The Impact of a Church

INTRODUCTION

Over the next six weeks, we will look at the church of Ephesus’s growth and development.

Interestingly enough, we will begin this series by spending our time in Acts 19.

In Acts 19, we will see the beginning of the church of Ephesus.

In Acts 19, we see Paul’s third missionary journey take him to the city of Ephesus.

This was Paul’s second visit to Ephesus (Acts 18:19), (first visit during the second missionary journey in A. D. 52), but this time he would stay for a couple of years.

About a decade after the church started, Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians commending their faith and love (A.D. 62).

The church of Ephesus is valuable for us to study.

A careful reading of Ephesians shows that they had done well.

The church appeared devout in their faith, well organized, and busy in the Gospel.

During these early years, they had been growing, expanding, and doing the will of God.

Jews and Gentiles from several ethnicities and nationalities had come together to form “one new man” (2:15) and “one body” (2:16).

The church was multiethnic as well as diverse in its socioeconomic makeup.

Paul commends their sincerity in the final sentence of his letter: “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love” (Ephesians 6:24).

Situated in Asia Minor, Ephesus was a central hub of commerce and trade, given its geographic proximity to the Cayster River.

The city of Ephesus was also crucial to the Roman government.

Periodically, the Roman governor would travel to Ephesus and make decisions related to important issues of justice.

Ephesus was also a religious city.

It was home to the temple of Diana (or Artemis—Diana was the Greek name and Artemis the Latin).

The temple was a marvel: 425 feet long, 220 wide, and 60 feet high.

In the temple was a statue of Artemis, who was believed by the devout to have fallen from heaven (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles[Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1975], 140–41).

Ephesus was a major city, not just regionally, but for the world at that time, in terms of commerce, Roman power, and Greek and Roman religion.

From our text today, I want us to see what a church making an impact looks like.

In our society, for the Gospel to prosper, all of God’s churches must make an impact in the world they live in.

We will read a good chunk of Acts 19 because the volume of text is needed to provide context for the message.

Let’s turn to Acts 19.

We will begin with verses 1-10.

Acts 19:1–10 (NET 2nd ed.)

1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul went through the inland regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples there

2 and said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 So Paul said, “Into what then were you baptized?” “Into John’s baptism,” they replied.

4 Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.”

5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus,

6 and when Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy.

7 (Now there were about twelve men in all.)

8 So Paul entered the synagogue and spoke out fearlessly for three months, addressing and convincing them about the kingdom of God.

9 But when some were stubborn and refused to believe, reviling the Way before the congregation, he left them and took the disciples with him, addressing them every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

10 This went on for two years, so that all who lived in the province of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.

SERMON

I. The church will make an impact by preaching and teaching the Word of God.

When Paul arrives in Ephesus, he meets the disciples of John the Baptist.

Paul introduces them to Jesus and then baptizes them (Acts 19:4–5).

This leads to a period of three months of Paul’s teaching in the local synagogue (v. 8).

If we are going to impact our community, we must focus on preaching and teaching the Gospel.

Some say it does not matter what you believe as long as you believe, but that could not be further from the truth.

Some say so long as you are sincere in your beliefs, that is all that matters.

Paul comes across some of the followers of John the Baptist.

John offered a baptism of repentance.

John’s baptism was not about forgiveness of sins or receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit; it was about repentance, a recognition that one needed to be cleansed.

Paul could have patted twelve people on the back and told them they were doing a good job.

However, Paul was committed to preaching the whole truth of the full Gospel, so Paul took these disciples of John aside and taught them the truth concerning being baptized into Jesus.

Once these disciples were baptized, Paul laid hands on them so the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit was upon them.

This was done to authenticate that Paul was teaching these men the truth God wanted them to hear.

In verse 8, we are told that Paul entered the synagogue and spoke out fearlessly for three months.

Paul would be entering hostile territory by going into the synagogue, and he knew it; since he was a Pharisee.

Paul spent this time addressing and convincing the people about the kingdom of God.

If we are going to have an impact, we need to be willing to go into the lion’s den of society and teach the truth in love concerning the Kingdom of God.

What we teach has to be about Jesus!

We cannot allow other things to get in the way of preaching the Gospel!

In verse 9, we see resistance was beginning to form, and people who did not like what was being taught started reviling The Way, as Christianity was referred to at that time.

Paul moved his teaching place, knowing he would do more damage than good at that point, and took his disciples (the church) to the Lecture Hall of Tyrannus.

Paul did this for two more years.

Paul preached the Gospel, and guess what happened?

Verse 10 tells us that all who lived in the province of Asia, BOTH Jews and Greeks, heard the Word of the Lord!

We cannot worry about being popular in the world’s eyes; we cannot be afraid to stand on the truth of the Gospel!

