Acts 19:23 And about that time no small disturbance took place concerning the Way. (24) For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, afforded no little business to the craftsmen. (25) These he assembled together with the workmen of similar trades as well and said, Men, you know that from this business we have our prosperity. (26) And you observe and hear that not only at Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and perverted a considerable number, saying that the gods being made by hands are no gods at all. (27) And not only is there danger that our trade will come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be counted as nothing and that the magnificence of her whom the whole of Asia and the inhabited earth worships will also be overthrown. (28) And when they heard this, they became full of rage and began to cry out, saying, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!
...Artemis, the Ephesian goddess. In Latin, this was Diana, the Roman goddess. Making these silver shrines was a dirty and demonic trade, a trade that cooperated with the demons to possess and usurp people for Satan's evil kingdom (Matt. 12:26). Behind the idol worship were demons who instigated the uproar against the apostle to disturb and frustrate the preaching of the gospel. This was Satan's fight against God's spreading of His kingdom on the earth. In Ephesus Paul's preaching was prevailing and caused people to talk about the idols in that city. The craftsmen were concerned that their business would come into disrepute. As a result, there was a great disturbance. In a sense, when Paul was in Ephesus he was a troublemaker. Before he arrived, the city was peaceful, worshipping the idol of Artemis. But Paul's presence in Ephesus eventually caused a great disturbance. He did not attack Artemis by name. On the contrary, he carried on a prevailing ministry, and that ministry stirred up the entire city, affecting the society. This indicates that if we stay in a particular place, our ministry should be so prevailing that it stirs up the situation there in the right way.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Acts, pp. 449-450. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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