ACTS
Pursuing The Call – Part 7
Dr. Tom Bartlett
August 11, 2019
Acts 19:21-41
OUTLINE
How the Good-News affects Christ-followers
Acts 19:21-41 (ESV)
THE GOSPEL HAS A PROFOUND AFFECT ON . . .
How we think about money
Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.” (Vs. 21-27)
? Understand that men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them!
? When money is more important than God, it becomes our god.
How we see the world
When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel. But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (Vs. 28-34)
? Understand that most people are opposed to any world-view that doesn’t match their own
? Jesus’ teachings are in contrast to every other world-view
In who we place our trust
And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky? Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
? There is no need to disrespect another belief system, the truth stands alone.
? Remember that Jesus is the answer, not politics.
MANUSCRIPT
How the Good-News affects Christ-followers
Acts 19:21-41 (ESV)
Illustration – If you’re a student of church history, you’ve heard of the great Welsh revival or 1904, a revival in which some 100,000 people came to Christ in a 5-month period, which for a country that small in 1904 was huge. The equivalent of what that would be in the U.S. today would be twelve-and-a-half million conversions in a five-month period.
The social impact of the Welsh revival was astonishing. Judges came to court, but had no cases to try. Robberies, murders, burglaries, rapes or embezzlements dropped dramatically, even to zero in some areas! The District Council in one city held an emergency meeting to discuss what to do with the police now that they were inactive.
The Welsh revival later spread to America, though in a more limited fashion. Listen to an article in the Denver Post, dated January 20, 1905.
“For two hours at midday all Denver was held in a spell…the markets of trade were deserted between noon and two o’clock this afternoon, and all worldly affairs were forgotten. Going to and coming from the great prayer meetings, thousands of men and women radiated this Spirit which filled them. Seldom has such a remarkable sight been witnessed—an entire great city, in the middle of a busy weekday, bowing before the throne of heaven and asking the blessing of the King of the Universe.”
When Paul came to Ephesus in Acts 19, the city was locked in a stronghold of pagan superstition. But within two years of ministry in Ephesus, Satan’s stronghold was crumbling. The result was that they had a big bonfire in chapter 19, as we saw last week. Christians brought their books on magic and their astrological charts and horoscopes and occult charms and burned them in a public square of the city.
As we continue the series today in the book of Acts called “Pursuing the Call”, we will see an amazing contrast in the way that those who are in Christ lived, as opposed to those without Christ.
No matter the profession you have chosen, or the status you enjoy, socially or whatever, there’s always a battle between what God wants and what our flesh wants. The gospel makes all the difference.
As we continue forward through these chapters filled amazing accounts concerning the church in its early days, some of these accounts sound familiar.
• Paul goes to a city,
• he preaches in the local synagogue,
• after some time, there are numerous people who have converted to the truth he preaches.
• The people in that city, whether the professional religious types or those who made their living off of “religious matters” turn on Paul.
• People seek him out to due him in,
• God intervenes and
• Paul moves on.
That’s the gist of Paul’s encounters in these cities.
Paul has been in Ephesus for 3 years; he’s decided to head to Jerusalem by way of Macedonia. Not exactly good travel plans, since Macedonia wasn’t on the way, but very strategic as we will learn in the coming weeks.
Paul send off his helpers to prepare for his arrival there. BUT, before he can get out of town, a disruption comes as the people who made a lot of money from selling idols of the goddess Dianna also known as Artemis, get scorched about losing so much business.
(It reminds me of the abortion debate here in our city)
Now what I want to do is contrast what these worldly leaders lived for as opposed to this one named Paul and Christians.
You see the gospel has a profound effect on many things, HERE WE WILL SEE THAT THE GOSPEL AFFECTS. . .
THE GOSPEL HAS A PROFOUND AFFECT ON . . .
