The Inner Gods of Acts 14

Neville's Inner Vision

Observe the scene as a symbol of inner life. The Lycaonians lift their voices and call the apostles Jupiter and Mercury, basing divinity on what they witness. In Neville’s terms, this is how consciousness projects power onto forms—people, events, even personalities—when a single deed or idea seems to encage the divine. The true source, the I AM, remains unseen behind the veil of appearances; the so-called gods are only states of consciousness taking shape as an external figure. Pride and self-exaltation arise when you mistake the form for the life within. Paul, the chief speaker, becomes an inner idea that presumes authority, while Barnabas stands in for another aspect of your own mind that can be revered as outer gods. The antidote is simple: refuse to worship form, revise the scene by knowing you are the I AM, the single life animating all. When you feel drawn to idolize a success or person, remind yourself that the God you worship is within, and that all names and appearances are but the theatre of consciousness moving through you.