Group Guide
This Week's City 7:
5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
Ice-Breaker:
Have you ever been a temple or place of worship of another religion? (Example, a Muslim mosque, Buddhist temple, etc.) What was that experience like?
Scripture:
Acts 19:21-41
21 Afterward Paul felt compelled by the Spirit to go over to Macedonia and Achaia before going to Jerusalem. “And after that,” he said, “I must go on to Rome!” 22 He sent his two assistants, Timothy and Erastus, ahead to Macedonia while he stayed awhile longer in the province of Asia.
The Riot in Ephesus
23 About that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way. 24 It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy. 25 He called them together, along with others employed in similar trades, and addressed them as follows:
“Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business. 26 But as you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t really gods at all. And he’s done this not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province! 27 Of course, I’m not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. I’m also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis—this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world—will be robbed of her great prestige!”
28 At this their anger boiled, and they began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was filled with confusion. Everyone rushed to the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, who were Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia. 30 Paul wanted to go in, too, but the believers wouldn’t let him. 31 Some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, also sent a message to him, begging him not to risk his life by entering the amphitheater.
32 Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander forward and told him to explain the situation. He motioned for silence and tried to speak. 34 But when the crowd realized he was a Jew, they started shouting again and kept it up for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 At last the mayor was able to quiet them down enough to speak. “Citizens of Ephesus,” he said. “Everyone knows that Ephesus is the official guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, whose image fell down to us from heaven. 36 Since this is an undeniable fact, you should stay calm and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, but they have stolen nothing from the temple and have not spoken against our goddess.
38 “If Demetrius and the craftsmen have a case against them, the courts are in session and the officials can hear the case at once. Let them make formal charges. 39 And if there are complaints about other matters, they can be settled in a legal assembly. 40 I am afraid we are in danger of being charged with rioting by the Roman government, since there is no cause for all this commotion. And if Rome demands an explanation, we won’t know what to say.” 41 Then he dismissed them, and they dispersed.
21 Afterward Paul felt compelled by the Spirit to go over to Macedonia and Achaia before going to Jerusalem. “And after that,” he said, “I must go on to Rome!” 22 He sent his two assistants, Timothy and Erastus, ahead to Macedonia while he stayed awhile longer in the province of Asia.
The Riot in Ephesus
23 About that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way. 24 It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy. 25 He called them together, along with others employed in similar trades, and addressed them as follows:
“Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business. 26 But as you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t really gods at all. And he’s done this not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province! 27 Of course, I’m not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. I’m also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis—this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world—will be robbed of her great prestige!”
28 At this their anger boiled, and they began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was filled with confusion. Everyone rushed to the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, who were Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia. 30 Paul wanted to go in, too, but the believers wouldn’t let him. 31 Some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, also sent a message to him, begging him not to risk his life by entering the amphitheater.
32 Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander forward and told him to explain the situation. He motioned for silence and tried to speak. 34 But when the crowd realized he was a Jew, they started shouting again and kept it up for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 At last the mayor was able to quiet them down enough to speak. “Citizens of Ephesus,” he said. “Everyone knows that Ephesus is the official guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, whose image fell down to us from heaven. 36 Since this is an undeniable fact, you should stay calm and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, but they have stolen nothing from the temple and have not spoken against our goddess.
38 “If Demetrius and the craftsmen have a case against them, the courts are in session and the officials can hear the case at once. Let them make formal charges. 39 And if there are complaints about other matters, they can be settled in a legal assembly. 40 I am afraid we are in danger of being charged with rioting by the Roman government, since there is no cause for all this commotion. And if Rome demands an explanation, we won’t know what to say.” 41 Then he dismissed them, and they dispersed.
Discussion Questions:
- In Acts 19, trouble starts brewing in Ephesus. A few verses earlier, a great spiritual awakening had taken place as Christians took extreme steps of repentance as they burned their spell books and turned from their sin. Ephesus had been a stronghold of Satan, and now people were turning to God. Any time God moves and people are turning to Him, Satan will attack. We are in a spiritual war! Paul told the church in Ephesus that we "are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world." Have you ever experienced an attack from Satan when God was moving powerfully in your life? Are you under attack now? How are you going about fighting back?
- The trouble in Ephesus started when Demetrius, a silversmith, started trying to turn people against Paul and the faith because it was cutting into his profits. Paul and his gospel message were messing with peoples money and they didn't like it. Just like the rich young ruler in the book of Luke, Demetrius and others loved their money more than the truth. People in today's church are no different! We want to be good Christians and live for God as long as it doesn't cost us anything. Jesus said that where your treasure is, your heart is. God wants to be the God of your WHOLE LIFE, including your bank account. What has been your experience when it comes to surrendering your finances to God? Does it come easy to you? Have you had difficulty letting go?
- Demetrius got the people all riled up and angry at Paul and his message. An angry mob dragged Paul's companions into the amphitheater. Paul wanted to go in as well, but his friends begged him not to go in because his life would be in danger. Paul is so compelled by the Spirit to preach the gospel, whatever the cost, that he is willing to risk his life to do it! To Paul, the gospel is worthy of his time, his money, inconvenience... even his very life! What about you? What all are you willing to risk for the sake of the gospel?
- The first challenge on Sunday was, "Live a life that makes sense in light of ETERNITY." Paul was an excellent example of this. His choices and passions in life went way beyond the earthly things around him. But Demetrius and his friends? They only cared about their stuff. They gave no thought to eternity. Satan is trying to distract you, entice you, mesmerize you with things that have no eternal value! How distracted are YOU? How much thought do you give to eternity? Do your life and choices make sense in light of eternity?
- The last challenge was, "Don't exchange the CREATOR for the CREATED." This would make NO sense in light of eternity. Created things aren't worthy of your life and worship. Only the CREATOR is worthy. We can all develop idols in life. What is an idol you need to tear down? What is stealing your time, energy, money and attention from the one, true God? Where are your priorities out of whack, and what needs to change?
Prayer Topics:
- That we would live lives that make sense in light of eternity.
- That we would worship only the Creator, not His creation.
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