Acts 19: Are You Sharing God’s Word?
Verse of the Day: (V20) “So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.”
1. Word (V1-20)
V19 “Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.”
In Ephesus, many came to know the Lord Jesus Christ, as they heard not only the preaching of Apostle Paul, but witnessed how Paul cast out the evil spirits. Many new believers began to burn all their expensive books of magic arts, fortune telling, etc., as they knew that these were of the devil. Therefore God’s word grew mightily in Ephesus.
V20 “So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.”
2. Worship (V21-34)
V24 “For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen;”
As a result of Paul’s preaching, many believed in Christ, and hence there was a sharp decline of demand of the idols of Diana which they had been worshipping for years. Demetrius and the craftsmen, whose income was mainly from idols making, resorted to violence and murder in order to stop Paul and his disciples from preaching God’s word.
V27 “So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.”
3. Worshipper (V35-41)
V35 “And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?”
God led the town clerk to restore order in Ephesus when he told Demetrius and the craftsmen to seek their grievances in a lawful manner. The town clerk explained to them that though they were worshippers of Diana, yet Paul and his disciples did not blasphemed Diana, but they only shared God’s word to the people of Ephesus. The choice was still for them to decide which God they would choose to believe and worship.
V39 “But if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to share Your Word that many shall come to know You.