The beauty of Ephesus was it was a major world hub, and the church of Ephesus had the ability to make a major impact on the world!

Let’s move to verses 11-17

Acts 19:11–17 (NET 2nd ed.)

11 God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands,

12 so that when even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body were brought to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.

13 But some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by evil spirits, saying, “I sternly warn you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.”

14 (Now seven sons of a man named Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.)

15 But the evil spirit replied to them, “I know about Jesus and I am acquainted with Paul, but who are you?”

16 Then the man who was possessed by the evil spirit jumped on them and beat them all into submission. He prevailed against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded.

17 This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; fear came over them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised.

II. The impact a church is making will be reflected in the lives of the people they touch.

The message was growing; Paul was performing miracles.

Verse 12 goes into how powerfully God was working through Paul.

Verses 13-16 crack me up.

Some traveling Jewish exorcists (the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish High Priest) tried to emulate Paul and exorcise an evil spirit out of a person in the name of Jesus.

Well, that did not go too well for them.

The evil spirit, I do not know you all; I know Paul and Jesus.

Then the man possessed by the evil spirit jumped on them and beat all seven into submission.

The seven sons of Sceva fled the house naked and wounded!

This event had an impact.

God will be with you when you preach and teach the truth in love!

This event became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jew and Greek; it caused fear and led to the name of Jesus being praised!

Here is where I am excited to take you on this journey through Acts 19.

Let’s look at verses 18-20

Acts 19:18–20 (NET 2nd ed.)

18 Many of those who had believed came forward, confessing and making their deeds known.

19 Large numbers of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them up in the presence of everyone. When the value of the books was added up, it was found to total 50,000 silver coins.

20 In this way the word of the Lord continued to grow in power and to prevail.

When we preach and teach the truth without fear, guess what happens?

REPENTANCE COMES, AND LIVES ARE CHANGED BY THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL!

Many of those who believed came forward, repenting and confessing their sins!

Here is some more proof in verse 19!

19 Large numbers of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them up in the presence of everyone. When the value of the books was added up, it was found to total 50,000 silver coins.

These people were willing to take a financial hit for Jesus!

Their owners burned 50,000 silver coins worth of books of magic!

Once the truth of Jesus penetrated their hearts and minds, they knew that Jesus was not some add-on to their lives; HE WAS THEIR LIFE!

Once a person reaches the point of repentance, they quit trying to mix their sin with their life in Jesus.

They quit trying to rationalize their sins and work on giving them up.

They know they cannot blend the old life with the new!

Verse 19 shows us what a changed life looks like, much like the life of Paul!

Let’s move to verses 23-29 for a final thought.

Acts 19:23–25 (NET 2nd ed.)

23 At that time a great disturbance took place concerning the Way.

24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought a great deal of business to the craftsmen.

25 He gathered these together, along with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity comes from this business.

III. A church making an impact will face opposition.

So many people were repenting and turning to Jesus, which affected the lucrative business of the silversmith’s idol-making.

A silversmith named Demetrius rounded up all the other craftsmen and workmen in similar trades in an effort to stop Paul and the church from its mission.

In verses 26-27, Demetrius explains the following:

Acts 19:26–27 (NET 2nd ed.)

26 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.

27 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.”

Demetrius was in opposition to Paul and the church.

Why?

Because of the impact changed lives would have on the false god business!

People were leaving the false god worship for the TRUE GOD in droves!

It got so tense; look at verses 28-29

Acts 19:28–29 (NET 2nd ed.)

28 When they heard this they became enraged and began to shout, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

29 The city was filled with the uproar, and the crowd rushed to the theater together, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions.

When the Gospel’s message penetrates people’s lives, lives are changed, and opposition will come.

If we try to blend the teaching of the world with the truth of the Gospel, it becomes so watered down that the message is no threat to the world who hears it.

When the message is not the Gospel, it has no power or impact; therefore, it is no threat!

CONCLUSION

The culture of Ephesians was not significantly different from the places where many of us live or visit or the world in which we live.

Commerce was king, and a threat to economic stability could bring out religious passion, as Paul discovered.

It was a pluralistic society with a multitude of beliefs (Paul encountered disciples of John the Baptist, Jews, as well as Greek and Roman devotees to Artemis).

How Paul handled it and what he taught the church in Ephesus are of great value to Christians today.

One lesson that stands out is Paul’s insistence on the absolute claims of Christ over our lives.

Paul exists for one purpose: to be an ambassador for Jesus.

He will go anywhere and talk to anyone about Jesus, regardless of the cost to himself.

A question to ponder: Is Paul an extreme example, or do we lack the conviction and dedication needed to see the world come to know Jesus?