| Introduction I am excited for this series on the Ephesian Church! We will follow the life of a church from its birth all the way to its demise and will try to learn and grow through that journey. This series will cover all or parts of five books of the New Testament and should take us through 2019. As we go through this series, would you pray with me that the Lord would use to grow us in Christ and save those of us who haven't believed in Jesus yet? By the time we meet the apostle Paul in Acts 19, he had been trying to get to Ephesus for a while. A few years earlier, he had attempted to go to Ephesus, but the Holy Spirit prevented him from going there. So, he ended up in Europe, Acts 16:6-10. Just a year prior to Acts 19, he had finally made it to Ephesus, but for a very brief moment as he was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem, Acts 18:19-21. Now he has arrived to stay for a while: nearly three years in total! And he is here with the specific purpose of planting a church. For Paul, the goal of missions wasn't just getting people saved. For him, the fulfilment of the Great Commission was the planting of churches where those who have been brought into the kingdom of God through faith in Jesus Christ can grow together into the fulness of their Head, the Lord Jesus Christ. I. A Little Bit about Ephesus. A. Ephesus was located in the Roman province of Asia, which is today's western Turkey. B. As a matter of fact, it was the capital of the that province. C. It was a large city of about 250,000 inhabitants, which greater than the total population of all the cities represented here without including Tacoma (245,222 – Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater, Yelm, Shelton, Montesano, Aberdeen, Fircrest, Puyallup, and University Place; Tacoma = 213,418). D.Its glory days were in the past because its port was being blocked up because of all the silt that was coming down the rivers. E. Its claim to fame at the time that Paul was there was the great temple of Artemis, the goddess of fertility. 1. The NKJV uses the goddess's Latin name, Diana. 2. The temple is considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and was four times the size of the Parthenon in Athens (about four football fields). 3. The big thing was that the temple worship drove a big chunk of the Ephesian economy at the time of Paul. F. It was a very superstitious city as evidenced by all the magic scrolls (19) and magic exorcisms (13-16). G.Paul stayed in Ephesus for about three years. 2. He left behind him a thriving church with an established Presbyterian government (we know that because of Acts 20 and meeting with the elders). 3. This chapter is a very brief overview of his time in Ephesus. {TRANSITION: I want us to see four things in chapter 19 – the message upon which a church is planted, the method through which a church is planted, the result of the method and message, and lastly the reaction of the world to the planting of a church.} II. The Message upon Which a Church Must Be Planted: Faith in Jesus (4) and only God Is God (26). A. Luke simply starts by saying, "And it happened," 1. 1. This is not the "it happened by chance," but the "it happened because that's just the normal thing to do." 2. He doesn't label it as special. 3. For him, what he is describing here is just what Christians do: go from city to city planting churches. B. Paul sought out and found some people who identified themselves as disciples of Christ, 1b-7. 1. These were misguided or perhaps incomplete disciples because they really didn't follow the teaching of John the Baptist even though they claimed him as their leader. 2. They did not understand that John the Baptist was pointing to one greater than himself, whose sandal straps he wasn't worthy of tying and who was going to take away the sin of the world. 3. Paul's natural reaction, then, is to preach Jesus to them, 4. C. We see here that the message upon which a church is planted is the message of Jesus Christ crucified. a. Because there is no other name under heaven whereby people must be saved. b. Because Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the church – no local church can be built on anything else than Jesus Christ. c. Because apart from faith in Christ, there is no church. 2. But this is not just for church planting – all of life is grounded on Jesus Christ. Acts 20:21– testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Phil 1:21– For to me, to live isChrist, and to die isgain. 1 Cor. 2:2– For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Rom. 8:9-9– So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. Heb. 11:6– But without faith it isimpossible to please Him,for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and thatHe is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 3. Where do your mind and your heart go to when life hits you? Phil 2:18-19– Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delightin falsehumility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that isfrom God. D.Alongside with faith in Jesus Christ, the message through which a church is planted is that God is god, 26-27. 1. The unbelieving Demetrius understood that central to Paul's message was the truth that there is only one God and Artemis/Diana is not it. a. Sadly, we often don't get what this unbeliever readily understood: God is god and we are not. b. Any church of Jesus Christ is planted on this truth. 2. There is no room for compromise, for mixing the God of the Bible with the gods of the nations. 3. There is also no room for mixing the God of the Bible with the gods of our own doing in our hearts. 