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Scripture Reading: Acts 19:23-41; 20:1-12
In this message we shall consider 19:23—20:12. In 19:23-41 we have an account of the great disturbance in Ephesus. In 20:1-12 we have a description of Paul’s journey through Macedonia and Greece to Troas.
Acts 19:23 says, “Now about that time no little disturbance took place concerning the way.” As we have pointed out, in Acts “the way” denotes the Lord’s full salvation in God’s New Testament economy.
Verses 24 through 26 continue, “For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, making silver shrines of Artemis, afforded no little business to the craftsmen, whom he also assembled together with the workmen of similar trades and said, Men, you know that from this trade we have our prosperity. 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 they are not gods that are made by hands.” The Demetrius in verse 24 is not the one in 3 John 1:12. This Demetrius was a silversmith who made silver shrines of 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 (v. 27). As a result, there was a great disturbance. Those whom Demetrius had assembled became full of rage and “they kept crying out, saying, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! And the city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus of Macedonia, Paul’s traveling companions” (vv. 28-29). The Gaius mentioned in verse 29 was not the Gaius of Derbe in 20:4, nor the Gaius of Corinth in 1 Corinthians 1:14 and Rom. 16:23, nor the Gaius addressed by John in 3 John 1:1. The name Gaius was very common at the time.
In Acts 19:23-41 we see an important principle. This principle is that if we stay in a locality for a longer time we should have a prevailing ministry, a ministry that is able to stir up others. 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.
In 19:23-41 we have another pattern — the pattern of causing trouble through a prevailing ministry. If we follow this pattern, we shall cause trouble through the prevailing preaching of the gospel. Before we come to a certain place, the people may live peacefully and worship idols. But after we stay there for a period of time, the city may be in a turmoil because of our prevailing ministry.
Certain matters relating to the disturbance in Ephesus are almost laughable. We are told that “some cried out one thing and some another; for the assembly was in confusion, and the majority did not know for what cause they had come together” (v. 32). Furthermore, “some of the crowd focused on Alexander, the Jews having pushed him forward; and Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the populace. But when they realized that he was a Jew, one voice arose from all for about two hours, crying out, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (vv. 33-34). Probably Alexander was not a convert of Paul’s preaching. Neither was he the Alexander in 1 Timothy 1:20 and 2 Timothy 4:14. Concerning the disturbance, the townclerk said, “For indeed we are in danger of being charged with insurrection concerning today’s affairs, there being no cause for it; and with reference to it we shall not be able to give an account concerning this disorderly gathering” (v. 40). From these verses we see how great was the turmoil caused by Paul’s prevailing ministry.
When some read the account of the disturbance in Ephesus, they may say, “When I go to a place to work for the Lord, I do not want to see such turmoil.” Nevertheless, if your work is truly prevailing, eventually this prevailingness will touch the heart of the power of darkness. In Ephesus the heart of the power of darkness was the temple of the goddess Artemis. The more the Ephesians became believers in the Lord, the less influence this temple had. Apparently, the disturbance was caused by certain craftsmen. Actually, it was stirred up by the demons who were behind the scene.
Our ministry is to propagate the resurrected Christ as God’s kingdom. But today every city is the kingdom of the Devil. Hence, the prevailing ministry for the propagation of Christ is a fighting, a battle, for God’s kingdom. The whole earth is the kingdom of darkness. If we are very kind and gentle in carrying out our work, seeking to please everyone, no opposition will be stirred up, no matter how long we stay in a certain place. If our ministry is truly prevailing, there is bound to be opposition.
However, we should not do anything in ourselves to stir up trouble, thinking that this is a proof that our ministry is powerful and prevailing. It is terrible to do such a thing, for that will be used by the power of darkness. Then instead of being part of the propagation of Christ for God’s kingdom, we shall in a practical way be a part of the kingdom of darkness.
We all need to realize that a battle is raging between God and Satan. Therefore, we need to be certain that whatever we do is absolutely on the side of the kingdom of God and that nothing is involved with the kingdom of darkness.
Because of the battle raging between God and Satan, we should be prepared for the enemy’s attack. If we carry on a prevailing ministry, eventually we shall be attacked. The demonic “arrows” will be aimed at us. However, instead of being dismayed by this, we, like Paul, should be encouraged.
