Lechem Panim #209 “Demetrius Speaks Against Paul” (Acts 19:21-27) Pastor Cameron Ury

Persecution— You know, I don't know if you have ever faced a time of persecution in your life. But if you have, you will know that it can be a very scary and difficult experience. And you can often wonder how God could possibly be at work in such a circumstance. We might even think that that persecution is a sign that we have done something wrong or that God is somehow absent. But nothing could be further from the truth, especially when we are talking about the Church; because when we look back at the broad scope of church history (of which the book of Acts plays a major part) we find that persecution never really slowed down (much less stopped) the growth of Christianity; rather it caused Christianity to thrive and grow in its purest form. Wherever persecution arose, it would end with the Church being stronger and the growth of Christianity more widespread; and I would also add deeply committed.

Why Persecution?— Now why does that persecution come? It isn't because of the positive difference the church might make in a community. Nobody has a problem with any religious group for feeding the hungry or taking care of the needy. In fact, there have been instances where churches have received rewards for doing those kinds of things; and those things are good, and I would even say are signature marks of being true believers because that is what Christ did. And being rewarded or recognized for that may not be bad in and of itself. But often the world loving and rewarding you can be a negative sign; because what it can signify is that a Church has become too much like the world and that it is failing to preach the true message of the Gospel, which is offensive to those who are still lost. Being rewarded by the world system would have never happened in the book of Acts. And the reason for that was because the early Church recognized that they were called not to be the comforters of a community (at least not centrally), but were called to be the conscience of the community. And the reason persecution would often rise against Christianity was because the Church was revealing and challenging by the Word of God what was wrong in the lives of the people of whatever community it resided in. They met people’s physical needs, but they also challenged people’s worldviews and talked about sin and their need for repentance. And that is where things get heated; when Satan rises and begins to stir people to try to silence or dispel the Church. And that is what we will see in our passage today as well. If you have it, go ahead and look with me at Acts 19:21. It says…

Acts 19:21 (LSB)— 21 Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”

Macedonia & Achaia— Now Macedonia was [The region located across the Aegean Sea on the mainland of Greece. The cities of Philippi and Thessalonica {and also Berea} were located there.] And it was here that the Gospel had first crossed from Asia into Europe. [Achaia included the church in Corinth]. Now what this verse does is it [provides an outline for the rest of the book of Acts; because after Paul leaves Ephesus, he would return to the churches in “Macedonia” and “Achaia” (or Greece, 20:1-2), then go back to Jerusalem (21:17), and then eventually proceed to Rome (28:14).]

Why Rome?— Now why did Paul want to go to Rome? Well, everywhere that Paul went, he could see the influence of Rome. And so he wanted to take the message of the [to the world center of influence and power.] If he was living in our day and age, he would be setting his sights on Washington D.C., or perhaps Hollywood. But for him, that was Rome. Plus we see in Romans 15:22-24 that he intended to use Rome as a launching point for a ministry in the strategic region of Spain. And so we have a crucial turning point here in the book of Acts as [from this point on, Rome became Paul’s goal. {And we know that} He would ultimately arrive there as a Roman prisoner (Acts 28:16).] Now it says here in…

Acts 19:22 (LSB)— 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

Timothy & Erastus— Now Timothy was of course a dear assistant (and really an adopted son) of Paul, to whom Paul wrote two letters known as first and second Timothy. But Erastus is a little bit less well known. However, he also [was a committed follower of Christ who was not only Paul's helpful assistant but also Corinth’s city treasurer (see Romans 16:23).] And part of Erastus’ and Timothy’s job on this journey to Macedonia is in fact to collect an offering for the church in Jerusalem, which was very poor; there were a lot of needy people in that church. And so [Paul wanted to take a love offering from his churches as a gift to the church at Jerusalem. {And} The reason he wanted to go {back} to Macedonia and Achaia was to collect this offering.] And that just shows how dedicated Paul (and all the Church) was to making sure that the needs of people were being met.

