Acts 19:21

After these things were ended, Paul purposed in his spirit that when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, he would go to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome." So he sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus. But he himself stayed in Asia for a season.

At the same time, there arose no small stir about that way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Diana or Artemis, brought no small gain to the craftsmen. He called together the workmen of the like occupation and said, "Sirs, you know that by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover, you see and hear that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away much people, saying that there be no gods which are made with hands."

Father, we ask for your wisdom. We ask that you would guide us into all truth by your Spirit, that you would teach us all things. Lord, stir us, your people, to shine brightly in a dark world. Teach us your word, we pray. We ask in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, "Amen." You can be seated.

On June 6, 2010, I told you that we were going to take a short detour out of the book of Acts and study through the book of 1 Corinthians. It has been 19 months since we were in Acts 19. We are back. Not exactly a short detour. If you've been with us for the last several years, we have been studying through the book of Acts.

Looking at the epistles, the letters of the New Testament, in their chronological context with the book of Acts, we began this study in Acts back in November of 2008. Since that time, we've studied through the book of James, Galatians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and 1 Corinthians. Now, we're back in the book of Acts, but we will only be in Acts for about two to three weeks. After that, we will begin the book of 2 Corinthians. So, probably by the end of this month or the beginning of February, we will start our study of 2 Corinthians.

It is important to understand the context of where we are. We are currently in Acts chapter 19 because 2 Corinthians was written about six months after 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians was written around the year A.D. 57 from the city of Ephesus, which is exactly where we find Paul the Apostle here in Acts chapter 19. Paul is on his third missionary journey in the second half of this chapter, ministering in the grand city of Ephesus, where he would ultimately see a church planted and many great things happen. We even have a letter in the New Testament, the book of Ephesians, that was written back to them while Paul was imprisoned in Rome. A lot of things were happening in that city.

So far, Paul has spent the better part of his Christian experience out on the mission field. He was saved, as you may remember, in Acts chapter 9 when he was on a mission from a group of Pharisees in Jerusalem to destroy the church and tear down the body of Christ. He did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah; in fact, he wanted to destroy all those who did because he saw it as a threat to the faith he had stood for so long, the faith of Judaism. He had letters from the chief priests to go to the city of Damascus, north of Jerusalem, to find anyone who was of "the way," as they said, anyone following after the way of the gospel, and to bring them back bound to Jerusalem.

However, as he approached the city, God had different plans. He saw a great bright light, brighter than the sun, and Saul of Tarsus was knocked to the ground. He heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" He responded, "Who are you, Lord?"

And God said, "I am Jesus, whom you persecute. Isn't it hard for you to kick against the goads? Isn't it hard for you to go in the direction you're trying to go?" He was immediately converted. His conversion was not only miraculous; it was awesome. God took this once persecutor of the church, once a terrorist in the eyes of the church, and turned him into one of the greatest evangelists the world has known. Certainly, he became one of the greatest church planters the church has known.

In Paul's three missionary journeys, his first one was with Barnabas into the region of Galatia, modern-day Turkey. Then he traveled with Silas into Asia Minor and on into Europe. We see churches planted through Paul in the cities of Lystra, Derbe, Iconium, Miletus, Philippi, Corinth, Thessalonica, and Berea, all throughout the known world at that time. God was using this man to minister to people who were lost and to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ. God was doing awesome things through him.

At most of the places he visited, he was there for only a very short period of time. Many of the churches that were planted through the ministry of Paul were established in under four months. He would come into a city, as was his custom. With his Jewish background as a former Pharisee, he would go to the Jewish synagogue in that city, if there was one, and seek an opportunity to preach. Most of the time, they would give him a chance, knowing that he was from Jerusalem and that he was a Pharisee. They would say, "Brother Paul, Saul, would you come and share with us?"

He would begin to speak, and they were so stirred by his preaching that they would say, "Come back next Sabbath and share with us." So, Sabbath after Sabbath, he would do that. He would take them through the Old Covenant, through the Old Testament, showing them how the Christ would come and suffer. Then, he would hit it home one Sabbath and say, "Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified in Jerusalem and rose from the dead, is the Messiah." About that time, they would say, "Get out of here!"

