Are you an Epicurean or Stoic?

St. Paul, in his great Acts 17 address, walked the fine line speaking to two different audiences. Even though this address was a few thousand years ago, I think that many people in our culture fall into these two categories.

EPICUREANS

“The Epicureans, we recall, believed that the gods, if they existed, were very far away, and had more or less nothing to do with human beings. As a result, they were supremely happy… to live as quietly as possible with just the right amount of everything. The ideal life is independent, untroubled, unworried about larger questions, including that of one’s own destiny.” – N.T Wright (Acts for Everyone)

You might be an epicurean if your view of God is one who stands far off in the clouds, watching us from afar, occasionally pulling some levers to make sure that the world keeps going. If you lean this way, you might find yourself thinking a lot about comfort – staying away from messy relationships, thinking about the next apartment or house that you want to live in, or looking at magazines to find out what the next upcoming style is going to be. The goal, since God is far off and will probably send everyone to heaven someday, is too live a quiet life and be comfortable in material things.

STOICS

“The Stoic, by contrast, would be happy to hear that there is indeed a divine life which is in all human beings.” – N.T. Wright (Acts for Everyone)

You might be a stoic if you consider yourself spiritual. Stoics, as they looked at the beauty of the human race or of creation, did not ignore the impulse in their hearts that something divine exists. The problem is that because of their uncertainty, they worshiped lots of different idols – clinging onto whatever the latest spiritual fad was.

RESPONDING TO THE TWO GROUPS

To the Epicureans, Paul proclaimed that the God that they thought to be far away was right here, right now. In fact, God came down out of human history to be with them! No longer could they live a quiet life, minimizing God as a distant, isolated, unknowable Being.

To the Stoics, Paul proclaimed that their divine inclinations were true, but that there was one way, one truth – which God proved through the death and resurrection of Jesus. No longer did they have to go from spiritual idol to spiritual idol – from fad to fad. They could be clear on who to worship and who to follow. They could turn around, repent, and follow someone who could actually change their lives and equip them to change the world. They could remove their fuzzy spiritual life that sounded good on the outside but was hollow on the inside.

Which side do you lean on?

Bored People Are Not In Tune With Reality

I was sitting on my computer last night trying to entertain myself. In short, I was bored, looking for something to do.

Then, I came across an article that put my life on pause for a brief second. To be honest, I can’t remember what I read exactly – but I think it had something to do with the conflict in Africa. I prayed for the situation, but not before a realization came upon me.

Bored people are not in tune with Reality.

We are distracted. Our vision of how things really are... is dimmed.

When I was in San Diego five years ago on a summer project with Campus Crusade, we did this thing called an International Dinner. Each of us were placed in a different “country” atmosphere – although all of us were in the same room next to each other. I was, thank goodness, placed in “China” where I was given a small cup of rice for dinner.

The "American" group, in the middle of the large room, was given a feast. During the evening, the Americans had the freedom to walk around and share their food with the other surrounding “countries”. But they didn’t. Why?

They were distracted!

The staff team gave them video games to play, free back rubs, and an unending amount of food. The entire night, not one student in the American location stepped out to view the needs of those around them. While in their bubble, they lost their sense of Reality.

I think all of us were designed to be heroes. But because of our ability to distance ourselves from the sin of the world, our vision is dimmed and we default to do doing nothing.

It’s troubling to me that I find myself bored way too often. I choose comfort rather than mission, and it only decreases my view of God and leaves me spiritually lethargic.

What if we were given better alternatives to the things we do when we are bored?

Play video games all summer VS. Go to Africa and wire a town for internet

Read books every Friday night VS. Tutor a few kids so they can learn how to read

Go to the movies every Saturday VS. Make a documentary about an injustice in the city

Sneak around town and graffiti VS. Design pieces for an art show and give proceeds to the poor

Shop at the mall VS. Find a local refugee family in the city to give away clothes to