The revival led by the Apostle Paul in the city of Ephesus as recorded in The Acts of the Apostles chapter 19, serves as a great example of the opposition we should expect when God begins to do His work of revival and blessing. The city of Ephesus was a great metropolitan city in the first century with a population, by some accounts of 250, 000, and was home to one of the wonders of the ancient world, the temple of the goddess Artemis, the roman goddess of fertility.
Paul entered the city, and immediately begins to preach Christ. Paul understood, as we should, that cities are the cultural centers of the world, and culture and influence flow out of cities to the rest of the region. If we seek to influence the culture for Christ we must be prepared to preach Christ in the cities. The narrative of Acts 19 reveals that Paul faced three specific kinds of opposition that is as prevalent in the 21st Century as they were in the first. Paul faced theological opposition, demonic opposition, and cultural opposition.
First, Paul experienced theological opposition. His first encounter upon entering the region was to meet with disciples of John the Baptist who did not have the whole story of the gospel. Paul responded to them with the preaching of the gospel. It is interesting that the litmus test for the Apostle Paul in discerning the spiritual condition of these disciples was that of receiving the Holy Spirit, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” The Spirit filled life is a genuine mark of a believer’s life. When these disciples answered no to Paul’s inquiry, he immediately proclaimed Jesus to them. “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” (Acts 19:4 ESV)
Paul then entered the synagogue in Ephesus, where for three months, he “…spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.” Paul then faced continued theological opposition to the gospel. “But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew himself from them and took disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.” (Acts 19:9 ESV)
The theological opposition that Paul encountered in Ephesus, came in two forms, those uninformed of the gospel, who when they heard believed, and those who when they heard “…continued in unbelief.” This pattern is often repeated today, as Disciples of Christ we are charged with the proclamation of the gospel, and we will be sure to see those who will oppose the truth of God’s word. It is important to note that the Apostle Paul withdrew himself from this assembly when the truth continued to be in contention. Often unity is held up as the paramount value among Christians, but we must remember that truth, the fundamentals of the gospel is ultimately what challenges and changes lives. The Apostle Paul understood this, and so should we.
Next, Paul faced demonic opposition; in the form of a group of itinerate Jewish exorcists. The “Sons of Sceva” employed the method of the Apostle Paul when attempting to deliver those possessed with evil spirits, an attempt that did not work. As Acts 19:15-16 reports, “…the evil spirit answered them, Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you? And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so they fled out of the house naked and wounded.”
C.S. Lewis observed, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” Make no mistake, Satan is real, but he is no match for Christ. It is interesting that the ministry that was marked by imitation in Acts 19 left these men “naked and wounded”. And when we attempt to defeat Satan in our own power the results will be the same, but when we trust Christ and the power of the gospel, the results will be miraculous. Revival is reported in Acts 19:20, and may the same be said of our communities. “So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily”, this happens when we as Christians we employ the weapons at our disposal to defeat the enemy. So that as Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 2:11, “…Satan may not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”
Finally, Paul faced cultural opposition in Ephesus, as his preaching of the gospel went to the heart of the culture and threatened the very livelihood of those who worshiped what they created. As Demetrius the silversmith reported in Acts 19:26 “…this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.” When we faithfully proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, the culture will be threatened, because all culture that is not centered in Christ is an expression of that culture’s idolatry.
G.K. Beale in the book, “We become what we worship”, observed, “What people revere, they resemble, either for ruin or restoration.” As observed in the book “Doctrine: What Christians should believe” by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears, “One of the recurrent themes of the Bible is that idols are deaf, mute, and blind, and so are idol worshipers who do not hear from God, speak to God, or spiritually see God.” Idolatry began with Adam, continued with Israel in both the Old and New Testaments, and is present today. Ultimately according to Romans chapter one, we end up worshiping ourselves as the final act of idolatry. But Paul confronted the idols of his culture with the power of the gospel, as should we.