He would cause quite a stir. Wherever Paul went, there was either a riot or a revival, and most of the time, there was both—a riot with some and a revival with others. The Jewish leaders of those synagogues would turn against Paul, but he would continue to seek opportunities to minister the gospel.

Until he was forced out of the city, Paul faced opposition in many places. In the city of Lystra, he was taken outside the city, and they sought to stone him to death with rocks. He was almost killed, but God, by a miracle, raised him back up.

Later, when he was in the city of Philippi, a group of people turned against him. It wasn't the Jews in the city who opposed him, as there weren't very many Jews in Philippi. Instead, those who had a trade involving a woman who was demon-possessed, and who served as their slave by telling people's fortunes, were upset. God, through Paul, delivered her from this demonic spirit, and she could no longer perform her fortune-telling. As a result, her owners lost their wealth-making system and sought to destroy Paul. They convinced the magistrates of the city to beat Paul and Silas with rods and then imprisoned them. The next day, they were forced out of the city. This pattern occurred in many places Paul visited; he was often politely requested to leave or face death.

However, during his third missionary journey to the city of Ephesus, Paul found what he called a great and effective door. We saw this at the end of 1 Corinthians just a couple of months ago. In 1 Corinthians 16:9, Paul wrote to the church at Corinth from Ephesus, expressing his desire to visit them but noting that a great and effective door had been opened to him. He recognized a huge opportunity for ministry in Ephesus and decided to stay, believing that a significant work could be accomplished there.

When I look at our community—Escondido, San Marcos, Valley Center, Rancho Bernardo, Bonsall, Fallbrook, and all the surrounding areas—I am convinced that we also have a great and effective door open to us. There is an opportunity for the gospel. Many people still do not know the gospel of Jesus Christ. They may know the name Jesus, have some knowledge about church, or even have attended church, but they do not truly understand the gospel.

However, Paul also mentioned something else in 1 Corinthians 16:9. After stating that a great door was opened to him, he added that there were many adversaries. This is interesting because, often, when we think of a great opportunity, we assume it will be easy sailing—just come in with no problems.

No opposition, no hurdles, nothing standing in the way would be an open door. However, Paul didn't think like that. A lot of times, we think if there is opposition, that's a closed door, so we just forget it. We assume God must not be in that. But no, not so. Paul says, "A great door is opened to me, and there are many adversaries." There are many things that could come against us. Just as God opens great doors, you can be certain that the enemy— and there is an enemy— will always stand in the way of what God is seeking to do.

It is so important that we recognize that there is an enemy and that we are in a spiritual battle. Paul knew this, so he wrote to the church at Ephesus in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 12. He said, "For we wrestle. We're in a battle. We're in a struggle, not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Paul knew from his many years of following after God and serving God that there is a very real spiritual battle going on.

In fact, at this very moment, there is a spiritual war going on in this place, in this sanctuary, in this community. There is a battle for souls. There is a very real enemy. The Bible describes him as the accuser of the brethren. It describes him as that great beast, as a serpent, as one who is cunning, as one who devises evil plans. He is called Lucifer, Satan, and the devil— many different names ascribed to him. But there is a spiritual battle going on.

Any time we see physical battles, obstacles, tensions, or whatever it may be in our society, I believe those are just the manifestations of a spiritual battle going on behind the scenes. God is working, and the enemy, the adversary, the devil, seeks to come against that work. Therefore, we are exhorted many times in the Bible to be vigilant, to have our eyes wide open, to walk circumspectly, and to be ready for the battle.

We are instructed to put on the helmet of salvation and the breastplate of righteousness, to wear the belt of truth, to shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, to take up the shield of faith with which we will be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one, and to wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Paul emphasizes the importance of praying always in Ephesians 6. We need to be committed to this fact.

We are at war. We need to be ready for that. We can easily be overcome in this battle because we are not vigilant, nor do we even think that there is a battle going on. One of the greatest tricks the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn't exist. As a result, we are often unaware of what is happening around us.

