“Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all. Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.” When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Acts 19: 26-28
As Paul journeyed toward Ephesus from encouraging the brethren in Galatia, he noted the abundance of poppy fields. He observed the deadly hemlock along the roadside to the great city— a floral message that could portend a challenging time ahead for the apostle.
It was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The people of Ephesus were proud of their Temple of Diana (Artemis), the goddess of fertility. The entire silversmith industry and other craftsmen thrived on making personal silver shrines of Artemis. Paul had his work cut out for him.
He was joined by other workers like Priscilla and Aquila. There too, Paul also encountered 12 disciples of John the Baptist. They were amazed when Paul told them, “John told people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus. It is Him,” Paul proclaimed to them. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. God had provided reinforcement with these new disciples for the upcoming battle.
God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul. The apostle sent his handkerchiefs or aprons to the sick, and “the diseases left them and the evil spirit went out.”
He had engaged the enemy and humiliated him when the seven sons of Sceva attempted to exorcise a man with an evil spirit. Using the formulaic approach, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches, come out of him!” The evil spirit answered: “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” And the man with the evil spirit leaped on them and subdued all of them, so they fled out of that house naked and wounded. Many of those who practiced magic and other dark arts surrendered their books by publicly burning them. So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.
While this spiritual battle was going on in Ephesus, there was a crisis in Corinth that cut Paul to the heart. The Corinthian believers that he loved, prayed with, worked among, and wept with had turned against Paul. In his first letter to Corinth, Paul was told that there were quarrels among them having to do with “personality cults.” “I am of Paul, and ‘I of Apollos’ and ‘I of Cephas’ and ‘I of Christ’. To which Paul responded, “Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
1 Cor.1: 12-13 Paul went on to rebuke them for immorality regarding sex, money, and idolatry. He recommended expelling the man accused of sleeping with his father’s wife, “so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” Crowning the letter with the excellence of love that we know as chapter 13. He then ends it with a vigorous and hopeful “Maranatha”.
In the 2nd letter, Paul is a broken man. “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you.”
2 Cor.2: 4
So with this weighing on his mind, Paul goes to do spiritual battle at Ephesus. Paul had persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all. ….
Demetrius, the silversmith, used his influence to turn the whole city against Paul. They had done nothing wrong; they had not broken any laws. It was “the perfect storm of economic disruption, religious challenge, civic pride, and ethnic prejudice…..” says N.T. Wright in his book, Paul.
It was the city clerk who finally got matters under control.
Paul, after the uproar had ceased, encouraged the disciples there and left them to depart for Macedonia. His thoughts were of the Lord: “For we do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth.” (2 Cor.13: 8) Where is Ephesus today? Where is Artemis now? Yet, the Gospel of grace and the church of Jesus Christ are still here! Amen!
Questions To Think About:
As Paul journeyed toward Ephesus from encouraging the brethren in Galatia, he noted the abundance of poppy fields. He observed the deadly hemlock along the roadside to the great city— a floral message that could portend a challenging time ahead for the apostle.
It was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The people of Ephesus were proud of their Temple of Diana (Artemis), the goddess of fertility. The entire silversmith industry and other craftsmen thrived on making personal silver shrines of Artemis. Paul had his work cut out for him.
He was joined by other workers like Priscilla and Aquila. There too, Paul also encountered 12 disciples of John the Baptist. They were amazed when Paul told them, “John told people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus. It is Him,” Paul proclaimed to them. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. God had provided reinforcement with these new disciples for the upcoming battle.
God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul. The apostle sent his handkerchiefs or aprons to the sick, and “the diseases left them and the evil spirit went out.”
He had engaged the enemy and humiliated him when the seven sons of Sceva attempted to exorcise a man with an evil spirit. Using the formulaic approach, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches, come out of him!” The evil spirit answered: “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” And the man with the evil spirit leaped on them and subdued all of them, so they fled out of that house naked and wounded. Many of those who practiced magic and other dark arts surrendered their books by publicly burning them. So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.
While this spiritual battle was going on in Ephesus, there was a crisis in Corinth that cut Paul to the heart. The Corinthian believers that he loved, prayed with, worked among, and wept with had turned against Paul. In his first letter to Corinth, Paul was told that there were quarrels among them having to do with “personality cults.” “I am of Paul, and ‘I of Apollos’ and ‘I of Cephas’ and ‘I of Christ’. To which Paul responded, “Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
1 Cor.1: 12-13 Paul went on to rebuke them for immorality regarding sex, money, and idolatry. He recommended expelling the man accused of sleeping with his father’s wife, “so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” Crowning the letter with the excellence of love that we know as chapter 13. He then ends it with a vigorous and hopeful “Maranatha”.
In the 2nd letter, Paul is a broken man. “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you.”
2 Cor.2: 4
So with this weighing on his mind, Paul goes to do spiritual battle at Ephesus. Paul had persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all. ….
Demetrius, the silversmith, used his influence to turn the whole city against Paul. They had done nothing wrong; they had not broken any laws. It was “the perfect storm of economic disruption, religious challenge, civic pride, and ethnic prejudice…..” says N.T. Wright in his book, Paul.
It was the city clerk who finally got matters under control.
Paul, after the uproar had ceased, encouraged the disciples there and left them to depart for Macedonia. His thoughts were of the Lord: “For we do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth.” (2 Cor.13: 8) Where is Ephesus today? Where is Artemis now? Yet, the Gospel of grace and the church of Jesus Christ are still here! Amen!
Questions To Think About:
- Paul had to engage in intense spiritual battle in Ephesus while carrying heavy emotional baggage from Corinth. How do you maintain your commitment to God’s work when your personal life or relationships feel heavy and fractured?
- Demetrius and the silversmiths rioted because Paul’s message threatened their income, religious tradition, civic pride, and ethic identity. What cultural comfort zones, economic securities, or personal identities does the Gospel challenge in your life today?
- The seven sons of Sceva tried to use Jesus’ name like a magic formula, but the evil spirit replied, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” How does this story challenge you to pursue a personal, authentic relationship with Christ rather than relying on a secondhand faith or external religious language?
- In Corinth, believers divided themselves based on their favorite leaders (“I am of Paul…I of Apollos”). How do you see modern “personality cults” affecting the global church today, and how can we protect our hearts from prioritizing human leaders over Christ?
- The devotional ends with the powerful reminder that Ephesus and Artemis are gone, but the Gospel remains. When you look at the overwhelming cultural or political “storms” of our modern world, how does this ultimate reality change your perspective and your hope?
Posted in The Perfect Storm