Acts 19:21-27

                                                                     Acts 19:21-27

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.”

PAUL PLANS HIS MINISTRY: After spending some of the most productive years of his ministry, Paul decides that it is important to return to Macedonia, Achaia, and then visit Jerusalem again.  He then expresses a desire to go to Rome at some point either before or after Jerusalem.  Apparently, the desire to return to Jerusalem had to do with some financial needs the saints there were facing.  Part of the reason for him to return to the churches he had planted before was to collect an offering from them for the saints in Jerusalem.  It is interesting to note that the younger churches were helping the older church instead of the other way around.  Paul sends his traveling companions to begin setting up his visit from a logistical standpoint while he remined in Asia to finish the work there.  The body of Christ is called to work together, and the servants of Christ are called to work together for the health of the body.

 

PAUL PERSUADES MANY: You can measure the effectiveness of Paul’s ministry by the impact that it had on the entire community.  A major source of persecution for Paul was due to the economic impact of the Gospel in the city.  False religion has always been a source of financial gain for those who are “selling salvation.”  The purchase of idols or indulgences paid to reduce the suffering of loved ones in purgatory are examples of how false doctrines have been sources of profit.  Many in Ephesus were making money from this business.  So many people were coming to Christ and therefore abandoning the worship and purchasing of idols that the economy of making idols was drastically reduced.  The Gospel frees people from slavery to sin and false religions.  We are called to impact the communities where we live.

 

APPLICATION: It is important for us to plan and cooperate with one another to be strategic about the advance of the Gospel and the health of the church in the nations.  Our preaching of the Gospel should result in such significant life changes that others are impacted and transformed in a way that entire communities are effected.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more

1 Timothy 2:1-7

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and   dignified in every way.    This is good, and   it is pleasing in the sight of   God our Savior,   who desires   all people to be saved and   to come to   the knowledge of the truth.    For   there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,   who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is   the testimony given   at the proper time.    For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying),   a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.   Prayer is one of the greatest privileges believers have and it should be one of our greatest priorities.  Too often our lives are more often marked by complaining about our circumstances and our political leaders than by prayers for them.  The government in Paul’s day
Read more