We are told to be ready, and we are informed in 2 Corinthians that we have weapons in this battle, but they are not carnal. They are not physical weapons. We do not fight this battle with guns, bombs, or airplanes; instead, we have weapons that are powerful in God for the tearing down of strongholds. Paul knew a great door was open, and he recognized that there were many adversaries.

One of these adversaries is described in Acts chapter 19, beginning at verse 23. At that same time, there arose no small stir about "the Way." The Way refers to how the gospel was sometimes spoken of, as Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to God but through Him. Therefore, there arose opposition against the Way. The phrase "no small stir" indicates that there was a significant disturbance occurring because of the gospel.

A certain man named Demetrius, who was a silversmith, made silver shrines or little idols of Diana, or Artemis, and brought no small gain to the craftsmen. In the city of Ephesus, there was this entrepreneur who gathered a whole bunch of craftsmen together. It seems they had a guild, if you will—a union of idol makers in Ephesus, perhaps Local 205 Idol Makers. They were becoming wealthy, making no small amount of wealth due to the temple of Diana, which was located about a mile and a half outside the city proper of Ephesus. This huge temple to Artemis, or Diana, attracted people from all over.

The known world came to Ephesus for that. It was a focal point that had been there for hundreds of years, going back all the way to the fifth century BC. For centuries, people traveled there, and some smart entrepreneurs in the area realized they could make money off this. They started crafting little images of Diana, and people would come to worship Diana there, taking home a little idol to have a piece of Ephesus, a piece of the temple, with them. These items were sanctioned by the temple and probably blessed by the priests of Diana. Worshippers would take them back to their homes in Rome, Egypt, or wherever they were from, placing them in a corner to worship this little idol, Artemis.

The worship of Diana was a very sensual practice. In fact, you could sum up Diana with the word "pornography." If you want a modern-day conception of it, that's it. If you are taken by pornography today, you are worshipping the idol Artemis and are involved in idolatry. This is what the people in Ephesus were engaged in.

Demetrius, who had made some money, gathered together craftsmen who were also profiting from this trade. In verse 25, he called together all the workmen of the same occupation. They had a union meeting, and he stood up as the union president. He said, "Sirs, you know that by this craft we have our wealth. This is how we make our money. This is where we get our health plan from. This is where we get our pension from. Everything has been going great for 500 years. We've been doing just fine, but we have a problem. Things have kind of gone down a little bit. Some of you guys are late on your dues. We're having some issues here, and we need to work on this."

He continued, "We’ve been researching what the problem is. Moreover, you see and hear that not only at Ephesus but almost throughout all Asia—would you underline that in your box? Throughout all Asia. What’s the problem?" Everyone was sitting there, wondering what they had figured out. "We had a little committee put together to figure out why our revenue has gone down. Well, we looked into it, guys. Here’s what we found: not just here in Ephesus, but all throughout Asia, we found the problem. Is there a short supply of silver? No, that’s not it. Have we been having a hard time getting the tools? No, that’s not it. This Paul..."

Has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that there are no gods made with hands. We've identified the problem: his name is Paul. Now you can see a great and effective door has opened unto me, and there are many adversaries. I've got the union mad at me. How many of you know that could be a bad thing?

So, they've identified their problem: Paul. This is phenomenal. For 500 years, the worship of Artemis has boomed for the silversmiths. It has meant great wealth for those who would capitalize upon it in the city of Ephesus. Now, a lone Jewish rabbi and Pharisee, who had converted to a sect of Judaism thought to be insignificant, called "the Way," is preaching this message about a God who came down to earth, died on a cross, and raised from the dead to save men's souls. He is teaching in a little school in the cheap part of Ephesus, the school of Tyrannus, for two years, and by his teaching, almost the entire industry is about to tank. That's awesome! Would to God that that would happen in Escondido.

In verse 27, it states that not only is our craft in danger, but we are having a real problem. We are not selling as many idols as we once were. We have a whole bunch of them in stock, and we are not selling them. Not only is our craft in danger of being set at naught for nothing, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worships. One man preaching the gospel in a little school in the cheap part of Ephesus is seeing the undoing of the entire pagan system and all that was associated with it throughout all Asia. No small stir indeed. So, would to God!

