Acts 19:23-27 At that time a great disturbance took place concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought a great deal of business to the craftsmen. He gathered these together, along with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity comes from this business. And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded and turned away a large crowd, not only in Ephesus but in practically all of the province of Asia, by saying that gods made by hands are not gods at all. There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as nothing, and she whom all the province of Asia and the world worship will suffer the loss of her greatness.” A riot breaks out in Ephesus. Industry is suffering because a business is largely dependent upon idol worship. The gospel is reaching people, they are turning away from idols that represent other gods, and the human hands making the idols are out business. I’ve heard people say that they cannot live without their smartphone or tablet. These kind of things are tools, but we have the capacity to worship any and all of them. Who is on the throne of your heart? Is it Jesus Christ, or is there a pretender on the throne that makes sure you have everything you want, instead of everything you need? Demetrius feels threatened, like he might lose his way of life. Luke 9:24 says, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” Lose the idols, and lose yourself to Jesus.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 13:12:56 +0000