23 About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. 25 These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 26 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. 27 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.”
28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 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. 30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs,1 who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?236 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you seek anything further,3 it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40 For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” 41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
Footnotes
[1]19:31That is, high-ranking officers of the province of Asia [2]19:35The meaning of the Greek is uncertain [3]19:39Some manuscripts seek about other matters
23 About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. 25 These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 26 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. 27 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.”
28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 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. 30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs,1 who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?236 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you seek anything further,3 it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40 For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” 41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
Footnotes
[1]19:31That is, high-ranking officers of the province of Asia [2]19:35The meaning of the Greek is uncertain [3]19:39Some manuscripts seek about other matters
Redeemer exists to celebrate and declare the gospel of God as we grow in knowing and following Jesus Christ.
Jeffrey Heine:
Good morning. Good morning. We're gonna be continuing our study in the book of Acts. Acts chapter 19 is where we find ourselves today. It's the story of the riot at Ephesus.
Jeffrey Heine:
We're gonna spend the bulk of our time actually going through that story, if you wanna turn to it, if you wanna find it in your worship guide. To begin, I would like for us to root ourselves actually in some words that the apostle Paul will later write to these Ephesian Christians. It's actually a passage that, Matt read last week as we were looking at acts chapter 18. But it's a place for us to root ourselves and ground ourselves in the truth of the gospel as we consider the events that happened in Ephesus. And so I'm gonna be reading, to begin with, from Ephesians chapter 2 beginning with verse 1.
Jeffrey Heine:
So let us listen carefully for this is God's word. And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived, and the passions of our flesh carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved, and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith.
Jeffrey Heine:
And this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. This is the word of the Lord. Let's pray.
Jeffrey Heine:
O God, you know us. You know our hearts. You know our thoughts. You know our every need. And so as we come to your word, we we know that you know what we need.
Jeffrey Heine:
You know what we need to hear, and You know what we need to hear from you in this time. And so, Spirit, we ask that you would open our hearts and our ears to hear you, that you would give our minds understanding, that you would give us the strength to respond to you with all that we are. So speak, Lord, for your servants are listening. We pray these things in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Jeffrey Heine:
In Acts chapter 19, in the story of the riot at Ephesus, Our passage today, the Apostle Paul does not have a speaking part. The gospel is not declared. No one comes to faith. No one is baptized. Actually, no Christians talk at all.
Jeffrey Heine:
And in fact, Jesus is not even mentioned once. And ultimately, this whole scene does little, if anything, to advance the bigger story of the book of Acts in any significant way. So, what was so significant in this scene that Luke would write it down for us and that God would preserve it for his church all the way up until today for you to hear it. Over the past 18 chapters of Luke's book of Acts, we read of men and women being commissioned by Jesus on a gospel mission, a mission to declare the good news of Jesus' life, his death, his resurrection, and the coming of his kingdom. And here in Acts chapter 19, we're given a window into the cultural consequences of this gospel movement going forth.
Jeffrey Heine:
We've read of the conversions, we've read of persecution, but here we get a window into the consequences of people believing the good news about Jesus and how that belief played into their living, the effects, the economic, cultural and religious aspects of everyday life. Here in Acts 19, we will see the consequences of grace. So as we take our time examining this story and enter in and get a sense of the situation and the context. And we see how God's grace often leads to disruption and how that's not always a bad thing. Along the way, I want us to think about our own lives, not just what you believe, but how those beliefs show up in your life and affect the things affect the people around you, those who are Christians and those who are not.
Jeffrey Heine:
Ultimately, I want us to be asking one big question of ourselves today. A question that we would hold in our minds as we make our way through this story. And the question is this, what are the consequences of God's grace in your life? What are the consequences of grace? Because if God is transforming you by his grace, and everyone who turns and trusts in Christ alone for their salvation and their redemption, God is transforming you by his grace, then there should be noticeable consequences inside and outside of ourselves.
Jeffrey Heine:
And because of those consequences, we should consider who around us, what around us, is having to reckon with the work of God in our lives. We should consider how the grace of God in our lives is compelling the people around us to have to deal with this Jesus that we follow. So what are the consequences of God's grace in your life? Well, the whole uproar in Ephesus began with a silversmith named Demetrius. Look with me, Acts 19 verse 23.
Jeffrey Heine:
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 craftsman. The EC 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 she may even be deposed from her magnificence.
Jeffrey Heine:
She whom all Asia and the world worship. You see, Demetrius made shrines. In particular, he made shrines of a Greek goddess and her temple. And the temple was the greatest and largest building in Ephesus. The structure was known as the Temple of Artemis.
