ACTS of the Apostles, Part 2

Monday, September 12

ACTS of the Apostles, Part 2

Learning How to be Daring and Dynamic

Read Acts 19:21-41

Focus Verses: Acts 19:28-29

When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 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.

The passage today is set in Ephesus, a city who worshipped the “great goddess Artemis”. Demetrius was a silversmith who sold little silver shrines of this goddess and was aggravated by Paul’s teaching. His reason for such aggravation was greed: Paul’s teaching was a direct threat to the idol makers’ profits. Demetrius gathered together workmen of similar trade and convinced them that if Paul and his companions continued to teach “that gods made with hands are not gods” then he was going to put them all out of business. Furthermore, he (Demetrius) encouraged them to hide their greed behind a mask of patriotism and religious loyalty. A loud and large riot took place and the rioters could not see their selfish motives for the rioting. They saw themselves as heroes for the sake of their land and beliefs.

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). This seems to fit well in the scenario. The idol makers weren't concerned about anything other than their own jobs and income. All the while, Paul was doing nothing threatening other than teaching the truth daily and sending out his converts to witness to the lost in the city. The more people that were converted, the fewer customers for the silversmiths.

What can we take from this passage to apply to our lives today? A personal question to ponder from these verses might be: How often do I hold onto my own “little silver trinkets” rather than the one true God? If I’m honest here, I know can easily slip into behavior of self seeking or doing what I want rather than what I know the Lord’s will for me is. Our trinkets may be more subtle, personal, and not so obvious to others but we know they are there. Let’s do some quiet reflection today on the things that take our focus away from the Lord and ask him to help us re-center on the beautiful gift we have in Him.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for this passage today. Help us to see ourselves as who we are- sinners like these silver smiths. We are no better or worse, we are human and sometimes just want our way. Please turn our heads towards you. It’s funny that the most beautiful and magnificent thing at our finger tips is YOU yet we can quickly run towards something we think gives us more. Forgive us, Father for our short sightedness and give us hearts that want to seek you. Amen