The Gospel is Confrontational

HT: Delivered by Grace


Article by Josh Buice
In Acts 19:21-41, we see an interesting story about Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. The preaching of Paul literally stirred up the entire city. Ephesus was saturated with the worship of Artemis (aka Diana) - the false god. The people had an elaborate temple built there whereby they would have formal worship practices devoted to her. In the temple, there was a large statue of Diana that was complete with animals surrounding her head, multiple breasts, and surrounded by extensive architecture within the temple itself.

The silversmiths gained greatly from the worship of Diana - the goddess of fertility. They made shrines and other images for use in their pagan worship practices and ceremonies. During the spring each year the city would fill up and prepare for a week long worship ceremony of Diana. During this time of celebration the silversmiths gained greatly through the sale of these images made for worshipping Diana.

Paul comes to Ephesus with one goal. He came to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the preaching of Ephesus, the truth about false gods was revealed. Paul pointed out that gods that were made with the hands of men were no real god at all. Paul pointed to the cross and Jesus crucified and slain for our sin as the hope of the nations. It was that message that literally shook the city of Ephesus. It shook the lives of specific people who laid down their false gods. The message of the Gospel shook the city’s foundation which was built upon idol worship. It caused an economic recession in the lives of the silversmiths. The Gospel threatened to overthrow the great temple of Artemis and diminish the magnificence of her image. It was literally the collision of two opposing worlds. The world of the Gospel and the world of Diana!

Led by a man named Demetrius, the silversmiths started a city wide riot. The confused crowd grabbed two of Paul’s companions and took them into the theater. The crowd was out of control and full of wrath. When Alexander tried to calm the crowd, the angry Ephesians cried out for two hours claiming that “Great is Diana of the Ephesians.” Finally, the clerk was able to convince the angry crowd to calm down and bring official complaints against these men if they have done anything wrong. By the providence of God, the crowd calmed down and dispersed back into the town.

Paul was spared from the wrath of the people. He intended to run into the theater and address the crowd, but some people prevented him since they believed his life would be in immediate danger. God had spared Paul and his friends from the wrath of angry pagan worshippers. God had more work to accomplish through Paul and his preaching. The collision of two opposing worlds endangered the idol Diana and it also endangered the lives of the Christians. However, in the end - the Gospel prevails. The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ was not overcome! Warren Wiersbe writes:

Ephesus is gone, and so is the worldwide worship of Diana of the Ephesians. The city and the temple are gone, and the silversmiths’ guild is gone. Ephesus is a place visited primarily by archeologists and people on Holy Land tours. Yet the Gospel of God’s grace and the church of Jesus Christ are still here! We have four inspired letters that were sent to the saints in Ephesus—Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Revelation 2:1–7. The name of Paul is honored, but the name of Demetrius is forgotten. (Were it not for Paul, we would not have met Demetrius in the first place!) The church ministers by persuasion, not propaganda. We share God’s truth, not man’s religious lies. Our motive is love, not anger; and the glory of God, not the praise of men. This is why the church goes on, and we must keep it so.1

Isaiah 40:8 - The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Philippians 2:9-11 - Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.