Jeffrey Heine:
You might recognize that name. Artemis was a goddess of Greek mythology. She was the twin sister of Apollo, the daughter of Zeus, the mighty ruler of the gods and goddesses. Artemis was also known by her Roman goddess name, Diana, and she was known as the Lady of Ephesus. Legend had it that a stone had fallen from the heavens, likely a a meteor, and the stone represented favor on Ephesus.
Jeffrey Heine:
And that's why this massive temple was built, to worship and honor Artemis. Artemis, like many of the gods and goddesses of Greek and Roman mythology, was the victim of syncretism, which today we would kind of call cultural re appropriation. Varying religious views and beliefs and practices would be borrowed and picked up, blended together. And this shorthand version, really, a picture for you, would be the bumper sticker, the blue bumper sticker that says, Coexist with the different religious symbols all there together, Conflicting and contradictory beliefs all held together. And this happened over time with the blending of some of the Greek and Roman mythologies, even those that were outright contradictory.
Jeffrey Heine:
For example, Artemis was the goddess of fertility and life, and at the same time, hunting and death. Sure. So Demetrius makes little figures of the Temple of Artemis. He supplies shrines for tourists, those who would like a souvenir to take back home, to incorporate into their worship of the gods and goddesses. It's like those little tourist stands in Washington DC where you can buy a little figurine of the White House or the Washington Monument.
Jeffrey Heine:
And Demetrius does very well in his trade. Luke suggests that he makes a lot of money with these shrines, and so do the other silversmiths and tradesmen with these figures and idols. But there was a new threat to their lucrative business. A serious change had been making its way through Ephesus, and it was dangerous, very dangerous. A silversmith named Demetrius realizes that this needs to be addressed immediately.
Jeffrey Heine:
So he calls together an emergency meeting of silversmith and tradesmen and explains to them this threat. He says, this Paul this Paul is telling people that gods made by hands aren't real gods. This Paul is telling people these things and they're listening to him. They're listening to him and they're turning away from the gods and goddesses of our fathers and our forefathers. Everything in our culture is under attack.
Jeffrey Heine:
We're going to lose our money. We're going to lose our national pride, our history, our way of life, our standing in the world. It's all under threat. And these people are listening to Paul. Demetrius cites these different threats, and and they kind of can break down into 3 categories of threats, 3 fears.
Jeffrey Heine:
And the first fear that Demetrius cites is economic. He's saying that if Paul keeps preaching the gospel and people keep believing it, then we will lose our livelihood and even become outcasts for our profession. Our shrines and our idols will be considered useless, and disgrace will come upon our vocation. The second fear that Demetrius cites is cultural. He says, if people turn away from the gods and goddesses, our city's greatest treasure, the temple to Artemis, It will be considered nothing, and disgrace will come to our city.
Jeffrey Heine:
The third fear. The third fear that Demetrius cites is religious. Here he is saying, if people don't want idols and if no one worships at the temple, then our goddess Artemis might be deposed from her place of honor and majesty. She will be considered worthless and disgrace will come to our goddess. And as soon as these threats are outlined for the silversmiths, They become enraged, and they take to the streets as an angry mob.
Jeffrey Heine:
Now I'm not sure if Demetrius expected things to escalate so quickly. I know the last time that you were in a meeting, especially one like a business meeting, and then at the end of it, you just charged into the streets chanting. It doesn't happen all that often, and I would imagine that Demetrius is taken aback. But they are defiant against this new threat. This man, Paul, and all of those like him, these Christians, they will not threaten our profession.
Jeffrey Heine:
They will not threaten our culture. They will not threaten our religion. These Christians and their message, they will not threaten our way of life. And so this crowd of silversmiths make their way into the streets. Look with me at verse 28.
Jeffrey Heine:
And when they heard these things, they were enraged. And they were crying out, 'Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!' And the city was filled with confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with him Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, who were Paul's companions in travel. Paul wanted to go into the crowd. Of course he did. Maybe it was to rescue or protect his friends.
Jeffrey Heine:
Maybe it was to try and calm down the crowd, to reason with them, but no one would agree to let him go. All of these different voices, friends, advisors, they they all said, don't go. And the confusion continued. Verse 32. Some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.
Jeffrey Heine:
You see, the crowd is growing in size. More and more join into the chant and the procession. They arrive at a theater, a giant stadium that, as history unfolds and and it's built up more and more, it will eventually hold 24,000 people. But the crowd grows, and the people shout. And most, Luke records, most don't even know what's going on.
