We Were Worshippers

Acts 19–28: Narrative Recap

In Ephesus (Acts 19), Paul’s ministry grows in power, marked by healings and the defeat of evil spirits. As many new believers burn their magic books, a major conflict arises when local craftsmen, led by Demetrius, incite a riot. They fear that Paul’s message is damaging the temple-centered economy and reputation of Artemis. The city erupts in confusion and uproar, and Paul is eventually forced to leave.

Paul travels through Macedonia and Greece (Acts 20), strengthening the churches and preparing to return to Jerusalem. On his way, he stops in Miletus, where he meets with the elders of the Ephesian church. In a deeply emotional farewell, he warns them of coming challenges and urges them to shepherd the flock with care.

When Paul arrives in Jerusalem (Acts 21–23), he is welcomed by believers but quickly faces opposition from Jewish leaders. Despite efforts to prove his faithfulness to Jewish customs, he is falsely accused of defiling the temple. A violent mob forms, and Roman officials intervene. Paul is arrested and put on trial before the Sanhedrin, governors, and King Agrippa, defending his ministry and proclaiming his faith.

In the final chapters (Acts 24–28), Paul appeals to Caesar and is sent to Rome. On the journey, he survives a shipwreck on the island of Malta, where he is bitten by a venomous snake but suffers no harm—astonishing the locals. He then heals many of the sick on the island. Eventually, Paul arrives in Rome and, though under house arrest, continues to boldly preach the Kingdom of God to all who will listen—Jews and Gentiles alike.

[Start the sermon with the video clip from Moana – “We Were Voyagers.”]

Have you ever felt that the present moment—your world, your church, your soul—was missing something essential?

That we’ve somehow lost our way?

In that powerful scene from Moana, the young heroine learns that her people, once brave voyagers, have forgotten who they are.

They are now confined to one island, afraid to venture out, uncertain of what lies beyond the reef.

And Moana’s quest—to save her people—is not just about navigating the ocean, but about recovering an identity that had been lost.

I believe that’s what we’ve been doing in our series on the Book of Acts.

We’ve been turning the pages of our spiritual family album—not to reminisce, but to recover.

Not to retreat into the past, but to remember who we are so that we can step into who we must become.

And just like Moana’s people had to recover their identity as voyagers, the Church has to recover our identity.

But is there an overarching discovery that Luke is pointing us to in Acts? Is there a big “We Were Voyagers” moment for us as the Church?

I believe there is.

And it’s not just a footnote or a subplot—it runs like a current beneath every chapter.

It builds until it bursts into full view in the climactic movements of Acts 19 through 28.

Here it is: We Were Worshippers.

Before we were apostles or pastors, organizers or evangelists…

Before we were a movement with influence…

We were a people marked by devotion.

A people whose lives, words, and witness flowed from worship.

But somewhere along the way, just like Moana’s people forgot they were voyagers, we’ve forgotten that we were worshippers.

We started defining ourselves by other things—by platforms, by performance, by programs.

We let the world tell us what kind of people we’re supposed to be.

And slowly, subtly, we traded our identity for relevance.

What if… the reason we’re off-course in so many areas of practical faith and public witness is because we’ve drifted from our starting point?

As we come to the end of Acts, Luke shows us Paul moving from one instance of being misunderstood to another.

These misunderstandings result in moments of intense conflict.

We see people who think that Paul and the broader Christian movement he represents are about all kinds of things

economics, religion, power, and politics.

Luke’s aim is to highlight that none of these things is at the heart of Christian church.

At the heart of the Christian church…the Christian movement is worship.

We are going to take look at four key flashpoints of this closing narrative in a sermon I’ve called: We Were Worshippers

We Are Not Entrepreneurs – We Are Worshippers [Flashpoint: Ephesus (Acts 19:23–41)]

PRAYER

Paul’s ministry in Ephesus sparks a riot led by a man named Demetrius. But listen to why Demetrius is mad:

“Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people… saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing…”

(Acts 19:26–27)

Demetrius is not afraid of Paul’s theology—he’s afraid of economic disruption.

The gospel has the power to shift whole systems.

All these people were getting delivered from idol worship so they stopped buying idols.

But Paul didn’t go to Ephesus to start a boycott.

He wasn’t building a brand or launching a marketplace alternative.

He was bearing witness to Jesus—and that was enough to shake the idol industry.

Let’s be clear: there are economic consequences when we live out the gospel.

But we are not entrepreneurs.

We are not here to build empires.

We are worshippers—people whose whole economy is rooted in reverence.

We do not measure faithfulness by profit, growth, and market relevance.

We must resist the temptation to trade the power of the altar for the power of the algorithm.

Worshippers are more concerned with cultivating the presence than developing their product.

Beloved, God may have called you to business…and yes, as a congregation we will impact the economies of households and nations. But, it must all flow out of a place of worship.