How we think about money
(Vs. 21-27) Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”
Demetrius stands up and gives an account on how effective Paul’s ministry has been in that region. Arriving three years earlier, we know that Paul and his message were rejected, he moves out from teaching at the synagogue and starts teaching in a lecture hall and now “all of Asia has heard about this man. In the last chapter we learned that 50,000 books and such were burnt by those who became Christ followers.
Demetrius accuses Paul with these words, “you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.”
Think about what he’s saying, “gods made with hands are not gods at all”. Well, uh, ya! This is why you will hear the Bible speak of the “One true and living God.” The God of the bible isn’t a distant being with no emotion, He’s a loving Heavenly Father that wants a relationship with you!
Now, Demetrius had no interest in the truth, his goal was to make money. Many historians believe that he was the head of the silversmith’s guild, he supplied the silver for those who commissioned to make the idols of the goddess Dianna, which sold well. Ephesus was a leading city and people came from all over Asia-minor to go to “The Temple of Artemis” (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world), see this magnificent place, (like going to Disney for us), and leave with their worship idols and trinkets. His only thought was on commerce and how much money he was losing.
In contrast, Paul was wanting to go out of his way to Macedonia, and for why? His desire was to take up an offering of money. Was it for himself and his new wardrobes, or new ride, or a big house? No, it was for the starving and suffering Jerusalem church.
Demetrius was concerned about money, Paul was concerned about money too, but for different reasons.
Paul probably was a wealthy man before he met Christ. He could have become extremely wealthy and powerful if he stayed on that same path, BUT the gospel changed all that.
[Jesus was promised the world by satan in Matthew 4 too, but He turned it down to follow the will of God].
Now there are some important truths to remember. You see Demetrius didn’t reject Paul’s teaching because they weren’t true, he did because it interfered with his lifestyle.
Recently, a worship leader of great renown denounced his faith. He cited many reasons why, none with any substance. My experience has been that when a person rejects their faith, the bible and its truth, it has far more to do with the way they’re living than a sudden new understanding. In order to deal with the guilt, they are experiencing, they simply change their beliefs and there ya go, all is good now.
? Understand that men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them!
? When money is more important than God, it becomes our god.
Demetrius may have said he worshiped Dianna, but the truth was, he worshiped money, money was his god and it made him rich. No different than many today. BUT a god that can be taken away from you is no god at all. The true and living God says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
The gospel affects how we think about money, but also. . .
How we see the world
This great crowd has gathered and mob-mentality begins to take over. Their world-view was based in a world with many gods (pantheism) and they would hold on to that belief firmly.
They’ve “heard” that Paul was preaching against their belief system, although he wasn’t per say, he was just preaching the truth. Their patriotic passions and the threat of their world-view being crushed took over in what was becoming a “worship riot.”
In this state, Paul would have been in great danger, still in his zeal, he wanted to go into the meeting, this guy was fearless. Wisely, leaders in this city and church stopped him from doing so. Instead, a few of his followers went in.
As we continue, the craftsman and other tradesmen are being stirred up by Demetrius.
(Vs. 28-34) When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel. But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. And even some of the Asiarchs, [prominent leaders, one selected each year from the population. They were wealthy and influential, Paul knew several of them], who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
This is mob-mentality to a “T”. People gather and start arguing. Others hear and join in, after a while so many are shouting but few knew why. They begin a chant, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.”
[Artemis, in Greek religion, the goddess of wild animals, the hunt, and vegetation, and of chastity and childbirth; she was identified by the Romans with Diana. Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and the twin sister of Apollo.]
Their world-view was that this temple and this goddess was the source of all they had and needed. Fertility, the hunt for animals, vegetation and childbirth.
A God made with human hands, yet for them it represented all they had and needed. If you take that away, what would they have? In their minds nothing.
You may notice that before Demetrius said that people came from all over to see this temple, now these Ephesians are claiming it to be “Artemis of the Ephesians.” This is our reality, this is our belief system, this is our claim to fame!
