Title: Persecution/Acts 19:21-41
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Text: Acts 19:21-41 Title: Persecution at Ephesus on Acts 54
Date:19970611 Location: Jugok Church
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Paul's 3rd missionary journey accomplished an amazing work.
There was a thorough study of the Word, there was a wonderful miracle of God, and there was the preaching of the gospel, and as a result, the work of the Lord's Word flourished.
Today, we would like to share the grace of the persecution in Ephesus.
1. Paul's missionary vision (21-22)
After achieving the amazing growth of the church in Ephesus, Paul did not settle there and continued to find other work. Paul was a disciple who was faithful only for the glory of the Lord. There is no satisfaction or cessation for him. I was only a servant of the Lord who went forward with a missionary vision for the glory of the Lord.
The missionary vision is really important. Because this is what the Lord requires of us, and the vision guides his life. He said that people without a vision will perish. Therefore, I hope that you will become a member who has a missionary vision and a spiritual vision.
① Hope for Jerusalem (Vision of Love)
Paul was zealous for evangelism to the Gentiles. Paul's zeal was unbearable for the Jewish Zealots. So the Jewish Zealots wanted to kill Paul. It would be dangerous for Paul to go to Jerusalem, the den of such Jewish Zealots. No matter what dangers might come, they planned to go to the place where God was sending them. Just as Jesus went to Jerusalem knowing that He was dying on the cross, Paul did not hesitate to go even though he knew the dangers of Jerusalem. If it is the path that God wants, it is the life of a believer that we must go even if there is the path of suffering, the way of the cross, and betrayal and suffering. So Paul had plans to go to Jerusalem. This is obedience to God, and the vision of brotherly love guides him.
At that time, Palestine was suffering from famine. So Paul went to Macedonia and Achaia to collect the yearbooks to help the Jerusalem church suffering from famine. This kind of effort is to break down the wall between Gentiles and Jews, and to accomplish God's will of brotherly love.
Example) George Mueller, who had a vision of orphan love
Schweitzer with a vision of love for the indigenous peoples of Africa
② Hope for Rome (Vision of Evangelism)
After visiting Jerusalem, Paul even made plans to go to Rome. Paul wanted to go to Rome to get financial support from the Roman Church. But there is a deeper meaning than that. Above all, they wanted to use Rome as an outpost to evangelize Europe, where the gospel had not yet been preached. Because Rome was considered the center of the world at that time, it prospered a lot, and there were many people living there, so it was thought that the missionary effect would be great. In particular, Paul did not go to places where other evangelists preached the gospel. So it's no wonder he turned to Europe.
Acts 1:8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The vision of evangelism led him to go to Rome. To evangelize the center of the world means to spread the gospel as a whole.
Paul's vision of evangelism consists of visiting Rome as a prisoner in Acts 28:16 and preaching the gospel.
Ex) The secret of the growth of the Korean church today
This is because there is a vision of evangelism and missions.
The vision of world missions, the vision of the missionary church
③ Paul's co-workers
Paul was very greedy for work. But he didn't work alone. He raised and trusted his disciples and entrusted them with work. So Timothy and Erastus were sent to Macedonia by Paul.
To achieve the vision, we need co-workers toward the vision. Paul raised such co-workers and worked with them to achieve his vision.
④ Following the work of the Holy Spirit
Management - decided in the Holy Spirit.
It is saying that Paul's vision of love and evangelism was determined by the direction of the Holy Spirit.
Our dreams and visions must not come from our heads, but must be guided by the Holy Spirit. It should be the vision that is given to you while you are praying. It should be a vision based on the Word.
2. Persecution in Ephesus (23-41)
When Paul was about to leave Ephesus with a vision of Jerusalem and Rome, there was a commotion in Ephesus because of the gospel. The gospel causes commotion everywhere. This is not a problem with the gospel itself, but because the power of Satan who opposes the gospel always and everywhere interferes with the gospel. The word was prosperous in Ephesus, but Satan, who hated it, started to interfere.
① The beginning of the cause - material reasons
Artemis, the goddess of Ephesus, was the mother goddess of fertility in the Near East. At that time, people thought that this statue of Artemis came down from heaven. This statue was in the form of a woman with multiple (12) breasts. Perhaps this statue was originally a meteorite, but it is said that it was the object of worship because it looked like a woman with many breasts. And the Temple of Artemis was located about 2.4 km northeast of Ephesus, and it was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, measuring 120m and 60m in width and length, respectively. So, many travelers at that time flocked from all over the country to visit this temple.
