This week we are looking at Acts 19 – and noting the various ways the people of Ephesus

respond to the gospel of Christ when Paul presents it to them.

After Paul’s time in Ephesus, many people have come to know Christ. That is great news!

Except for Demetrius, who makes idols for a living. Paul’s good news is bad news for

Demetrius, who comes up with a plan to cause trouble and salvage his business:

About that time there was a major disturbance about the Way. For a person named

Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, provided a great deal of

business for the craftsmen. When he had assembled them, as well as the workers

engaged in this type of business, he said, “Men, you know that our prosperity is derived

from this business. You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia,

this man Paul has persuaded and misled a considerable number of people by saying that

gods made by hand are not gods. Not only do we run a risk that our business may be

discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be despised and

her magnificence come to the verge of ruin—the very one all of Asia and the world

worship.” (Acts 19:23-27)

Demetrius was primarily concerned with his business. He saw the Way/Christianity as a threat

to his bottom line. So, he rallied people together, and this is what happened: When they had

heard this, they were filled with rage and began to cry out, “Great is Artemis of the

Ephesians!” (Act 19:28)

The crowd was angry for about two hours and was then dismissed.

How did Paul handle the situation? He didn’t! Although Paul wanted to go in before the

people, the disciples did not let him. (Acts 19:30)

Paul and his disciples stayed focused on their mission and moved on.



Jesus has made our mission clear in Matthew 28:19-20. We can get distracted by so many

things – worrying about them or trying to fix them. Jesus even told us not to worry about them!

We need to do our best to keep things simple and stay focused on our eternal mission.

By Jason Grace

Jason is a software engineering manager. He and his wife, Karen, have two children and have

been active members at Immanuel for over 22 years. His service includes roles in the deacon

ministry, children's ministry, technical team, financial coaching, and leading Bible studies. He

loves traveling with his wife and family throughout the US.