The testimony of C.C. Esco would be just this: not only our church, but the other churches that proclaim the word of God and the gospel here in our community would be said to be effectively causing a stir forever. That is what we want to accomplish here in 2012 and beyond—to enjoy God's grace. We have received the gospel of grace and aim to extend His glory into this world. We want to stir things up in our community; at least, that is my prayer. I hope that this would be a part of your prayers as well.

The gospel is powerful. It is powerful in the spiritual realm, bringing conquest over sin and death, but it is also powerful in the physical realm. Where the gospel goes, it changes lives and transforms communities. Paul knew this; he understood that the power of God was in the gospel. He said to the church at Rome in Romans 1:16, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it, the gospel, is the power of God unto salvation for all those that believe." So, I am not ashamed of it. It is powerful.

When the gospel's power was unleashed upon Wales at the beginning of the 20th century in what has since been called the Welsh Revival, the impact was profound. Have any of you heard of the Welsh Revival? Just a few of you. When the gospel's power was released upon Wales, the pubs closed, the theaters were emptied, national sports were deserted, crime dropped, drunkenness decreased, and the brothels and gambling dens were vacant. The gospel is powerful.

Now, did all of that happen because these Christians went out and picketed the gambling dens and brothels? Did it come about because they signed petitions against the pubs? No. The gospel transformed lives, and those places no longer had patrons because people's lives were completely changed. Our community, this whole area—San Diego County, Southern California, the United States of America—needs a demonstration of the gospel.

It has been said many times before that the world does not need a better or newer definition of the gospel; they need a clearer demonstration of it. That's exactly what we are hoping for when we talk about enjoying His grace and extending His glory. We enjoy the grace of the gospel, and we extend the glory of that good news to this world. We want the gospel's power to flow in our lives and release out from our lives to those around us. We want our light to shine so that people would see the good works of the gospel and glorify God who is in heaven. That's what we're hoping for. That's what we're praying for. That's why we gather together here—not so that we can seal ourselves off from the world.

The world is crazy out there. Have you seen what's happening? Oh my goodness, it's unbelievable! No, we come in here to be reminded that it's the gospel. The power of the gospel transforms everything. Take it wherever you go.

It was said that almost throughout all of Asia, this is phenomenal. What happened is that Paul came to the city of Ephesus and began to preach for about three weeks in the synagogue until a group of people didn't like what he had to say, and so they kicked him out. Right next to the synagogue, the Jewish synagogue, was a school owned by a guy named Tyrannus. Now, how would you like to have a name like Tyrannus? It sounds freaky! Tyrannus said, "You can use my school." So, Paul set up shop in this school, and every single day he taught the gospel. He preached, and people came to him. He had certain disciples that he called to himself: Timothy, Gaius, Aristarchus, and Titus. He said, "We're going to train you to be church planters just as I planted churches."

People would come from all over Asia—from Smyrna, from Laodicea, from Philadelphia—to that school. He would preach to them, their lives would be changed, and then they would go and meet with their friends to preach the gospel. It was just going out throughout all of Asia to the point that people were turning from their idol worship to the one true God, saying, "I don't need this anymore." The silversmiths in Ephesus were saying, "What are we going to do? We've got to try and infuse this whole idol thing again. We’ve never had to do this before. Paul has persuaded and turned away much people."

Now, the ministry of Paul...

He was pretty much under the radar. I mean, he was not standing out on the streets on a box preaching. He was just in the school of Tyrannus, teaching the Word of God, and the Word of God was transforming the entire community. How wonderful would it be if we started to see the effects of the gospel in our community? Imagine places like F Street Adult Bookstore closing, not because we signed petitions or picketed them, but because they had no more patrons; they were all in church.

How great would it be if the Escondido Police Department said, "You know, we're going to have to lower the budget of our vice squad because they're not doing hardly anything anymore"? The prostitution rings in our city, which are significant, were taken down because of the gospel. What if there were no need for DUI checkpoints because the power of God had so diminished drunkenness that they were no longer necessary?