Around the temple, there were vendors selling food and accommodation for travelers, as well as selling offerings and souvenirs. The most lucrative of these was making and selling Artemis' cloakrooms, or imitations, to travelers, which were handled by people like Demetrius. This is because most people used these fake hideaways as souvenirs, vows offerings, or self-defense. It was used as a talisman.
However, through the preaching of the gospel of the apostle Paul, many people, even magicians, were converted. Naturally, the evil custom of idolatry was gradually abolished, and the income of silversmiths (silversmiths) decreased. Their livelihoods were disrupted.
The reason for the persecution is that, first, it is not about business, and it is about practical profit, and second, it is about the honor of being treated as a lowly occupation by people.
② The origin of the cause - religious reasons
Another thing that the silversmith Demetrius incited the Ephesians to do was their religious pride in the goddess Artemis. In Ephesus, the goddess Artemis and her temple were symbols of Ephesus. But Paul clearly taught them the folly of idols, as he said to them, “There are no gods made with human hands.” Their religious pride is being reduced to idolatry. It did not fall into idolatry, but the truth was revealed. And as a result, the temple of Artemis and the work for him were neglected and neglected.
That is why he caused a commotion to prevent Paul from preaching and to arouse interest in the goddess Artemis.
The gospel is power.
Persecution for the Gospel
③ The commotion in the theater ((28-29)
Demetrius' uproar instantly sparked public outrage against the gospel of Christ. And they turned into praise for the goddess they believed in, and began to sing, 'Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!' Such public choirs were a common practice during Artemis festivals.
And they were not to let those who blasphemed the goddess they believed in and undermined her dignity. Excited, they raided the residence of the evangelists, kidnapped Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's co-workers, and dragged them to the theater. This was for a civil trial. It seems that Paul was not arrested at this time because Paul was not with him.
Jesus told his disciples that they would be hated by the world and suffered (John 16:33). The passion of the evangelist is like the medal that he is a true Christian servant.
④ Paul’s courage (30-31)
When Paul heard that his loved ones had been taken into the theater, he could not let them go. So Paul went into the theater and tried to save his companions. However, the disciples persuaded them and the officials in Asia prevented them from entering.
Paul's courage to jump into the theater was his love to save his fellow men from the crowd, and a zeal to share the gospel with them. You can see the courage and loyalty of Paul who did not spare even his life for the sake of the gospel.
⑤ Problem solving (32-41)
Personality of the Gathered Crowd (32) - The crowd gathered in the theater is utter chaos. The words of the people gathered were different, and I didn't even know what was the cause of the gathering. They were gathered only by some kind of anger, but they did not know what the cause was, who it was directed to, and what the content was. It was gathered out of curiosity by crowd psychology.
Alexander's Appearance (33-34) - Alexander was a Jew and came to stand among the crowd. Alexander was founded so that Jews could assert that they were different from Christians. But to the Artemis worshipers, they were bound to look like Jews and Christians. But no one would listen to the Jews' excuses. It shows how powerless the position of the Jews was in society at that time.
Solving the chief's problem (35-41)
In the end, he was the chief clerk of the parliament, elected through the free city council, and the chief administrative manager came forward to solve the problem.
(1) Not everyone can deny that Ephesus is the guardian of the temple and deities of Artemis. Therefore, the worship of Artemis is not in danger. (35-36)
(2) These men (Gaius and Aristarchus) neither defiled the sacred (plundering the temple) nor blasphemed (the goddess).(37)
⑶ Demetrius and his associates are well acquainted with the legal process (38-39). If they are personally dissatisfied, they must file a lawsuit before the provincial governor.
⑷ The citizens of Ephesus themselves were in danger of being rebuked for rioting. (40)
In the end, all issues were resolved through mediation by the secretary.
This commotion in Ephesus was eventually resolved without any trouble.
That is how the power of the gospel, the power of the church, has matured.
This is not to say that the church is large, but that it has spiritual power.
The power to overcome persecution is spiritual power.
The strength of the church and the saints lies in the spiritual strength, the spiritual power.