We Are Not Zealots – We Are Worshippers [Flashpoint: Jerusalem (Acts 21–23)]

Paul arrives peacefully in Jerusalem.

But, it is not long before he is dragged into the temple and falsely accused of bringing Gentiles into the sacred space.

The whole city erupts in religious outrage.

This wasn’t just legalism—it was cultural nationalism wrapped in spiritual clothing.

It was about maintaining religious control and preserving a kind of cultural purity.

Today, that same spirit is alive—

There are people who claim the name of Christ but are more interested in enforcing conformity than life transformation.

A movement of White Christian Nationalism has ceased government power and is wreaking havoc in the land.

They endeavor to impose a twisted view of this sacred faith on other people.

Not because they love those people, but because they don’t want to be made uncomfortable.

But, we don’t have to go the Washington D.C. or to the rural south to find this kind of religious zealotry, we have it right here in our own backyard.

Folks more interested in policing behavior than modeling devotion

Folks are more interested in gatekeeping the church than expanding the Lord’s table.

But Paul shows us something different.

He keeps going—even when it costs him.

Because he wasn’t trying to win arguments.

He was living a life of worship, offering himself as a living sacrifice.

Worshippers are not obsessed with controlling others. They are consumed by a desire to reflect the One they adore.

Beloved, there is a standard of holiness.

We have spiritual commitments that are rooted in truth and we must live them boldly.

But, we also live them lovingly and patiently…even enduring hardship for the sake of the name of Jesus and to win people for Christ.

We Are Not Mystics – We Are Worshippers [Flashpoint: Miletus & Malta (Acts 20:7–12; 28:1–10)]

At Malta, Paul is bitten by a snake and shakes it off. When he doesn’t die, the people try to treat him like a God. Paul redirects them to Jesus.

Notice Paul’s posture:

He never seeks attention. He’s not building a supernatural brand.

The miracles happen in the margins—not as performance, but as overflow.

We live in a time where power is often confused with platform.

We chase the spectacular and undervalue faithfulness.

Paul wasn’t trying to look powerful—he was simply living out of the overflow of his consistent walking with Jesus.

Worshippers don’t have to be performers.

Miracles are not marketing tools.

Power flows through the heart aligned with heaven.

You have to trust that if you are the son and daughter of God, power will go out from you and that people will be healed whether or not you notice it.

We Are Not Politicians – We Are Worshippers [Flashpoint: Rome (Acts 25–28)]

Paul is brought before Roman governors, councils, and kings.

He’s asked to explain himself—to clarify what this “Way” is all about.

Is it a sect? A rebellion? A new political party?

But Paul keeps preaching Jesus.

Sometimes the leaders are persuaded and converted…Paul just keeps preaching Jesus.

Sometimes the leaders are angry and aggressive…Paul just keeps preaching Jesus.

He doesn’t grab for power.

He doesn’t build a coalition.

He doesn’t spin the gospel into a political platform.

Paul was politically astute.

He understood the law (appear to Caesar, flogging a citizen)

He understood political dynamics (Sadducees vs. Pharisees)

But he never forgets that his most significant citizenship is the citizenship he has in the Kingdom of God.

In Acts 28:31, Luke closes the book like this: “He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.”

Acts 28:31 ESV

proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

But if all we see is a zealous preacher, we’ve missed the point.

The picture that Luke is painting is of a man so in love with Jesus…so devoted to the Christ who has won his heart, that in whatever situation he finds himself, he will make much of the Lord Jesus and His kingdom.

The church is facing an identity crisis.

We think we’ll impact the world if we become

Successful entrepreneurs.

Strict zealots.

Powerful mystics

Influential political players.

The goal of this series has been to re-examine our roots and recover our true identity.

My prayer is that we all come away from this 13 weeks of preaching with a Moana-style revelation

We were worshippers.

At the core, the church is a community of people who have experienced Jesus and can now focus on nothing but growing the joy of that experience for always and forevermore.

And we must be again.

Here’s the question:

Can we believe that everything we are striving to DO in the world can flow out of the thing God is calling us to BE in the world.

What would shift if we stopped asking, “What all can I build?” and start asking “How much can I behold?”

The truth is—if we become worshippers again, we will also become everything else God has called us to be:

Faithful friends,

courageous leaders,

healing witnesses,

truth-tellers,

reconcilers,

ambassadors of heaven’s kingdom.

The world will misunderstand us.

They will think that we are what we do.

They will call us

radicals,

reformers,

influencers,

agitators.

But the God who knows our hearts will look down and call us what we were meant to be—Worshippers.

Here’s what I want you to do this week:

Refocus – Set aside 10 minutes a day this week for nothing but adoration. No requests. No agenda. Just worship.

Repent – Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you’ve drifted from being a worshipper into one of these other identities—entrepreneur, zealot, mystic, or politician—and confess that drift.

Recommit – Tell God: “Make me a worshipper again.” Then ask Him to show you how to walk it out—at home, at work, at church, in public life.