When the Gospel Costs Something
[ READ ] Acts 19:23-41
23 About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. 25 These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 26 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. 27 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.”
28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 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. 30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 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. 33 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. 34 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!”
35 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? 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 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. 39 But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40 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.” 41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 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. 30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 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. 33 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. 34 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!”
35 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? 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 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. 39 But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40 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.” 41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
One of the first lessons I learned about studying Scripture was to look at context; what happened leading up to the particular Biblical verses you are investigating. Earlier in Chapter 19, we read of the story of the seven sons of Sceva who tried to use the name of Jesus to perform miracles and were pummeled by a man possessed by an evil spirit who exclaimed “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognized, but who are you?” After this, the Word says “fear (reverence) fell upon them (the residents of Ephesus) and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled”. Further, there were widespread examples of people “confessing and divulging their (old) practices”, and “the word of the Lord continuing to increase and prevail mightily”. The section closes with Paul “resolved in the Spirit” to take the Gospel message to Asia, return home to Jerusalem for a time, then ultimately to preach in Rome.
Then, there is a tidal shift, as Verse 23 states:
And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way.
What we read in the verses we are looking at today can best be described as a counterattack. Just like in a sporting contest, when one side is on the offensive and doing its best to score (think football, soccer, boxing), the other side rallies and fights back, pressing the action, and transfers from being on defense and starts on their own offensive campaign. The same thing can be said of military conflicts and that’s what we have here; only it’s spiritual warfare! In Acts 19:11, the Word says God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul. Acts 19:24 introduces us to a man named Demetrius, who probably unbeknownst to even himself, was being used by "the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:1-2) in the battle for souls in the ancient city of Ephesus. Let’s dig in and find out more about this fascinating passage of Scripture.
- Hayden Van Dyke
Then, there is a tidal shift, as Verse 23 states:
And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way.
What we read in the verses we are looking at today can best be described as a counterattack. Just like in a sporting contest, when one side is on the offensive and doing its best to score (think football, soccer, boxing), the other side rallies and fights back, pressing the action, and transfers from being on defense and starts on their own offensive campaign. The same thing can be said of military conflicts and that’s what we have here; only it’s spiritual warfare! In Acts 19:11, the Word says God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul. Acts 19:24 introduces us to a man named Demetrius, who probably unbeknownst to even himself, was being used by "the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:1-2) in the battle for souls in the ancient city of Ephesus. Let’s dig in and find out more about this fascinating passage of Scripture.
- Hayden Van Dyke
[ EXAMINE ] the passage. At this point, answer some questions about the meaning of the text. Take time to reflect.
+ What two arguments did Demetrius use to fire up the people against those who followed the “Way”? What do you think of this term that was used to describe the early Christians?
+ Did the Christians in Ephesus plan or set out to close down the Temple of Artemis and its related businesses? Read Acts 19:37. Can you think of any present day issues that could be “fought” in such a way by followers of Jesus?
+ What comes to your mind when you hear the term "spiritual warfare”? Have you ever faced “unusual adversity” when you've set your heart to do something for the Lord? Share any experiences you’ve had in this area with your Community.
“This chapter teaches us all a permanent lesson: that when disciples have a true revival, society gets a revolution. When the Spirit moves mightily upon children of God we may look for other mighty movements among unbelievers, and need not be surprised if the devil himself comes down, having great wrath, as though he knew that his time was short.” (Arthur T. Pierson, The Acts of the Holy Spirit)
“The work of King Jesus goes forth, but NEVER without pushback from the kingdom of darkness”. (Excerpt from the sermon “Rejecting Revival” by David Guzik, date unknown)
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:10-12
+ What two arguments did Demetrius use to fire up the people against those who followed the “Way”? What do you think of this term that was used to describe the early Christians?
+ Did the Christians in Ephesus plan or set out to close down the Temple of Artemis and its related businesses? Read Acts 19:37. Can you think of any present day issues that could be “fought” in such a way by followers of Jesus?
+ What comes to your mind when you hear the term "spiritual warfare”? Have you ever faced “unusual adversity” when you've set your heart to do something for the Lord? Share any experiences you’ve had in this area with your Community.
“This chapter teaches us all a permanent lesson: that when disciples have a true revival, society gets a revolution. When the Spirit moves mightily upon children of God we may look for other mighty movements among unbelievers, and need not be surprised if the devil himself comes down, having great wrath, as though he knew that his time was short.” (Arthur T. Pierson, The Acts of the Holy Spirit)
“The work of King Jesus goes forth, but NEVER without pushback from the kingdom of darkness”. (Excerpt from the sermon “Rejecting Revival” by David Guzik, date unknown)
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:10-12
[ APPLY ] the passage to your own life.
+ Is there sin to confess or a next step to take? How has it gone since last time?
+ When I read this passage from Acts 19, I couldn’t help but think of the recent World Cup and some of the things I saw on TV and later read about online. The behavior of those in the stands, just like those in the Great Theatre in Ephesus, could only be described as fanatical, from which we get the word “fan”. And while there is nothing wrong with supporting your favorite sports teams, I wonder if we bring the same enthusiasm and fervor in our devotion to Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who is also our savior, redeemer and friend. As Pastor Lon Solomon used to say, “not a sermon, just a thought”!
+ Is there sin to confess or a next step to take? How has it gone since last time?
+ When I read this passage from Acts 19, I couldn’t help but think of the recent World Cup and some of the things I saw on TV and later read about online. The behavior of those in the stands, just like those in the Great Theatre in Ephesus, could only be described as fanatical, from which we get the word “fan”. And while there is nothing wrong with supporting your favorite sports teams, I wonder if we bring the same enthusiasm and fervor in our devotion to Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who is also our savior, redeemer and friend. As Pastor Lon Solomon used to say, “not a sermon, just a thought”!
[ PRAY ] through the passage and your application, and ask God to change your heart and your life.
+ Pray with me:
Heavenly Father, you alone are worthy of fanatical devotion. Help us see then eliminate the idols we have created in our lives, the gods we have made with our own hands. Forgive us for supplanting You and the mission You have for us here with such things that sometimes may even appear as “good” to us and in the eyes of the world. Thank You for Your steadfast love for and toward Your rebellious children. Amen.
+ Pray with me:
Heavenly Father, you alone are worthy of fanatical devotion. Help us see then eliminate the idols we have created in our lives, the gods we have made with our own hands. Forgive us for supplanting You and the mission You have for us here with such things that sometimes may even appear as “good” to us and in the eyes of the world. Thank You for Your steadfast love for and toward Your rebellious children. Amen.
[ SHARE ] what God is teaching you with at least one person: your roommate,
your spouse, your kids, or your coworkers. Don’t keep what God taught you to
yourself.
(e.g., your family around the dinner table, a friend, co-worker or neighbor- for help join a community group at downtownhope.org/community-groups)
+ Who in your circle of influence needs to hear about the great and mighty acts of King Jesus and see your devotion to Him played out in the way you live your life?
your spouse, your kids, or your coworkers. Don’t keep what God taught you to
yourself.
(e.g., your family around the dinner table, a friend, co-worker or neighbor- for help join a community group at downtownhope.org/community-groups)
+ Who in your circle of influence needs to hear about the great and mighty acts of King Jesus and see your devotion to Him played out in the way you live your life?
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