In his final address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20, Paul reminded them “…I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. In the end it was the gospel that prevailed in the face of adversity in Ephesus.
The preaching of the gospel and the revival that follows will still prevail today, in the face of any and all opposition.
Paul entered the city, and immediately begins to preach Christ. Paul understood, as we should, that cities are the cultural centers of the world, and culture and influence flow out of cities to the rest of the region. If we seek to influence the culture for Christ we must be prepared to preach Christ in the cities. The narrative of Acts 19 reveals that Paul faced three specific kinds of opposition that is as prevalent in the 21st Century as they were in the first. Paul faced theological opposition, demonic opposition, and cultural opposition.
First, Paul experienced theological opposition. His first encounter upon entering the region was to meet with disciples of John the Baptist who did not have the whole story of the gospel. Paul responded to them with the preaching of the gospel. It is interesting that the litmus test for the Apostle Paul in discerning the spiritual condition of these disciples was that of receiving the Holy Spirit, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” The Spirit filled life is a genuine mark of a believer’s life. When these disciples answered no to Paul’s inquiry, he immediately proclaimed Jesus to them. “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” (Acts 19:4 ESV)
Paul then entered the synagogue in Ephesus, where for three months, he “…spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.” Paul then faced continued theological opposition to the gospel. “But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew himself from them and took disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.” (Acts 19:9 ESV)
The theological opposition that Paul encountered in Ephesus, came in two forms, those uninformed of the gospel, who when they heard believed, and those who when they heard “…continued in unbelief.” This pattern is often repeated today, as Disciples of Christ we are charged with the proclamation of the gospel, and we will be sure to see those who will oppose the truth of God’s word. It is important to note that the Apostle Paul withdrew himself from this assembly when the truth continued to be in contention. Often unity is held up as the paramount value among Christians, but we must remember that truth, the fundamentals of the gospel is ultimately what challenges and changes lives. The Apostle Paul understood this, and so should we.
Next, Paul faced demonic opposition; in the form of a group of itinerate Jewish exorcists. The “Sons of Sceva” employed the method of the Apostle Paul when attempting to deliver those possessed with evil spirits, an attempt that did not work. As Acts 19:15-16 reports, “…the evil spirit answered them, Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you? And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so they fled out of the house naked and wounded.”
C.S. Lewis observed, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” Make no mistake, Satan is real, but he is no match for Christ. It is interesting that the ministry that was marked by imitation in Acts 19 left these men “naked and wounded”. And when we attempt to defeat Satan in our own power the results will be the same, but when we trust Christ and the power of the gospel, the results will be miraculous. Revival is reported in Acts 19:20, and may the same be said of our communities. “So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily”, this happens when we as Christians we employ the weapons at our disposal to defeat the enemy. So that as Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 2:11, “…Satan may not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”
Finally, Paul faced cultural opposition in Ephesus, as his preaching of the gospel went to the heart of the culture and threatened the very livelihood of those who worshiped what they created. As Demetrius the silversmith reported in Acts 19:26 “…this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.” When we faithfully proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, the culture will be threatened, because all culture that is not centered in Christ is an expression of that culture’s idolatry.
G.K. Beale in the book, “We become what we worship”, observed, “What people revere, they resemble, either for ruin or restoration.” As observed in the book “Doctrine: What Christians should believe” by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears, “One of the recurrent themes of the Bible is that idols are deaf, mute, and blind, and so are idol worshipers who do not hear from God, speak to God, or spiritually see God.” Idolatry began with Adam, continued with Israel in both the Old and New Testaments, and is present today. Ultimately according to Romans chapter one, we end up worshiping ourselves as the final act of idolatry. But Paul confronted the idols of his culture with the power of the gospel, as should we.
In his final address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20, Paul reminded them “…I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. In the end it was the gospel that prevailed in the face of adversity in Ephesus.
The preaching of the gospel and the revival that follows will still prevail today, in the face of any and all opposition.
No comments :
Post a Comment