That took place during the Welsh Revival in 1905. They used to arrest people in Cardiff, Wales, all the time for public drunkenness, and then all of a sudden, they no longer had public drunkenness, nor did they have anybody going to the taverns. They were all in church, being transformed by the power of the gospel. The police department recognized a 60% drop in public drunkenness in the course of one month. It's awesome—the power of God.

So, Demetrius stands up at that union meeting and says, "Well, we've identified the problem. His name is Paul." In verse 28, when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath. A great effective door has been opened unto me, and there are many adversaries. They cried out, saying, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians." Well, obviously not so great. She's having a real hard time with the gospel of Jesus Christ as preached by one little guy in a little school in the middle of Ephesus. So, great Diana is not so great.

When they heard of it, they were full of wrath. Now, when the power of the gospel is unleashed and demonstrated through the people of God, you can be sure that there will be retaliation from the enemy. Psalm 37, verse 12, King David says, "The wicked plot against the just and gnash their teeth upon him." Paul said to Timothy...

In 2 Timothy 3, verse 12, it states that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing. As we saw a few weeks ago in Matthew chapter 5, blessed are you—oh, how happy—when you are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for yours is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men shall revile and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My name's sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.

Now, we shouldn't go out and try to force persecution by being obnoxious, but we also shouldn't think it's strange when persecution comes. The Apostle Peter, in 1 Peter chapter 4, said, "Beloved church, think it not strange concerning the fire of trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing were happening unto you. But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's suffering, that when His glory shall be revealed, you may be glad with exceeding joy." So, don't think it's weird if you're persecuted. In fact, you could actually say it's strange if you're not.

Persecution rises at the same rate that the preaching of the gospel rises. To say that America has not experienced Christian persecution would also imply that the church in America has largely left the power of the gospel. You can see this in recent Christian history in America over the last 50 years. Instead, the church has decided that the way to deal with the woes of our society is to get political. We sign petitions, boycott things, picket, and let our voices be heard about what we disagree with and what we are against. There are many things we disagree with and oppose, yet we haven't just preached the gospel, which changes lives and transforms communities.

We wonder why our culture is shifting in a direction we do not want it to go. It's because we, the church, have not preached the gospel. I'm not just talking about from the pulpits; I'm talking about the church, the body of Christ, which has lost the trust that the gospel is the power of God or has become ashamed of the gospel. We see the direct results of this.

The whole city, as described in verse 29, was filled with confusion. Having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia and companions of Paul, the crowd rushed with one accord into the theater. The union meeting had gotten all riled up, and they went out into the streets looking for someone. They were trying to find Paul, but they couldn't locate him. They felt they had to get rid of Paul because he was ruining everything. Their profits had tanked, and pensions were falling. It was a mess.

As they searched, they came across a couple of Paul's traveling companions. "Hey, aren't those two guys over there? They're with that guy, right?" They quickly identified Gaius and Aristarchus and grabbed them, dragging them into the theater. Many people witnessed this commotion and wondered what was happening. Mob mentality took over; when they saw something was going on, they thought, "Oh, there's a fight! Let's go!" So, everyone started moving into the theater.

You can still visit the ruins of the theater in Ephesus, which holds well over 1,200 to 3,000 people. Who knows how many were gathered there at that moment? When Paul would have entered, someone came to him and said, "Hey, listen, Gaius and Aristarchus have just been carried into the theater by a big mob." Paul tried to go in, but the disciples urged him not to. "Hey, Paul, you can't go in there. They're going to destroy you." Certain chief men of Asia, who were Paul's friends, sent word to him, desiring that he would not venture into the theater.

The whole city was filled with confusion. Is that not a perfect statement for 21st-century Western culture? It is filled with confusion—hundreds and hundreds of different ideas, philosophies, and worldviews, all with varying opinions on how things should or should not be done. Everyone has their own idea, leading to mass confusion. Yet, the gospel brings clarity. When that clarity enters the midst of confusion, the confusion often perceives it as wrong. This world is turned upside down, and the gospel turns things right side up.

Everybody thinks, "Oh my goodness, this is falling apart." But it's actually getting better when the gospel goes forth and transforms. The city of Ephesus was set on edge by these practitioners of pagan idolatry, and they turned their attention to Gaius and Aristarchus, two of Paul's traveling companions. We are going to deal with these guys.

