Reading for February 21-25
Acts 19:22-41
Paul’s 3nd Missionary Journey
Tuesday
“Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business. 26 But as you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t really gods at all. And he’s done this not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province!" Acts 19:25-26 (NLT)
How Would Wall Street Handle Paul’s Preaching?
Pastor’s Reflection
I like very much the following thought exercise from scholar, NT Wright.
“Imagine someone setting up shop in the heart of the financial district of New York City and using the basis of a powerful ministry of healing to declare over and over again that the money markets and the stock markets were simply a way of worshiping the God Mammon, that this was destroying the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in other parts of the world and that whole system was rotten and anyone who saw the light ought to reject it outright”
No wonder Demetrius and his friends were alarmed. Remember the burning of the magic books in verse 19?
How do you handle this? Do you have your economic world compartmentalized so that your Christian life doesn’t touch it?
In what way has Christ changed how you consume, give, spend and view your money? When you check out your check book what does it tell you about Christ’s leadership in your life?
Maybe Demetrius had a kind of integrity about him. He knew the cost of Following Christ. No compromise for him. “I’m not letting Christ get in the way of my prosperity”. Credit him for knowing what was at stake.
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