Paul was strong in confronting attack. He did not flee from that demonic uproar in Ephesus. In fact, he even intended to go in to the populace, but the disciples would not allow him (v. 30). “And some of the Asiarchs also, who were his friends, sent to him and entreated him not to venture into the theater himself” (v. 31). These Asiarchs were principal persons of the province of Asia. Here we see that even Paul’s friends in the political circle were concerned for his safety. If Paul had ventured into the theater, the Jews who were opposing him may have seized the opportunity to kill him.
Acts 19:35-41 describes how the crowd was quieted. After the townclerk addressed the crowd, he dismissed the assembly (v. 41). This was the sovereignty of the Lord to preserve His apostle from the demonic uproar.
In his ministry Paul was constantly fighting against the power of darkness. As we have pointed out, the power of darkness was behind the idol worship in Ephesus. Humanly speaking, there was no reason for the people in Ephesus to behave so foolishly, crying out without knowing what they were doing. Their behavior was provoked by demons. The demons in the idol worshippers instigated them to do something against God’s propagating ministry. It was of the Lord’s sovereignty that this disturbance took place at the end of Paul’s three-year stay in that city. As 20:1 tells us, “after the uproar had ceased, Paul, having sent for the disciples and encouraged them, took leave of them and went off to go into Macedonia.”
In 20:1-3 we can see more clearly the kind of situation Paul was in. Verse 1 says that he took leave of the disciples and went off to go into Macedonia. It was here that Paul wrote his second Epistle to the church in Corinth (2 Cor. 2:13; 7:5-6; 8:1; 9:2, 4). Paul’s first Epistle to the church in Corinth (1 Cor. 16:3-10, 19) was written from Ephesus at the time of 19:22. We have also seen that at the time of 18:5 Paul wrote his first Epistle to the Thessalonians. It is likely that his second Epistle to the Thessalonians was written not long afterward. Furthermore, during this period of time Paul may have written the Epistle to the Galatians.
According to Acts 20:2 and 3, after Paul passed through Macedonia, he came into Greece and spent three months there. It was at this time in Corinth that the apostle wrote his Epistle to the saints in Rome (Rom. 15:22-32; cf. Acts 19:21; 1 Cor. 16:3-7).
In reading chapters eighteen through twenty of Acts we see that Paul had at least a fourfold burden: a burden for the church in Corinth, a burden for the church in Ephesus, an even stronger burden for the situation in Jerusalem, and also a burden for the church in Rome. In a foregoing message we emphasized the fact that Paul’s heart was toward Jerusalem. He purposed in his spirit to go to Jerusalem and then to see Rome. Because of his burden Paul wrote the two Epistles to the Corinthians and the Epistle to the Romans. Although he was heavily burdened with the work in the area of the Mediterranean Sea, he was also very much burdened for the situation of the church in Jerusalem.
Acts 20:3 says, “And having spent three months there, a plot having been made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he resolved to return through Macedonia.” Paul originally intended to go to Jerusalem through Syria from Achaia in Greece (19:21; 1 Cor. 16:3-7). Due to the Jews’ plot against him, he changed his route northward to Macedonia. From there he returned to Jerusalem. He was aware of and suffering from the plots of the Jews (Acts 20:19). Because of this, he begged the saints in Rome to pray for him concerning his return to Jerusalem (Rom. 15:25-26, 30-31). This was possibly also the cause of his being bound in his spirit to go to Jerusalem (Acts 20:22). Eventually, after returning to Jerusalem, he was seized by the Jews (21:27-30), who sought to kill him (21:31; 23:12-15).
Paul was very cautious concerning the Jews who were plotting against him. When he learned of this plot, he wisely changed his route. By this we can see the difficult situation in which Paul found himself. Although he was in such a situation, he still had the burden to care for the Lord’s interest universally, not only in Corinth and Macedonia, but also in Jerusalem and Rome. It is very important for us to see Paul’s fourfold burden for Corinth, Ephesus, Jerusalem, and Rome.
