Paul was “stirred” or literally, agitated in his spirit. Often we are agitated by the world because our values are insulted, but Paul’s zeal had little to do with his own values. His zeal was for the glory of God. He saw an entire city turned away from the living God and given to every kind of false belief. The place was steeped in idols, a hotbed of man-made religion and it stirred Paul to the core. He was agitated. So what did he do about it? He preached Christ to them.
No Christian today should be able to look around at our world and not be stirred to consider the lostness of mankind. George Truett was once walking through downtown Dallas with his college roommate. Once when the signal allowed them to cross the busy intersection, Truett froze in his place. His roommate spotted tears in his eyes and inquired as to what was wrong. George Truett motioned with his hand toward the crowds on the sidewalk and said, “Look at them, they’re so lost. They’re all lost.” Many Christians are simply annoyed by the wickedness of the world, but we must be more than annoyed, we must be deeply moved.
Following this deep moving within our soul ought to be a commitment to restore the glory of God. There should be in every believer a compelling zeal for God’s glory. We should want with all of our hearts for God alone to be glorified in our world. That means introducing people to the Lord of the universe through His Son, Jesus Christ. Are we ready to see the need, take up the cause, and tell the world about Jesus?