I find this to be similar with many people today in their attitudes toward the scriptures and God’s way of salvation. They argue to hold onto meaningless things that enslave them and against what they do not even understand.
Dead ideas ? ? The Unknown
Dead Ideas
Still, when it comes down to it, everyone thinks their views are correct. BUT, if their views are not supported by truth, how can they be established as true? Well, society has a fix for that.
In this society, like the one we live in now, everything is based on popular opinion and precedence.
• Popular opinion says, that if enough people say it’s true then it’s accepted based on what people say. That’s a slippery slope. [OFTEN THE MAJORITY IS WRONG]
• Precedence. Backing up popular opinion is precedence.
Precedence says that if one ruling legally happens then, other rulings can use that as part of their argument as a society stretches on from one wayward ruling to another, ever further from what it true and right.
[Stare decisis is a Latin term meaning "to stand by that which is decided."]
In our country today we have people who focus on precedence and those who are constitutionalism. They don’t want to judge things against precedence, they want them judged by the intention of the original law.
Now, I’m not getting political here, my point is that God’s law has never changed, He doesn’t grade on the curve taking into account what everyone else is doing or believing. The wages of sin is still death.
My point is that it’s not what others are saying, it’s all about what God has said!
? Understand that most people are opposed to any world-view that doesn’t match their own
This is why we must win the hearts. This is one reason why the Holy Spirit of God is so needed. He breaks through and goes to the heart. He reaches where no person ever could.
? Jesus’ teachings are in contrast to every other world-view
So, the Christian world-view is based on what God has revealed in His word. The option is to base your view on what others say, and what you experience.
Finally, we see this contrast between this rising mob and the Christ followers. On one side, they say people should worship an idol. On the other side, the true and Living God!
The Gospel has a profound affect . . .
In whom we place our trust
Let’s face it, we place our trust daily in the hands of others. You trust that the driver coming toward you will stay on his side. You trust the pilot to get you there safely. You trust that the person who prepared your food did it in a sanity way . . .
Here we see the town clerk steps us to keep the crowd quieted in fear that the Romans would come in and take their self-governing privileges away.
And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?
A meteor apparently had fallen there and they built this Temple in honor of it. A popular item to sell tourists was a small Artemis shrine—a cupped enclosure with a small female figure inside. Worshipers were told they could take this shrine anywhere in the world and worship Artemis in front of her tiny shrine, and it would be just the same as worshiping her at the Ephesian temple.
Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
It's amazing how with mere words a wise man can settle a crowd. Still, in the clerks comments we can learn something about how to deal with people we do not agree with. Especially for those we are sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with.
Paul in his teaching didn’t have to degrade Dianna and the temple. All he had to do was proclaim the truth. If he speaks of “One True and Living God” and your god is one of many and dead, well you can choose for yourself. You see with Paul’s God the miraculous was taken place.
When a man or a woman chooses to live for Jesus and in His power, the evidence of God is all around.
? Never disrespect another belief system, the truth stands alone. (The town clerk pointed out that the Christians didn’t act disrespectfully of the Ephesians’ religion).
We don’t have to preach against anything, we simply tell the truth. BTW – the quickest way to turn someone off that you’re sharing with about Jesus is tell them that everything they believe is false. JUST SPEAK THE TRUTH AND LET THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD TAKE OVER.
Also, let’s remember. . .
? Remember that Jesus is the answer, not politics. (They didn’t try to change the Ephesians behavior by political activism, but by spiritual means).
(Use in closing) - James Montgomery Boice, said this, “How did Christianity triumph? How did Christians win the day?
• The Christians did not circulate a petition to see if they could get 51% of the Ephesians to sign it saying, “Diana is no goddess, and the God of the Old Testament is the true God.”
• The Christians did not have a mass rally.
• They did not send Christians into the amphitheater to do their thing.
• They did exactly what Jesus Christ had done and what he sent them into the world to do. They preached the gospel so that men and women got converted, and once they were converted, they taught them how to live for Jesus Christ.”