1 Corinthians Being Delivered— Now [Paul apparently wrote 1 Corinthians during the springtime, near the end of his time in Ephesus (cf. v.21; also 1 Cor. 16:5-10). Paul sent the letter to Corinth with Timothy and Erastus (see 1 Cor. 16:10), and then later left Ephesus to go through Macedonia and eventually to Corinth himself as well (see Acts 20:1-2; 1 Cor. 16:5, 8-9).] So Paul sends them into Macedonia while he himself lingers for a time in Asia. Look with me at…

Acts 19:23 (LSB)— 23 Now about that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way.

The Way— Now what is the way? Mandalorian fans, don’t answer that. This trouble was not caused by a group of Mandalorians. No, [“The Way” {was a phrase used to designate}…those who followed the way of Christ—the Christians.] And so the teachings of Christianity (propagated by Paul) are really what is at the center of this conflict. It says in…

Acts 19:24 (LSB)— 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen;

Artemis/Diana— Now Artemis (or Diana, as she was also known) was a fertility goddess, much like the Baals of the Old Testament. And because she represented fertility, she was depicted as a woman with many breasts. And there was a large statue of her that was said to have come from heaven (19:35). And this image was in the great temple at Ephesus, a temple which was so great it was one of the wonders of the ancient world. But there would be festivals held in her honor; and these involved orgies, carousing, and many unspeakable things. And [It is likely that the riot described in this passage took place during the annual {week-long} spring festival held in her honor at Ephesus.] And (like we saw recently) there was a huge industry that was built around her that [had become more significant in the time of Paul since the city was beginning to lose its significance as a center for international trade] and became more dependent on foreigners who would come and deposit money at her temple, buy idols of her, etc. And so people in that industry were very highly interested in keeping the worship of her going, because that had become more of the center of their economy. And one of these men who was involved in that industry became very concerned when he saw people beginning to abandon Artemis in favor of this Jesus whom Paul was preaching about; a man by the name of Demetrius, who is described as a silversmith, who made silver shrines to Artemis,…bringing no little business to the craftsmen {which [suggests Demetrius may have been the head of the silversmiths’ guild—which would explain his taking the lead in opposing the Christian preachers.]}. And of these other fellow silversmiths it says…

Acts 19:25-27 (LSB)— 25 these he gathered together with the workers of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity is from this business. 26 “And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable crowd, saying that things made with hands are not gods. 27 “And not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be considered as worthless and that she, whom all of Asia and the world worship, is even about to be brought down from her majesty.”

Profit, Not Doctrine— Now notice that Demetrius raises no particular disagreement with Paul's teachings about Jesus Christ other than the fact that Paul is saying that things made with hands are not gods. And when you think about it, that is a pretty gutsy thing for him to say in that context. And it shows that he is not of the mindset that Christians (like many say Christians need to do) just need to keep to themselves and never tell anybody else they are wrong in what they believe. The early Christians did not have that mindset at all; and Paul certainly didn’t. He wasn’t afraid to tell people what was right and what was wrong.

Being God’s Voice— And you know, that has direct implications for us as individuals, because you and I also are to be the convicting voice of God for those around us. But somehow we modern Christians have gotten into our heads that the chief commandment in Scripture is to just get along with everybody else. Don’t make waves and do not (by any means) ever be judgmental. And we think that that is being loving to other people. However, that is not being loving at all when we consider that many of the things that people are playing around with are destructive to their lives. And if sinful people can be completely comfortable around us, then we aren’t doing our jobs; we are not being the Church. We are not really striking at the heart of what can bring lasting, eternal change to people’s lives. That is one of the things that I so admire about my church, Renton Park Chapel; because while we want to be a church where everyone feels welcome to attend, we also want what they encounter in our lives and in our worship to bring conviction to their souls. That is something that the early Church clearly understood and practiced. They weren’t afraid to call a spade a spade. And that’s not just in the interest of “being right“, but was an expression of love. We want people to come as they are; but we also recognize that God loves them too much to leave them enslaved to the things that are bringing destruction to their lives. He wants to free them from all those things by conforming them into the image of His Son Jesus. And that means making significant changes to their lives. And any church that is more interested in keeping its attendees happy than in helping them to be holy is not being the Church. And so let’s be the Church. Let’s strive to (in love) be the conscience of our community, pointing the way to Christ. Then we will have the gift of seeing God’s light overcome their darkness. Let’s do so. Amen.