When the apostle Paul walked through Athens, the oldest city in Europe, he was stirred in his spirit by all the idolatry, and challenged the Athenians, who were always eager to hear the latest ideas, that the unknown God Creator does not live in temples made by men, and even rose his Anointed Messenger from the dead. Daring guy. Today we prayed on the Acropolis, in the Agora area, the Areopagus (Mars Hill) where Paul interacted with the philosophers of his days, and the grounds of the former temple of Zeus.
Although these ancient buildings are all in ruins due to the deconstruction policy of Christian Roman emperor Theodosius, and several earthquakes in the Middle Ages, intercessors claim that the 'Greek spirit' is still alive and influencing Europe. The Greek culture certainly is, and the accomplishments - though clearly man-centered and steeped in idolatry - are impressive. It was interesting to note that it was in the Stoa of Attalos in the Agora that in 2003 the accession treaty was signed of the ten new European Union member states.
As in many places in Europe, also in Greece there is a revival of neopaganism that seeks a restoration of Hellenic Polytheism. In the momentum following the 2004 Olympic Games, the Greek neopagans received legal recognition and are now pushing for full recognition by the Greek goverment, of course to the irritation of the dominantly present Greek Orthodox church.
To what extent the ancient Greek gods still exercise influence, and to what extent those who pursue the Kingdom should be concerned about this, is hard to say and invariably disputed. People in the prayer and spiritual warfare scene are convinced that territorial spirits and people's mindsets can limit the fruit of the Gospel message, if not addressed in prayer, and they certainly have a point here. Some even say Paul made a historic blunder on the Areopagus by not demonstrating his message with power, but compromising his 'incarnational' approach too much with the Greek mindset. Other more down-to-earth apostolic types say we shouldn't concern ourselves too much with these spirits. He who lives in us is stronger anyway. When Christ and his Kingdom are preached, demonic forces will likely manifest and you can deal with them in the autority we have in Christ, very much like Paul did on various occasions as accounted in the book of Acts. And I can go with this approach as well.
Anyway, we celebrated Pentecost among the ruins of pagan temples, and prayed for a new outpouring of God's Spirit in Greece, for a revelation of the heart issues that currently limit the Church to walk in unity in her calling, and for apostolic boldness to proclaim and demonstrate the unshakable Kingdom. More pictures of Athens here.
