Marks of a Spiritual Person
Acts 19:21-41
Intro: Much could be said about what it means to be spiritual. [Ask for response- What are spiritual people like?] Spiritual people pray a lot, worship in spirit, they read the Bible and faithfully obey God’s commands, they fast in order to get closer to God, they hear from God, and they are good examples to others, they have strong faith…. The list can go on and on. These are all good and true, but I want to look at a few traits of a spiritual person as found in our passage in Acts 19. Very little is found directly in these verses about the followers of Christ, or so it would seem. However, if they had not been living as the spiritual people they were, these verses would never have been written. Somebody said that everywhere Paul went, he either saw revival or a riot. I’m not sure we all have that kind of calling, but I do know that we should see some kind of results when we are living as spiritual people! Spiritual people are those who are led by the Holy Spirit, which leads us to the main thought of the message.
Prop: Spiritual people are followers of Christ who bring life and hope to those around them.
Int. Sentence: How do we know this?
TS: Let’s look at some behavior patterns of some spiritual people in the 2nd half of Acts 19 that will give us a clear picture of who God wants us to be.
I. Spiritual People Are Motivated to Encourage Christ’s Church (Acts 19:21-22)
21 After all this had happened, Paul decided [in the Spirit] to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. "After I have been there," he said, "I must visit Rome also." 22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.
-Throughout the 2nd half of the book of Acts, we can see that ministering to churches was a very high priority in Paul’s life. Why did Paul care so much about churches? Because Jesus did! The Church matters to Jesus more than the best-loved wife matters to her husband! Paul loved Jesus and he lived a life that was guided by the Holy Spirit, who came after Jesus returned to His Father in heaven.
-In v.21, we read that Paul purposed in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia, then also to Rome. These places all had churches that needed encouragement, many of them being founded by Paul. Scholars differ on the meaning of the words, in the Spirit. See, in the Greek language, the capital letter for S (sigma) was not used to distinguish between the human spirit and the Holy Spirit. Both were indicated by the same word, pneuma., which appeared identical for each. So, some translators think that when Luke wrote this, he was referring to Paul’s human spirit (Paul decided or purposed in his own spirit or heart to go to Jerusalem). However, Luke usually qualifies the human spirit with words like “my” or “his.” When Luke says “The spirit” he usually means the Holy Spirit.
-The important point here is that we know Paul’s human spirit was lined up with the Holy Spirit. It was the HS who gave him direction and motivation to visit and strengthen the churches scattered all across the region and beyond. So, Paul was a spiritual person because he listened to the HS and brought life and encouragement to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
-Let me ask you a question: Do you love the Church? I’m not talking about Christian Life Center alone or any other solitary church. Do you love the universal Church that Jesus loves and gave Himself for? Remember, the Church is people. Do you love to bring encourage-ment and hope and life to other believers? Here’s another related question: What kind of effect does your presence have in your local church? When you meet other believers, do you try to lift them up and share something with them that will bless and encourage them? Here is a Scripture that shows us what kind of effect we should be having on other believers: Hebrews 10:24-25 24…”let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
-Encouragement is everyone’s job. Some seem to be more naturally gifted at it than others, but it is up to each one of us to make it happen. I cannot encourage everybody, but if everybody encourages somebody, then everybody will be encouraged. There are certain people who need to hear from you. Certain people need to hear how God helped you, delivered you, rescued you, forgave you, and changed you! When you share your personal experiences with others, it often gives them the hope they need to go on. Maybe God will do it for them as well!
-I’m happy to tell you that Good Catch Publishing is already working on our testimony book. Only 2-3 stories will be developed out of all the surveys that came in; however, I would love for each person to begin to sketch out some of their life stories. This will do at least two things: It will remind you of God’s faithful love and power in your life, and it will give you something solid to share with others who need encouragement. I would like to make a collection of these for the church and in the future may ask some of you to read the short version of yours to go along with an appropriate sermon.
-Encouragement! We all need it, and we all can give it away to others. Secondly…
II. Spiritual People Make Truth-in-Love the Bottom Line (Acts 19:23-27)
23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. 25 He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."
-Ephesians 4:15 says that we should speak the truth in love. We must never apologize for the truth about Jesus, yet we must not become arrogant or harsh as we relate that truth.
-Why do you suppose there arose a great disturbance about the Way (23)? Was it because Paul and the other believers were aggressively attacking people just to prove that everyone else was wrong and they were right? No. I see at least a couple of main reasons for the disturbance. First, the good news about Jesus was messing with someone else’s bottom line – money. Demetrius led the charge from this perspective and stirred up several others because their golden goose was being threatened by the truth about God. Second, the disturbance arose because of THE Way. What does it mean when we say that Jesus is THE Way? The word “the” is called a definite article. Why is it definite? Because it focuses solely on the word that comes after it making it exclusive. There are not several ways to get close to God. There is one way. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except by Me.” There are many invitations, but only one way to get there.
-So, the Way is exclusive. It is not just another path; Jesus is THE path to God. As Paul and the other believers shared this good news about Jesus, it challenged and invalidated every other so-called god, goddess, or religion. That was a dangerous thing to do in Ephesus.
