ACTS 19:23

In this part of the book of Acts Paul is in the city of Ephesus, and the Bible says in Acts 19:23-29, “And the same time there arose no small stir about that way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen; Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands; So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre.”

In the city of Ephesus there was an uproar, an uproar against the gospel of Christ. It says in verse 23 that “there arose no small stir about that way.” “That way” was the way of life that people followed who came to believe in Jesus. True believers in Jesus have their lives changed. There are certain things that true believers in Jesus do not do. If you were a true believer in Jesus in the first century, you would have nothing to do with idolatry or the worship of false gods. If you are a true believer in Jesus in our day and time, there are certain things that you do not do either. For example, you do not go to booze joints or places where nudity is on display.

Looking at the city of Ephesus and what happened there, it is important to notice what was the real source of this problem and uproar. It all happened because of the love of money. It says in verse 4 concerning Demetrius, that he “made silver shrines for Diana,” and that such an occupation “brought no small gain unto the craftsman.” It says in verse 25 that Demetrius said to the other craftsmen: “Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.” It was not a hatred for the gospel that started this. It was plain old fashioned selfish materialism. Like Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and mammon.” If making a profit is your greatest priority, then the day will surely come when you will go a different way than God’s way. You will hear the call of money, and therefore you will not hear the call of God.

We see here also another reason that was the basis for all this commotion and opposition to the gospel. Things were changing in Ephesus. Christianity had come on the scene, and things would never be the same again. “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever,” but the world and everything in it is changing. If you cannot learn to adjust to change, you will be in trouble in this changing world. Demetrius appealed to this natural fear of change when he said to the others in verse 27, “So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.”

The magnitude of the uproar and the confusion in the city of Ephesus is described in Acts 19:30-34 that says, “And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not. And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre. Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defense unto the people. But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.” This was a large crowd of people who had been stirred to the point of riot and violence by appeals that had been made to their fears. The thing to do now was to have someone speak to this crowd to quiet their fears. Paul wanted to speak to them, but was kept from doing so. Alexander tried to speak to them, and he also has stopped.

Finally, a non-believer, a person who is called here the townclerk, spoke to the crowd. When the Lord wants to accomplish something, it may be somewhat of a surprise whom He chooses to use. A lot of blood might have been shed had this crowd gone crazy, but God kept that from happening by using a townclerk to speak to them. The townclerk used simple logic and common sense to appeal to the senses of the crowd. What was said and the good result are recorded in Acts 19:35-41 where it says, “And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly. For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess. Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another. But if ye inquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly. For we are in danger to be called in question for this day’s uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse. And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.”

What this man had to say was simple common sense, but common sense is not always so common. The first point that he made could be applied to the people of any religion, including Christians. He said in verse 36, “Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly.” If you really believe that your god is the powerful God, then how can you be worried that anything that people do will somehow successfully oppose God? Do not worry about it, and do not get upset. You believe that your God is in control, do you not? You certainly do not have to resort to violence or insurrection of any kind if you believe as much.

The second thing that the townclerk pointed out to the mob was that the mob was against people, the Christians, who were decent, law-abiding citizens. Notice carefully what impressed the townclerk about the Christians that were in Ephesus. He said about Christians in Acts 19V37, “these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess.” He noticed two things about the Christians that apparently impressed him. First he said they were not robbers. Christians should always be the best citizens in a community. The Bible says in Romans 12:17 and Romans 12:18, “Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”

The townclerk was also impressed by the fact that the Christians were not “blasphemers” of the goddess Diana. Obviously the Christians had a different God, and their message was the message about Jesus the Savior of the world. But evidently Paul and the other Christians in Ephesus did not spend their time preaching against Diana or anything else. They spent their time preaching for Jesus Christ. If you spend your time speaking against all the things that are wrong in the world, you will not have any time to speak about the good things of salvation through faith in Christ. Remember that the word “gospel” means good news. Do not make the mistake that some have made and become a preacher of bad news.

The next thing that this townclerk brought up was the fact that in the city of Ephesus the rule of law was in effect. There is a right way to handle disputes between people: the legal system. No one should ever take the law into their own hands. Romans 13:1-4 says, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power, but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.”

The point that the townclerk is making is that if this crowd starts rioting, they will answer to the authorities. There will be a price to pay, a negative consequence to bear if they do not do the right thing. We might say that he is appealing to their basic knowledge of the principle of retribution and of consequences. Everyone in this world reaps the consequences of their actions. If you have lived very long, surely you have to come to realize that. If you break the law, the penalty for doing so is very likely to come your way. If you throw a rubber ball against a wall, it will come back at you. For every action there is a reaction. For every behavior there is a consequence. As the Bible puts it, “Whatsoever a man soeth, that shall he also reap.” Do not blame others for what happens to you in life. Many of the things that come your way are simply a consequence to the things that you have done and the choices that you have made. This crowd of angry people finally made the right choice: they disbanded and went back to their own business.

The Bible says in Acts 20:1-2, “And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia, And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece.” When we consider the Apostle Paul and the ministry that he had, we see two things in these verses that show his attitude and relationship to other Christians. It says in verse 1 that “Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them.” Of course, this shows the great love and the very strong bond that Paul had with the believers to whom he ministered. He considered them to be his family, not just in theory or in word, but in actual deed. Sometimes you meet a Christian like this: one who has genuine love for other Christians. What a difference it makes. Some people know how to make you feel wanted and make you feel loved. We all should strive to be more like that. Jesus did say, “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you have love one toward another.” Paul reminded us of this in First Corinthians 13:1-3 where he said, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing.”

It is no wonder that Paul had such a fruitful ministry. He really loved other Christians. He also said the right things to them. In verse 2 when Paul was in Macedonia, it says that he “had given them much exhortation.” Literally this verse means: when he had comforted them much by word. The emphasis is on the fact that they were comforted and exhorted by the words that he said. Oh, how easily we humans say the wrong words! But how powerful our words can be! Our words can tear down and destroy, or they can build up and comfort and encourage. It is no wonder that Paul had such a fruitful ministry. He understood the power of words, and he used the right words when he spoke to other Christians: the words of exhortation and comfort.

Too bad that more preachers have not learned this lesson! I remember years ago listening to a preacher on a weekly basis and sometimes even a daily basis, who had not learned this lesson. He was gifted as a public speaker, and he had a great opportunity to speak to thousands each time that he spoke. Unfortunately he had become negative, and somewhere along the way he began to criticize other Christians in other groups on various subjects. As the years went by he became known for being negative, critical, and divisive. Because of it he made many enemies needlessly, and he and his organization accomplished much less than they otherwise could have accomplished. Do not let this happen to you. Make sure that when you speak you use words like Paul did: words of comfort and exhortation.

If you know Jesus as your Savior, you certainly have the potential to learn from Him so that such words are the words that come from your lips. If you do not know Jesus as your Savior, today you can turn from your sins and turn to Him.

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