The Transforming Power of Christ

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(35m)

The Power of Works

Acts 19:11–12 NASB95

God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out.

God often chooses what miracles He will perform or if He will do miracles at all based on the culture that is being reached. In Ephesus, it was necessary for Paul to perform powerful miracles to get the attention of the people and to prove that his God was greater than other gods, specifically Artemis/Diana.

(30m)

The Power of Witness

Acts 19:13–17 NASB95

But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.

Ancient magicians believed that using a spirit’s true name would give a person power over that spirit.

God made it clear that nothing would ever have power over Him in Exodus when He revealed His true name is the Tetragrammaton (YHVH) which cannot be spoken.

Since Paul was performing miracles in the name of Jesus, these exorcists thought that they could cast out lesser spirits with the name of Jesus even though they didn’t have the authority of Jesus.

The fact that the demon mocked them, stripped them, beat them, and sent them out into the streets in a public setting demonstrated that they had no protection from the demons and not permission from Jesus.

The fact that the demon recognized Paul by name proved that Paul had permission and authority from Jesus, which meant that the message Paul preached about Jesus was actually true. The demon was a witness to the authority Paul had and the power that Jesus had.

(20m)

The Power of Words

Acts 19:18–20 NASB95

Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.

Since names and words were believed to have power over people and nature, the Ephesians who believed the demon’s witness about Jesus and Paul began to publicly confess the witchcraft they had been practicing and burned the handwritten books they owned containing spells and other teachings on sorcery.

It would take an average worker ~137 years of pay to buy all of the books that were burned!

The secrets of their magic arts were shared publicly and the spell books were burned publicly so that the powerful words used in their sorcery lost their power.

These superstitious and idolatrous Gentiles and Jews proved that they believed Jesus was greater than Artemis and the other gods by destroying their only way back to spiritual power. All they had to rely on now for protection from evil spirits and a prosperous life was the Holy Spirit testifying to the finished work of Christ.

(15m)

The Power of Worship

Acts 19:21–33 NASB95

Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen; these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business. “You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this 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!” The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia. And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him. Also some of the Asiarchs who were friends of his sent to him and repeatedly urged him not to venture into the theater. So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together. Some of the crowd concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly.

Like the American car companies of the early 2000s, the Ephesian vendors who made statues of idols, food for sacrifices, and even the prostitutes that worked in the Temple of Artemis were at risk of going out of business. Demetrius the Silversmith decided that something needed to be done, so he instigated an uprising of these industry workers to demand that the Christians leave or convert back to the worship of Artemis.

The Gospel has real consequences. These new believers didn’t just change their thoughts. There were so many people who believed the Gospel that their lifestyle changes disrupted one of the most important economic centers in the world at that time!

(10m)

The Power of Worry

Acts 19:34–41 NASB95

But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” After quieting the crowd, the town clerk said, “Men of Ephesus, what man is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from heaven? “So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. “For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. “So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against any man, the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another. “But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly. “For indeed we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no real cause for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering.” After saying this he dismissed the assembly.

The town clerk knew that the Roman government did not tolerate riots or unruly protests in any of its cities. If word got back to Rome that people were in an uproar in Ephesus the army would be dispatched to kill any protestors in the city until everything returned to normal. He is warning them that kicking the Christians out of town isn’t worth dying over, and that instead they should take the Christians to court for their loss of business.

CONCLUSION

In our day, the idea is growing that personal religion is a private matter. You can believe whatever you want about Jesus and the Bible as long as it doesn’t affect anyone else or disrupt anything in society. God does not give us that option as His people.

We are called to be salt and light in the world.

Matthew 5:10–16 NASB95

“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

The Ephesians recognized that Jesus was a greater God than Artemis, and they changed everything about their lives to follow Him.

What are you willing to change to follow Jesus?

Are you willing to do hard things so that other people see that He is greater than whomever they are worshipping?