Paul says, "I've got to get in there." I love this about the Apostle Paul. Right here, you see the fighting spirit of the Apostle Paul. These guys aren't going to suffer because of me without me being there. I've got to get in there too. "Let me in there." In my mind, I visualize them physically restraining him, saying, "You can't go in there, Paul." He insists, "Let me at him."

All the descriptions of the Apostle Paul paint a picture of a little short guy with a big nose and a big brow, bowed legs. Honestly, every time I think of the Apostle Paul, I visualize my dad—a little short guy with bowed legs. So there's Paul, determined to get in there, wanting to come to the aid of those who were by his side. "I've got to get in there."

But then, he is withheld; he is asked not to go in there. Look at verse 31; this is just awesome. Certain of the chief of Asia, who were his friends, and certain rulers of Ephesus and that whole region of Asia said, "Paul, we're asking that you wouldn't go in there. Please don't venture into that place because it's not good." They were his friends. It doesn't say that they were believers, but they were his friends.

This clues us in a little bit to the mission that we, the church, and Paul, as a part of the church, are called to. We are called to be ambassadors of Christ, and Paul was an ambassador of Christ. What is an ambassador? It is one who lives in a region or nation, such as China, Israel, Italy, or France, in a place that is not their original home. They are there to make friends with the leaders of that place and to influence them on behalf of Christ.

Their nation of origin influences their policy and their good among that people. We are ambassadors of Christ. Although, for the most part, we are citizens of this nation, we are ultimately citizens of heaven. We have been called to be here as ambassadors to make friends and to influence those friends on behalf of our King and His kingdom.

Paul had friends among the chief of Asia, who advised him not to go in there. In verse 32, some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused. This reflects our culture. We are one nation with hundreds and thousands of different voices crying out different things, resulting in total, utter confusion. In many ways, it is no longer true to say we are one nation under God, indivisible. For some, that might be a heavy reality, but it is simply the reality. We are a divided people.

On the other hand, the church is to be that group, that gathering that is diverse but unified. There is an awesome unity within the body of Christ. Look around this room; there are many people here that you would probably never interact with apart from Jesus Christ. As Paul said to the church at Ephesus, "In Christ, there is one body." Ephesians 4:4 states, "One body and one spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all."

In Christ, we are brought together as one, even though we are distinct, different, and diverse. I remember driving with Pastor Eric probably ten years ago when we were both doing youth ministry. We were driving down the street in a suburban vehicle when he looked at me one day and said, "You know, if it wasn't for Jesus, we'd never be friends." I think there is a compliment in that. It is true. Although we, the church, are diverse individually, we are united in Christ.

We want to be a people who are simply focused on the Lord, working for His kingdom and not our own. We desire to be filled with the love of God, to love Him, to love one another, and by a supernatural love, to love those who do not know God or follow Him. This way, we can enjoy His grace and extend His glory to the uttermost parts of the world. That's who we are. That's why we're here. We're ambassadors for Christ, working on behalf of the King and His kingdom in this place. It's an awesome thing. He has called us to a beautiful place and given us many great things to enjoy here. We should eat the food, see the sights, and smell the smells.

That's what an ambassador does. If he is an ambassador to China, he eats with the Chinese people, spends time in China, and walks around the streets of Beijing. He takes in the sights and experiences those things so that he can understand the culture and find a way to influence that culture on behalf of his nation. We are here to be a part of this culture. We're in it, but not of it, and we are here to influence it for the King and His kingdom.

How do we do that? Do we get picket signs, protest, petition things, and boycott stuff? We don't see that here in this passage. In verse 33, all these people are gathered together in this theater, crying out. Everybody is shouting different things. Verse 32 says the majority did not know what they were there for. People are there, yelling, "Why are we here? I don't know!" They just scream because it's fun.

Then they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. Alexander beckoned with his hand and would have made a defense to the people. Picture this: thousands of people screaming and yelling, and nobody knows what's going on. There’s the Smith's Guild down there, unhappy about something, and a group of Jews nearby. Suddenly, one of the Jews, Alexander, steps up in front of everybody, and the crowd quiets down. Hush! Everyone is waiting to hear what he is going to say.