Jeffrey Heine:
And that's one of my favorite details that Luke includes. It's such a small detail, but it's so human. People just see the crowd and they start joining in, and they don't know why, but they're gonna start chanting. I just imagine Brick Tamlin shouting loud noises. Now, it appears that some concern started to grow within the Jewish population, the Jewish population there in Ephesus, that this mob could become so angry at these Christians who do not worship Artemis that they will turn their attention to the Jews and might start to attack them because they also reject Artemis.
Jeffrey Heine:
But this problem that's going on right now is coming from the Christians, and so they put forward a man named Alexander, verse 33. Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. But when they recognized that he was a Jew for about 2 hours, they all cried out with one voice, great is Artemis of the Ephesians. Another great detail from Luke.
Jeffrey Heine:
It wasn't exactly 2 hours, but it was about 2 hours. They keep shouting down anyone who comes up to address the crowd, shouting down with this anger. Great is Artemis of the Ephesians. The chaos continues. The crowd gets larger and larger, and they're they're becoming violent.
Jeffrey Heine:
As you recall, they already were dragging with them 2 of Paul's companions. The riot is at a tipping point. And then the town clerk, the highest civil official in Ephesus, takes the stage. The clerk would have had just as much at stake, probably even more at stake than the silversmiths and the craftsmen, in the continued success of the temple to Artemis. And so as both a ranking official and someone exceptionally devoted to the goddess Artemis, the crowd quiets to hear him speak.
Jeffrey Heine:
Look at the latter part of verse 35. Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky. Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. If therefore Demetrius and the craftsman with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open and there are pro councils.
Jeffrey Heine:
Let them bring charges against one another. But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion. Let's briefly break down the speech. The clerk is saying first, because the greatness of Artemis cannot be denied, it is known by all, then we don't have to act foolishly.
Jeffrey Heine:
Secondly, these Christians have not set out to destroy the temple, and they're not speaking blasphemy against Artemis. 3rd, if you have a charge about the economic impact of these Christians, you can take them to court. And 4th, the real illegal activity is this mob, and we run the risk of punishment for gathering without cause. And with these words from the town clerk, the crowd went home. I'm sure more than just a few still wondering what the riot was all for to begin with.
Jeffrey Heine:
So do you remember the question? What are the consequences of grace? In Acts 19, we get a glimpse of how the non believing world was trying to navigate the effects of these new faithful Christians who are living with conviction and commitment to Jesus. So take careful note that these Christians were not taking on the powers that be, nor were they trying to change their city by bringing down Artemis and the whole pagan system of worship. They were simply living out the consequences of God's grace in their lives, in their context of a regular place, the situations of life.
Jeffrey Heine:
That living, that faithful presence was disruptive. Keep in mind, they weren't aiming to be disruptive. We know that because of how the town clerk stood up for them, saying that they weren't being sacrilegious or blasphemers. They were following Jesus, and that was disruptive. The world around them had to deal with men and women who are dedicated not to disrupting the status quo, They were dedicated to following Jesus.
Jeffrey Heine:
That's different, and that difference matters. There's so much that we can learn from this fallout in Ephesus, a lot that we can discern from these differing responses of the silversmith and the town clerk. Setting out to be disruptive begins with the aim of being anti, being against something. But for these Ephesian Christians, their ultimate aim was not to be anti Artemis and her temple. Rather, they were pro Jesus and his kingdom.
Jeffrey Heine:
And that might seem like the same thing, because some actions could certainly be the same actions, but they were different in their motivation and in their aim. And we need to understand that difference. You know, it's widely believed that there isn't anything more unifying than a common enemy, but only being against something means you have few reasons to keep fighting against. That which is born of hate dies out. And in our outrage culture, it doesn't take us long to move on to the next thing or person or people to hate.
Jeffrey Heine:
But that what that which is born out of love, that which is born of the spirit, that is enduring. That is eternal. The passion for Jesus to be known and worshipped forever requires a love that is born of the Spirit. And it's more than merely against. It's fully and decisively for someone.
Jeffrey Heine:
The silversmith could only perceive that the disciples were against Artemis. But the town clerk realized that something more was going on, because he knew that these new Christians weren't blaspheming the goddess or conspiring against the temple. But what neither of them seemed to grasp was that these Christians were acting this way because they were now for something greater. They were being transformed by the grace of this greater God. Spirit was transforming them.
