Great works happening in Ephesus:
1) Apollos preached there - got his start
2) Paul taught there in the synagogues
3) Paul went back to Jerusalem, then to his home church of Antioch, and then hurried back to Ephesus
4) Paul wrote the church a letter known as Ephesians
5) Jesus wrote them a letter in Revelation
6) Paul spoke boldly in the synagogue here for 3 months
7) Paul was pushed out and for two years so spoke in the Hall of Tyranus.
8) God did extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul.
9) Believers came, confessed their sins, especially magic arts
10) Had a camp experience - burned their Dark arts materials.
11) Paul was there 3 years. Timothy would Pastor there
Acts 19:20 - The word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. God was up to something special in Ephesus.
Ephesus was the capital of the Roman Province in Asia. Had the giant Temple of Artemis or Diana (one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world) - people came from all over to see the temple, worship at the temple. The whole known world had people who came to Ephesus.
Acts 19:21-22 - Paul = very strategic guy. Made plans to visit some very strategic cities. Sends his two helpers on, but stays back in Ephesus. Why? Probably because the Artemesian Games (little Olympics, partying, tourism, big crowds) fixing to start. Took place every spring - people came from all over world.
Great opportunity for the merchants in the city to make money.
Provincial Officials were all there. Most events centered around the worship of the goddess Diana.
Acts 19:23 - The word of God was bad for seedy business.
Motivated by greed.
Do YOU love money or ______ more than God?
This was bad for business because Paul was teaching that there was no other God except the true God and the idols they were making and selling were good for nothing.
They knew with all the people coming, this is how they would make their money.
Paul was turning their hearts away from idolatry to the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob.
Obviously, Demetrius saw God's power displayed thru the miracles Paul worked, heard the preaching, saw people turn and change their lives, yet he didn't submit to God.
Matt. 6:24 Matt. 6:19-21 - Where our treasure is, there our heart will be.
Demetrius - money was his god. Not all that concerned about the worship of Artemis.
Judas sold Christ for 30 pieces of silver
Are stories of tavern owners and brothel owners in the old west who would run preachers out of town and burn church buildings - because money was their god and gospel had hurt their businesses so much.
Acts 19:18-19 - in Ephesus, people were coming to Christ and REALLY repenting. They couldn't support their bad practices anymore. They told the truth.
Where is our treasure? Where is YOUR treasure? Often times it is NOT God.
Why does this type of stuff NOT happen now? Happened in Ephesus because people were coming to Christ and really Repented. They looked different than the world around them.
Question: Does your life look different than an unbeliever? Can't expect an unbeliever to act like a Christian? They are unbelievers. But, there is a problem when we Christians act like unbelievers.
So many look, act, speak, think, spend and talk like pagans (unbelievers). Hard to distinguish from the non-believers)
Problem in America is that we try to preach the gospel without preaching repentance.
You can't separate repentance (turning away from) from the Gospel.
Are there things in our life that need to go? everything that hinders and sin entangles. If that stuff is your god, then Jesus is not. If Jesus is not your Lord, than He's not your Savior. If He's not your Savior, then He's nothing.
Christians should be different.
Jesus calls us to come and die. To take up our cross and follow Him. Turn from our sins and follow Him. It's sad that we've come to a place in America that we think the way we're going to win people to Jesus is by convincing them that they don't have to change. We're just like them. WE SHOULD BE DIFFERENT.
Heb. 12:1-2
Sin is slowing us down, clouding our vision, killing our witness.
The problem isn't that we're not cool enough. Church stopped being the church!
The problem is we've watered down the truth and are bogged down in our sin!
Why would the world want anything to do with us, if we are exactly like them! They don't see any need to change if we act the exact same way.
This was not the case for the Ephesian believers. Not the case with Paul.
Acts 19:28-32 - theater - held between 20 and 30 thousand people. Most didn't know why they were there. Filled with good intentions but empty heads.
Mobs then did not have cars, spray paint, buildings to set on fire, just slogans to shout.
Message to us all - don't let your emotions rule. Think clearly. Think like a believer.
Notice the courage of Paul. That was some serious courage. God gave Paul a special courage
How could he have that? Been a few years since he was beaten, drug out and stoned, etc.
Paul wrote "to live is Christ and to die is gain." Phil. 2:1
to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. 2 Cor. 5:8,
2 Tim. 1:7 - God did not give us a spirit of fear.
Paul really believed this!
Do your lack courage?
Courage comes when eternity is settled and we're walking faithfully with the Lord. Then God has a way of giving us boldness.
Be ready when you are called.
Ask God for courage.
Acts 19:33-34 - shouted over and over.
Spend some time and ask God for that courage.
Acts 19:35-41 - mayor gets them calmed down. Were a free city in Roman Empire. Didn't want to lose that status.
God continued to do stuff through the Ephesian Christians.
Rev. 2:1-4 - Jesus' letter to Ephesus. Commends them for having being Biblically sound church. BUT, vs 4 - I have this against you. Lost your first love.
Serious warning to all of us: can get to the point where we have the head knowledge, know the truth, stick to the truth, and that's good. BUT start just going through the motions, hearts not right, have grown cold. Jesus says return to your first love.
Greatest commandment = "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and mind, and strength...". Somewhere along the line they lost that first love.
Let that never be said of us, our church. We are all in danger of that if we do not give God the time that He desires. If we try to live this life, do the ministry, walk the walk on our own power, our own will, our own might. Very difficult to do God's work without spending time WITH GOD!!!
Really hard to tell people about Jesus when you haven't spent any time talking with Him.
Really hard to get up in front of people and share a gospel message when haven't spent any time saturated in His Word and in prayer.
Don't let this be you. don't let this be us. Don't let God say of this church, you have lost your first love, and I will remove the lamp stand from you.
Exercise: self-evaluation - if Jesus were to look at your life, what would he say was right, wrong.
Do you lack love? Are we really being all that God called us to be? God is not done with the Ephesians.
Closing Scripture: Eph. 2:1-10