But when they knew that he was a Jew, verse 34 tells us that all with one voice, for about two hours, cried, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" You see, the Jews were a cultural minority wherever they went. They were a people...

They were looked down upon. They were seen as separate from the culture of that place because they spoke another language, worshipped a different God, and stayed in their own little group. They very seldom went out into the culture because they saw the culture as against them and them against the culture. They wanted nothing to do with it. If you wanted to know about them, you had to come to them. That was their view. As a result, they were looked down upon by the people they were amidst.

When the people, mostly Ephesians and pagan worshippers of Diana, saw someone who was a Jew, they would react. They would shout, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" This would start a commotion throughout the whole place. Have you ever been in a stadium where everyone is united in voice? If you go to a packed stadium, like Qualcomm, you might not see it much, but when it’s filled, you have a mixed multitude. Some people are cheering for the Chargers, while others are supporting different teams. Most of the time, the crowd is rallying behind the Chargers, but one of the only things that unites them is the wave.

Imagine being in a big place where the wave starts and goes around, and everyone is excited. The wave might last for five to seven minutes. Now, could you imagine that going on for two hours? The crowd would be shouting, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" for the entire time. They were all united under that little banner for a while.

Alexander stood up, and everyone quieted down, but then they all got loud again. It was a comical picture. For two hours, they cried, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" This actually reminds me more of a European soccer match. If you've ever been to a soccer match in Europe, it's amazing—constant yelling for 90 minutes.

When the town clerk, in verse 35, had appeased the people, the politician stepped forward. This guy was a great politician. The way that Ephesus and many of these ancient cities worked was that they were under the umbrella authority of the Roman Empire. Rome generally allowed...

These cities were allowed to have an autonomous government as long as they didn't cause any trouble. However, as soon as they did, the Romans would send in their soldiers to take over the rulership of the city. This is why Judea always had Roman soldiers present; they would never submit to the Roman occupation or the Roman government over them. They were constantly fighting against it, calling for another legion to be sent in. It was considered one of the worst assignments to be tasked with the governorship of Judea, which is why none of the governors lasted very long. Pontius Pilate, for example, was there for a very short time. They could never maintain order.

Finally, in 70 AD, the Romans destroyed the temple, but the fighting against Roman occupation continued until 120 AD with the Bar Kokhba revolt. Ultimately, the Romans came in and stamped it out, changing the names of everything on the maps. From that point on, the region was considered Philistine country or Palestine.

In contrast, Ephesus had an autonomous government under Roman rule, and everything was fine as long as no problems arose. The town clerk acted as the liaison between the Roman government and the Ephesian government. He stood up to appease the people and said, "You men of Ephesus, what man is there that knows not how the city of Ephesus is a worshiper of the great goddess Diana and of the image that fell down from Jupiter? We all know this. Yes, Diana's great."

He continued, "Calm down. We all know Diana's great. We know her image fell down from heaven, down from Jupiter. Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, there is no contest about this. Everybody knows this is the truth. No one can refute it. You ought to be quiet. Just calm down and do nothing rashly, because this could get out of hand."

He pointed out that the men brought before them were neither robbers of churches, sacrilegious, nor blasphemers of their goddess. They hadn't done anything wrong. This politician recognized that Gaius and Aristarchus had no charges against them. Therefore, he addressed Demetrius and the craftsmen with him, stating that if they had a matter against any man, the law was open, and there were deputies available to handle the situation. Let them implead one another if there was a problem.

We've got courts for this. If you need to take this to the law, if they've done something wrong, let's deal with it in the proper channel. However, if you inquire about anything concerning other matters, it shall be determined in lawful assembly. So let's do this the right way.

Why? Here's the politician. We are in danger of being called into question this day because of the uproar. There is no cause whereby we may give an account for this concourse. He says, if Rome catches wind of this and they come down here and ask, "What are you doing? You can't keep things together in your own law courts, and these guys have done nothing," we are going to have a problem. Everyone is thinking, "Oh yeah, I didn't think about that." When he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly. What a good politician! He appeased the people, got them to calm down, and dismissed the assembly.