Jeffrey Heine:
And there are 3 particular areas of transformation that we can see that are causing this disruption in Ephesus. As you recall, Demetrius outlined 3 threats. We put those in the categories of economic, cultural, and religious threats. And I think that what Demetrius was observing here was the result of God's transformative work in the lives of these new Christians. Each one of those threats that Demetrius saw and warned about are connected to the real ways that God was changing these people.
Jeffrey Heine:
Demetrius wasn't wrong. These were real threats because these were real changes. I'd like us to look at those 3 and and see how those transformations connect to what Demetrius was so fearful of. So three changes, three consequences of grace. The spirit was transforming these new Christians in their worldview, in their desires, and in their witness.
Jeffrey Heine:
As God changed their worldview, it threatened the culture of Ephesus. As God changed their desires, it threatened the economy of Ephesus. And as God changed their witness, it threatened the religion of Ephesus. So first, let's consider the worldview. A worldview is how we see and understand the world around us.
Jeffrey Heine:
And the Ephesian Christians would have been raised practicing pagan idol worship, worship that consumed their culture. And their worldview was to please the gods and goddesses, to coerce them into favor, to coerce them into lending their aid. They would have been trained to see bad events and circumstances as the result of angering the gods and the goddesses. And anything good that happened, any good fortune, was because the gods were smiling on them. And it was a constant fear of angering the gods and suffering the consequences.
Jeffrey Heine:
Since hearing the gospel of Jesus, the Ephesian disciples no longer saw the world that way. The way they looked at the world, the way that they understood their culture, was all being changed by God's grace. The grace of Jesus came and recalibrated the way these Ephesians saw everything. It wasn't that they were simply anti Artemis and trying to take her significance away. It was that they didn't think that she was significant anymore.
Jeffrey Heine:
It wasn't that they were trying to rob Artemis of her glory. It's that they didn't think that she was glorious. Helen LaMel was an English Methodist poet. About a 100 years ago, she wrote a hymn that you've probably sung before, turn your eyes upon Jesus. It was one of my favorite hymns, hymn number 198 in the Baptist hymnal.
Jeffrey Heine:
I still recall that because I was looking at that open hymnal that my father had when I had that overwhelming desire to walk down front to pray with one of the pastors about following Jesus. She writes this in the refrain, Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. Because of the light of God's glory and grace, because of what you see when you look at Jesus, when you turn your eyes to him, what in your life is growing strangely dim? What things you used to see as so significant now are strangely dim, strangely less important.
Jeffrey Heine:
How does your work, your home, your time, your money, your stress reflect what you see when you look at Jesus? Maybe it's helpful to ask it this way, what in your life should be growing strangely dim And why isn't it? There are things in your life that should be growing strangely dim, becoming strangely less significant, less important, less demanding, less consuming, less attention consuming, less financially consuming, but are you letting go? Surrender often feels like that. Surrender often feels like letting go, and letting go is not easy.
Jeffrey Heine:
Imagine the new Ephesian Christian putting the idol that they had prayed to their whole life onto the trash heap. Surely, part of their minds and their hearts was still wondering if it was the right thing to do. Part of their mind thinking, can we do what we always do, or we just incorporate another god into this, and I can worship Jesus along with these other gods and kind of keep it quiet? Imagine some who, like the silversmith, earned their money off of this pagan worship. Imagine them losing their jobs, quitting their jobs, walking away, losing friends, family, losing a place to stay, trying to find a new way to live and to survive, that was surrender.
Jeffrey Heine:
That was letting go. That was the consequence of grace when the things of earth began to grow strangely dim. Because in Christ, they were given a new way to see. The spirit is changing the way these disciples saw the world, and the world around them was having to experience the consequences of that grace in action because this was not just a private transformation. The transformation of what they saw impacted what they wanted, which leads us to that second consequence, the transformation of desire, the change of what is wanted.
Jeffrey Heine:
The tipping point for the riot in Ephesus was that a growing number of Christians stopped caring about idols. They simply didn't buy the silver trinkets anymore. Their desires were no longer rooted in the fears of the goddess' wrath. No. Their desires were transformed to pursue the God who declared his steadfast love through the sending of his son as the rescuer from wrath.
Jeffrey Heine:
They desire to worship a God who was not making conditions for a relationship, but rather established covenant promises in his own blood. They desired to worship a God that did not demand sacrifices, but came in the form of a servant to be led like a lamb to the slaughter, to be the final and perfect sacrifice and bring everlasting peace. They wanted to be in a relationship with a God where they did not have to guess if he was happy or angry today, but they could look at the cross of Jesus and know that God's justice and wrath, they were satisfied forever. The desires, what they wanted, what they longed for, what they delighted in, God was transforming it all by his all surpassing grace. Jesus was transforming what they saw and what they wanted, which leads to that third consequence of grace for us to consider this morning, transformation of witness, a change in action.
