Acts 19:18 – 20:1
Paul spent three years in Ephesus, and during that time God used him to raise up another strong regional church. What unfolded there is a vivid picture of the gospel advancing in power, transforming lives, and confronting the entrenched interests of a pagan culture.
The Gospel Firmly Established (vv. 17–22)
As the mighty power of God was displayed throughout Ephesus and across all of Asia (modern-day Turkey), the people came to recognize the reality of His supernatural work. Reverence for the name of Jesus spread far and wide, the gospel prevailed over darkness, and men and women were transformed as they devoted themselves to the Word of God.
The gospel had taken such firm root that Paul no longer felt the need to remain. He purposed in his spirit to travel through Macedonia and Achaia, and then on to Jerusalem (see 2 Corinthians 8). Timothy and Erastus were sent ahead into Macedonia, while Paul himself stayed for a season, carrying a long-standing desire to one day reach Rome.
Faith in Action: Fighting the Good Fight
One of Paul's purposes was to gather an offering from the Gentile churches to relieve the impoverished believers in Jerusalem. On the surface this was an act of generosity, but its meaning went far deeper: Paul was inviting Gentile believers to participate in God's grand redemptive purpose. What a beautiful picture of the unity and love that exist within the body of Christ.
There was also a hidden, pastoral aim. With a shepherd's heart, Paul labored to break down the deep prejudice that lingered in the Jewish church toward Gentile believers. By moving Gentile Christians to give sacrificially for their Jewish brothers and sisters, he knit the two together in tangible love.
In the body of Christ there should never exist any form of prejudice, whether ethnic or social.
As Scripture declares: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28); for "Christ is all, and in all" (Colossians 3:11).
We are not called to be passive spectators, but an active, vibrant, and purposeful community. As members of His body, we are to engage in His mission, care for one another, and faithfully participate in the work He is doing for His glory.
For Reflection
Do we find these prejudicial tendencies in the Church today? What contributes to such attitudes?
When we sense the flesh and human pride rising within us, how should we respond?
We are not to let them overwhelm us. Instead, we are called to walk in humility, submit to the Spirit, and reflect the character of Christ.
The Riot at Ephesus (vv. 23–27)
The advance of the gospel did not go unopposed. A great commotion arose, stirred up by a crafty silversmith named Demetrius, who made small silver shrines of the temple of Diana, the goddess of the Ephesians, along with idols and trinkets that pilgrims bought as souvenirs.
Because the gospel had grown so powerfully across Asia, people were abandoning the worship of Diana, and Demetrius saw his livelihood threatened. He gathered the silversmiths together and warned them what the gospel meant for their trade, admitting that their craft had made them wealthy.
His true concern surfaces in his own words: that "this our craft is in danger to be set at nought," and that "the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth" (vv. 26–27).
That was his real motive. When people are exposed to the true gospel, the ministries and industries that profit from sin find themselves in danger. This has been the motive behind much of the persecution of genuine believers throughout the centuries. True Christianity remains a threat to every enterprise that profits from addiction and decadence.
The same gospel that overturned the idol trade in Ephesus still confronts the idols of our own age. As it did then, the Word of God grows mightily and prevails wherever His people walk in faith, in unity, and in love.