Focus again on verse 37. You have brought here these men who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of your goddess. Gaius, Aristarchus, Timothy, Erastus—we are going to meet Sopater, Secundus, Tychicus, and Trophimus in the next chapter. All these men, and perhaps many more, were with Paul in the city of Ephesus as he was there for two years teaching in the school of Tyrannus. During this time, many others from all around Asia, from Macedonia, Achaia, and Greece, came to learn at the feet of Paul as he taught in the school of Tyrannus.

Two of these men, Gaius and Aristarchus, are brought before this gathering to be tried for doing something wrong, but no one really knows exactly what they've done wrong. They have just been in the company of this guy Paul, who apparently is the instigator of this whole problem. When the town clerk stands up, he says, "In reality, these guys haven't done anything wrong, nothing worthy of this great riot or your wrath. They have lived a fairly quiet and peaceable life in this city filled with pagan idolatry and all kinds of occultic and wicked practices."

About their business as ambassadors for Christ, they were learning, teaching, and preaching the gospel. They never set up a committee to plan a protest against the worship of Diana. They never planned a mass boycott of the idol trade. They never leafleted the city against all the occultic practices. They never pushed for the abolition of the immoral practices at the temple. They just preached the gospel. Apart from simply living a gospel-rich life, they had no organized mission to change the city, and yet they changed the city. This is what I would call a ministry of subversion.

We are ambassadors of Christ. We are in this world, but we are not of it. Just as the American ambassador to China or to France is there on behalf of his nation to make friends and influence the influential people of that nation, we are here to influence people on behalf of the King and His kingdom. We make friends on behalf of our King, our friend, the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why God has placed us here in Escondido, in San Marcos, in Valley Center, in Rancho Bernardo, and wherever the Lord has placed you.

In your workplace, in a corporate environment, on a construction site, at your school—whether you are in high school or in college—wherever you may be, God has placed you there. On that basketball team, on that softball team, in that Starbucks, He has placed you there to make friends and influence them on behalf of the King and His kingdom.

During wartime, many ambassadors hold jobs in other nations. For example, during the Second World War, we had an ambassador to Germany who worked subversively. We are in a spiritual battle, and we work in this world through a ministry of subversion. Subversion means to undermine the power and authority.

of an established system or institution. Now, when I use the word "subversion" and talk about it in this context, I'm not talking about subverting the United States of America. I'm talking about subverting the kingdom of the enemy, our adversary, the devil.

How do we do that? Well, Paul says in Acts 26, verse 18, speaking about the gospel, that we are here to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

How do we subvert? Do we subvert by protesting F Street adult bookstore or by boycotting all those things that we disagree with? You can do that if you'd like, but it's fairly ineffective. The best way to be subversive is to preach the gospel and to live the gospel. The gospel is subversive to the work of the enemy. It snatches people out of darkness and brings them into light. It turns them from the power of Satan to the power of God. It deals with all their sins and failings by forgiveness and by sanctification, transforming them. This is subversion at its finest: preaching the gospel.

I suggest to you that one of the reasons we have seen a turn, if you will, and a continual rolling towards wickedness in our own culture is that the evangelical church has lost the evangelical and forgotten that the gospel is the power of God. Or maybe not even forgotten, just become ashamed of the fact that, yes, we are narrow-minded. Yes, there is only one way. Yes, Jesus died on a cross for our sins. He atones for us and gives us salvation.

Have we lost confidence in the gospel? To lose confidence in the gospel is to lose faith in Christ. God has placed us here. He's blessed us with great blessings. Why do we have everything that we have and live in this wonderful place? He's placed us here to enjoy His grace and to extend His glory, to be subversive, to preach the gospel. Oh, let it never be said.

The evangelical church in America in the early 21st century lost faith in the gospel. Let's stand and pray.

Father, we do pray that You would strengthen our faith and strengthen our determination to carry the glorious good news of Your grace to those who are living a joyless life and a graceless existence. Lord, cause us to shine brightly in the darkness of this world. Let our light so shine that this world would see our good works and honor and glorify You, our Father in Heaven. Work this out in us, Your church, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.