According to 20:5 and 6, Paul and his companions came to Troas, where they stayed seven days. “And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, about to go forth on the next day, and prolonged his message until midnight” (v. 7). The first day of the week was the Lord’s day (Rev. 1:10). Paul stayed in Troas for seven days, but it was only on the first day of the week that they gathered together to break bread in remembrance of the Lord. This indicates that at that time the apostle and the church considered the first day of the week a day to meet together for the Lord.
The New Testament does not say explicitly that there was a church in Troas. But by reading this short portion of the Word, we can easily realize that there was a good church there. Although Paul was very busy, he stayed with the saints in Troas for seven days, and on the Lord’s day he took the opportunity to minister to them until late at night. From this we see that Paul was truly burdened for the Lord’s Body.
While meeting with the saints in Troas on the Lord’s day, Paul prolonged his message until midnight. Then, after the situation involving the young man who fell down from a windowsill, they broke bread (vv. 8-11a). Following that, Paul “conversed for a considerable time until daybreak, and so he went away” (v. 11b). This indicates that Paul was fully burdened for God’s New Testament economy.
We need to see the picture of the apostle Paul presented in these chapters of Acts and also in such Epistles as Galatians, Romans, and 1 and 2 Corinthians. As we study these parts of the New Testament, we can see that in Paul the Lord had obtained an excellent vessel. Paul was a man fully constituted of God’s New Testament economy. Because he was constituted in this way, he was burdened concerning the church in Jerusalem.
Actually, the church in Jerusalem and the churches in Judea were not assigned to Paul for him to be burdened concerning them. In Galatians 2:8 Paul says clearly that the Lord assigned Peter to be an apostle to the circumcision, including the churches in the Jewish land, and He assigned Paul to be the apostle to the uncircumcision, that is, to the Gentiles. Therefore, it seems that it would have been sufficient for Paul to bear the burden of all the Gentile churches from Antioch to Asia and from Macedonia to Rome. Apparently there was no need for Paul to be burdened about Jerusalem. Nevertheless, he had seen the situation there. As one who had seen the situation and who was faithful, Paul could not be at peace concerning Jerusalem. Paul was concerned that the “poison” from the source, the “fountain,” in Jerusalem would contaminate the entire Body of Christ.
Even in ancient times there was a great deal of traffic in the area around the Mediterranean Sea. The Roman government had built many roads. In particular, there was traffic to Jerusalem from many different cities, especially at the time of the feasts. Because of this traffic, the religious mixture in Jerusalem could easily spread to the Gentile world.
As we have seen, Peter and James should have solved the problem in Jerusalem. However, they were somewhat weak and fearful and did not take care of the matter. As a result, eventually Paul became burdened to take care of the situation there.
In chapter fifteen of Acts Paul and Barnabas went up to Jerusalem purposely to deal with the problem regarding circumcision. The problem was solved, but the solution was not absolute. Because of the compromising solution, the problem was not uprooted. Rather, the root was allowed to remain. Therefore, Paul was not at peace concerning the situation in Jerusalem.
James was compromising, Peter was weak, and a pitiful situation continued to exist in Jerusalem. Because of this, Paul, a faithful servant of the Lord, was burdened with a very weighty concern. Paul did not have the peace to go on in his ministry in the Gentile world because the poison from the source at Jerusalem was flowing out toward Asia, Europe, and even Rome. This was the reason Paul did not have the peace, assurance, and comfort to proceed further to carry out God’s New Testament economy in the Gentile world. His heart was for Jerusalem, and he purposed in spirit to go there to clear up the source of the mixture.
Paul went up to Jerusalem in chapter fifteen and again in chapter eighteen, at the end of his second ministry journey (v. 22). After he completed his second journey of ministry, Paul arrived at Caesarea. According to the route of travel, he should have gone directly back to Antioch. However, he purposely went to Jerusalem in order to do something gradually to clear away the poison that was there. Now Paul purposed in his spirit to go up to Jerusalem once again.
As we consider the picture portrayed in Acts, we see that while Paul was laboring to care for the Lord’s move in the area around the Mediterranean Sea, he was still burdened concerning Jerusalem, because it was the source of the poison that was spreading into the Gentile world. Therefore having no peace to continue his work in Europe and Asia, he endeavored in his faithfulness to go up to Jerusalem in order to deal with the source of the poison of religious mixture that was flowing out from Jerusalem to the Gentile world.