-The people of Ephesus considered themselves as guardians of the temple of Artemis, which was located 1.5 miles NE of Ephesus [Show temple picture]. This temple was massive (425 ft. long, 220 ft. wide, 60 ft. high, surrounded by columns). The actual object of worship within the temple was a stone (prob. a meteorite). This stone had apparently fallen from the sky, according to the city clerk in v.35. We can only surmise that those who found this meteorite saw its unique shape and assumed it was a gift from the gods. [Show Artemis pictures] So, what do we know about this mythological goddess, Artemis?
-In Greek mythology, Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and the twin sister of Apollo. She was considered the goddess of fertility by some, who believed that she helped with the delivery of her twin, Apollo. She was usually depicted as the maiden goddess of the hunt, carrying a bow and arrows. Later she became associated with the moon, as her brother was with the sun. She was one of the most widely venerated of the gods and one of the oldest deities. In later times she was associated and considered synonymous with the Roman goddess Diana.
-Now, I don’t think that Paul and the other believers set out to offend anyone, but they had the love and truth of Jesus in their hearts and they shared it quite frequently. Also, remember Acts 19:8: Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. Paul did not make money or even peace the bottom line. Perhaps he could have avoided a riot had he not been so persuasive in his preaching. Perhaps he could have avoided a riot if he had refused to let God do so many extraordinary miracles through him, or had not driven out so many demons from tormented people.
-However, because Paul loved Jesus and people, he made the truth about Jesus the bottom line. Everything else took a backseat to the good news about Jesus. He did not create any unnecessary offense, nor was he ornery in how he dealt with those who did not know God. He simply spoke the truth in love, and the economic impact of the love of Jesus was not to the liking of the idol makers.
-TS: That leads us to our final point which includes several verses.
III. Spiritual People Can Overcome Intimidation from the Enemy (Acts 19:28-41)
28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. 32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: "Men of Ephesus, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today’s events. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it." 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
-Look at some of the tactics Satan can use against those who love the Lord and are being led by the Spirit. V.29 speaks of an uproar; V.32 talks about confusion; V.36 doing something rash; and V.40 talks about rioting and causing commotion. Make no mistake: Satan was behind this riot, stirring up people to attack those who were preaching the good news about Jesus. And Satan’s greatest tactics are things like confusion, fear, and intimidation. If he can get you on the run, he knows he’ll have a shot at your unprotected back.
-What does the Bible have to say about how we handle these kinds of attacks? Let’s take a look at a passage in 1 Peter that will help us overcome Satan’s intimidation:
1 Peter 5:6-10 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
-Here is the counsel we find for overcoming the enemy of our soul: 6: Humility; 7: Trust; 8: Self-control and alertness; 9: Resistance; and best of all 10: God’s grace.
-It is quite likely that Paul did all of these things when he came under attack. He stayed humble, he trusted God, he exercised self-control and stayed alert, he resisted the enemy, and he rested in God’s grace, knowing that God was in control.
-I love what Daren Lindley shared with us about being rich enough to give. If we don’t really trust the Lord and draw from the resources of heaven, then we will not respond the way 1 Peter 5 tells us to. Our pride will make us lash back and inflict pain on people; our insecurity will cause us to fret and worry and get ulcers and high blood pressure over our situation; our compulsiveness will cause us to lose self-control and do something rash, taking matters into our own hands; our resistance will be weak because we are relying on our own strength; and God’s grace will not bring us restoration because we are not submitting ourselves to Him.
-We can overcome intimidation if we will submit ourselves to God and allow His grace to work in us. The love that God has for us is the perfect antidote for fear and intimidation. Hebrews 13:5-6 God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." 6 So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Remember these words next time you feel afraid or intimidated by the enemy. God is with you! He will never leave you. He will help you. Man cannot touch you!
Conclusion: As we close our time, how do we know we are spiritual people who are connected with God? By our motivation to encourage God’s people. By making it our priority to speak the truth in love. And by trusting in God to help us overcome the intimidation of the enemy. None of us is perfect, nor have we arrived. We are a work in progress. However, if we are not making any progress, then something must give – and your and the Lord know what that something is. Maybe you need to submit yourself to God instead of trying to do it alone. Maybe you just need encouragement. If so, get together with some other believers. Invite them over for coffee and then ask them to pray for you. That’s not selfish, that’s smart! Encouragement doesn’t just happen. We need to be actively giving it and receiving it from others. We are rich enough to give! Maybe you’ve not been straight with people in love. Maybe you need to give them the truth – even though it hurts a little. God can help you do this in love if you ask Him to. Maybe you are being dominated by fear. The enemy would love to stop you in your tracks by causing an uproar and confusion in your life. Trust Him and get as close to Him as you can. He can make the fear go away, and bring you courage and boldness like you’ve never known before.
-I don’t know what your need is today, but God does. He is speaking to some of you right now and wants you to take some spiritual action to strengthen one of these areas in your life. It may begin with a prayer, but keep listening. God will help you be the spiritual person He created you to be, and He will help you do the spiritual work He has called you to do.
-Let’s pray.
