Larry Hurtado wrote a book entitled Destroyer of the gods: Christian distinctives in the Roman world , where he showed how the early Christians took on the world systems and changed them. For example, if you ask someone today, “Do you believe in God?” they will not think to ask you, “Which one?” The Romans had a whole passel of gods (little g) and they were ok with adding more when they conquered a society or culture or people group, just so theirs were also worshipped. In fact, at the time, your religion was determined by your family, culture and people. If you were Roman, you worshipped Zeus. There was not any question. If I asked you where you were from and you said “Rome,” I would know that you worshipped Zeus and a whole pantheon of gods. Automatically and without question. Well, Jesus came along and changed some Jews. Then they invited pagans and they all became Christians, together with the former Jews who now believed in Jesus as Messiah. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” says God in Exodus 20:2. With one God, we are monotheists (mono=one, theos = god). In another fact, Romans accused Christians of being atheists because they did not believe in Zeus and the other Roman gods! We now have cultures and ethnicities where you could be Roman and be Christian. It separated out religion from ethnicity. Now all people are welcome as Christians regardless of their current demographics. Black, Hispanic, White, Rich, Middle Class, Poor. All are welcome to Father’s Family through Jesus! Yea God!
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11
We have gotten them to the realization of one true God. Now, Holy Spirit, please convict them unto salvation. Let it be!
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