Jeffrey Heine:
These Ephesian Christians had to contend with the idols and the culture of their time. And what Acts 19 shows us is that their simple choices of being unashamedly pro Jesus had substantial social impact. Through the spirit, by his grace, God was transforming how they saw the world, what their hearts desired, and how they would live out this real faith bearing witness to the Jesus who saved them. As we began our time in Ephesians chapter 2, Paul wrote to those Ephesians about how they were created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that they should walk in them. They are walking in those good works that God prepared for them.
Jeffrey Heine:
Every day, wherever you live, wherever you work, wherever you interact, you are given the opportunity to walk in the good works which God has prepared for you. So you might display what he is doing in transforming you by his grace. I know that for many of you, it was not particularly, especially difficult or countercultural for you to get up this morning and to come into a church building to sing songs to God, to pray, and to listen to a sermon about him. But I also know that for some of you, being here right now is tremendously difficult and countercultural. I know that for some of you, just being here right now is costing you something, costing you socially with your friends or your family, costing you economically by blocking off the work hours to make Sunday gathered worship a weekly priority.
Jeffrey Heine:
For some of you, it's costing you culturally by being in a place that confesses a real and sincere belief in the living God and a Yes. Some of you had to count those very costs today, and you showed up anyway. That is a consequence of grace. Those things, all those small but very real choices, make up a transformed life. No one had to tell the Ephesian Christians how to change their culture.
Jeffrey Heine:
No one told them this trick to disrupt the economy and to turn upside down the religious and patriotic norms of their city by not buying idols. No. They fell in love with someone far greater and far glorious than Artemis. Jesus's grace transformed the way that they thought about everything and the way they lived those thoughts out in their community, in their place, in their time. That's what changed emphasis.
Jeffrey Heine:
In his book, Tipping Point, author Malcolm Gladwell talks about how social change and cultural shifts happen. And in one section, he writes this, quote, look at the world around you. It may seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not. With the slightest push in just the right place, It can be tipped, end quote.
Jeffrey Heine:
The cultural tipping moment that happened in Ephesus was the result of disciples living into the transformed life that God gives every believer in Christ. Life is made up of millions of little choices that make up our days. Those little chances to offer a faithful witness, recognizing the costs, social, economic, cultural approval, and refusing to let those things dictate our next move. So what acts of witness push against the culture around you? What pushes the people around you to wonder what's wrong with you?
Jeffrey Heine:
What's going on with the way that you see the world? What do you desire? Why do you live this way? What in your life gives witness to the transforming grace of God? Because the consequence of grace is that we are transformed by the spirit to be who call who God has called us and made us to be in Christ Jesus.
Jeffrey Heine:
He is at work in you. Whether you sense it or believe it or not, he is. And how do I know that? Because you're here. He works in many and varied ways to wake us up, to open our eyes and our ears, to give us the strength to believe, and to put one more foot in front of the other.
Jeffrey Heine:
The Ephesian Christians weren't trying to maintain their social reputation. They weren't trying to gain the approval of others. They were embodying Paul's words to the Galatians when he said, for am I now seeking the approval of people or God? Am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Jeffrey Heine:
Being a follower of Jesus is not how you will please people. It wasn't for the Ephesians, and it won't be for us today. No. Being a servant of Christ isn't how we gain the approval of people, but it is how God will use you to change the world for the good of his kingdom and for the glory of his name forever. Let's pray.
Jeffrey Heine:
Father, in this time, as we continue to move into worshiping you in spirit and in truth, We ask that you would help us to be honest with you and with ourselves. That you would help us to look at our lives, the choices and the situations that we find ourselves in, where we live, our neighbors, our roommates, our family members, our children, our spouses, or the people that we work with. Lord, in all of these places, help us to see clearly where you are transforming us and how we might live into that transformation today. I pray that you would help each person here discern what that next step is. We know it won't all be the same.
Jeffrey Heine:
It's not some uniform thing. But, Lord, help each one of us individually ask that question. What is the next step in trusting and following Jesus? Because you are not content to leave us where we are. Because you love us.
Jeffrey Heine:
So help us in this time by your spirit, we pray. We pray these things in the name of Christ our King. Amen.