changed their social behaviors and threatened the social/economical order. Does that sound familiar?
In the New Testament we often see the story of Paul as a clash of religions. Paganism against Christianity. That’s true on the surface, but there’s a deeper lesson for us today. Paul wasn’t just persecuted because of what he believed. He was persecuted because his message changed people so much that it disrupted the entire system they lived in.
Paul wasn’t against people. He was against a system that dehumanized people and was built on things that were not of God. When he came into a city, his gospel went to the heart, not just the head. He taught people about the love and grace of Jesus. And when they accepted that message, their lives were transformed.
That’s when the trouble began.
The change wasn’t just private or spiritual. It showed up in real life. Followers of Christ stopped taking part in what Paul called the “market of demons.”
In Ephesus the worship of Artemis was a huge industry. Silversmiths made money building shrines and idols. But when people met Jesus they realized those objects were nothing but empty statues. They stopped buying them. This wasn’t an attack on a person. It was a rejection of an economy built on false worship. Their new love for God changed what they supported with their money.
Roman society was built on status and power. You looked out for yourself and your own family first. But Paul’s teaching created a new kind of community. The church. They shared resources. They cared for widows and orphans. They supported one another. This directly challenged a culture that was all about climbing the ladder. Their love for God turned into love for each other, and no one could control that.
In the Roman Empire the highest sign of loyalty was to bow to the emperor. It was more about being a good citizen than about religion. But Christians refused. Not because they hated Rome but because they loved Jesus more. Their allegiance belonged to a new King. This wasn’t bigotry. It was sincere faith. But Rome saw it as a threat to their power.
Was Paul against people? Paul was not against people. He loved people and gave his life for them. But his love for people led them into a revolution of the heart. And that heart-change touched their money, their community, and even their political loyalty. His “crime” wasn’t hatred. His “crime” was offering a gospel so powerful that it shook the culture around him.
What this means for America.
Our culture has its own idols and systems, just like Rome did. They may look different but they still pull people away from God.
In America whole industries are built on addiction, lust, greed, and entertainment that dehumanizes people. When Christians walk away from those idols, it disrupts the system.
Our culture also rewards selfishness. Success is measured by what you achieve for yourself. But the church is called to be different. To care for the weak. To love the forgotten. To live in community instead of competition.
And America has its own kind of emperor worship. Sometimes it looks like politics. Sometimes it looks like blind loyalty to country or party. But Christians confess that Jesus is Lord. Every other loyalty must come second.
The gospel is not just a private belief. It shapes our public lives. When Christians live that way in America it will not always be popular. But it will be powerful. Because people will see that the love of Christ is strong enough to transform everything it touches.
- Pastor Tim
