Acts 19:22-41
Paul’s 3nd Missionary Journey
Wednesday
From Greed to Rationalizing to a Demand for My Rights!!
“Of course, I’m not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. I’m also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis—this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world—will be robbed of her great prestige!”
“At this their anger boiled, and they began shouting, 'Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!' 29 Soon the whole city was filled with confusion. Everyone rushed to the amphitheater . . . 32 Inside, the people were all shouting . . . .Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there . .. . and kept it up for two hours: 'Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!' ” Acts 19:27-32 (NLT)
The Coliseum in Ephesus held 25,000
Pastor’s Reflection
You know the scene. A huge gathering on the street. Faces flushed with excitement, even anger. Being reminded of a great hero has whipped everyone up into a frenzy. The Chanting gets louder and louder, rhythmic and strong, summoning up local energy and pride. The whole thing is designed to give energy to those who are going into battle.
And that’s just getting ready for an Eagles game. (or change of regime in Egypt)
First, Demetrius gives honor to Artemis. My first reaction to the first paragraph is “yeah, right”. Enough said.
In the second paragraph I like how Luke says most of them didn’t know what they were doing there. And of course, it’s impossible to reason with an unreasonable person or crowd so Paul was urged to stay away and he did.
If you think that telling others about Jesus will always result in a warm and fuzzy reception or else just disinterest, think again.
God in Christ is never an add on to one’s life for self improvement. God is an invader. He demands the whole package. Once He has all of you (not parts) then you get you back only now the full version of you. Allowing him into one compartment but denying Him access to the others mostly means simply denying Him access.
May I suggest a paperback booklet which I read years ago. It shows how we even compartmentalize our hearts whereby we may close the door to Jesus. The booklet/pamphlet is titled My Heart - Christ's Home by Robert Boyd Munger. It comes in 5 booklet packets on Amazon. After reading this, I became more aware of different areas of my life which I still wanted control. The longing I have now to grow in Jesus says all or nothing. Either I go for it or I remain in one place.
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