4. The whole Bible is about this truth that God is God and we are not. a. A lot of life would be much easier if we lived according to the truth that God is God and we are not. b. Attempts to control and manipulate people and situations would be abandoned because only God is in control. c. Anxiety and stress would plummet in the church. d. Joy would soar because we wouldn't be attempting to interact with each other as each other's god, but as fellow servants of the only One who reigns. E. So, the Ephesian Church is planted upon a very simple message: God is god and you or anything else are not and apart from faith in Jesus Christ there is no redemption. III. The Method through Which a Church Is Planted: The Persistent Preaching of the Word of God in the Power of the Spirit, 4, 8-10, 20. A. Paul preached Christ to John the Baptist's disciples till they came to faith in him, 4-7. 1. The proclamation of the Gospel actually led to an "Ephesian Pentecost." 2. I'm not sure what the significance of there being 12 of them is, so I'll not comment on it. B. Paul preached Christ in the synagogue for three months, sabbath after sabbath, till the opposition grew so loud he couldn't continue, 8-9a. 1. That's the longest he was allowed to stay in the synagogue in any of the cities he planted churches. 2. That was probably because he returned to Ephesus at the invitation of the synagogue leaders. C. Paul preached Christ to anyone who would listen to him for two years, 9b-10. 1. After he left the synagogue, he likely rented the school of Tyrannus to use it as a preaching hall in the hours that the school wasn't meeting. 2. There is very strong evidence that Paul did that from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., six days a week. 3. On top of that he also worked at his tent-making job and did house visitations (see chpt. 20). D.Paul wanted to preach Christ to the mad crow in the theater, 30. 1. In Paul's mind, that was a great opportunity. 2. A bunch of people gathered together in one place with great acoustics! 3. Though this idea may have been misguided, it does show Paul's conviction that the right method through which churches should be planted in the persistent preaching of the Word of God. E. Two characteristics of Paul's preaching as he is planting the Ephesian church. 1. The preaching made sense (reasoning) and was persuasive, 8 – though there were emotional responses to his preaching, he appealed to the mind and asked the mind to judge the emotions. 2. The preaching was patient – three months in the synagogue and two years at the school of Tyrannus, 8, 10. IV. The Result of Using Biblical Message and Method in Planting a Church: Changed Lives and Changed Thinking, 5-7, 18-19, 26. A. The 12 misguided disciples of John the Baptist became true disciples of Jesus Christ, 5-7. B. The Ephesians turned away from the occult and magic, 18-19. 1. Whether all these people became believers, we don't know. 2. We do know, however, that the preaching of the Gospel had a demonstrable impact of them. a. They burned scrolls that were worth 50,000 pieces of silver (drachma). b. One piece of silver was the daily wage of the average worker. c. Doing that math, this is equivalent to 137 years worth of wages for one person. d. Using today's minimum age rate, 50,000 would be the equivalent of $3,277,040.00 3. It is important for us to see that this is no small sacrifice on their part. "What these Christians did as they heard the gospel and came to understand what they owed to Jesus Christ was to 'lay it on the line,' as we would say. Anything in their lives that was holding them back or indicated a divided allegiance was rejected." Jams Montgomery Boice 4. When Christians really lay their lives on the line, as it were, because of their faith in Jesus Christ, the Gospel spreads like wildfire on dry brush and grows in power, 20. a. I was thinking about my own life, how it is filled with silly stuff that I hold so tightly. b. I wonder how much brighter the light of Christ could shine just around me if I let go of these silly things. c. I wonder how much brighter the light of Christ would shine all around us if we let go of these dear silly things that we are so convinced that we need or that is our right to have. d. I wonder how many souls are going to hell because of our self-centered concerns. 5. At the end of the day, genuine faith lived in everyday life adorns the Gospel. Titus 2:9-10– Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things,not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. 1 Pt. 3:3-5– Do not let your adornment be merelyoutward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fineapparel—rather let it bethe hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beautyof a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands…. Ps. 93:5– Your testimonies are very sure; holiness adorns Your house, O Lord, forever. C. People turned away from false gods to the true God of the Bible through Jesus Christ, 26. D.The Word of God spread through all Asia (Turkey), 10, 17. 1. Perhaps the seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation were planted during this time as people heard the Word and carried the Word with them. 2. That's pattern that had already been followed in the book Acts. Acts 8:4– Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. V. The World's Reaction to the Planting of a Church, 23-34. A. The impression we get is that the vast majority of Ephesians did not come to faith in Jesus Christ. B. But Demetrius the silversmith saw the writing on the wall. 1. If this faith continues to spread we are going to be out of business. 2. That was the case because he and his buddies made their living by making little statues of Artemis. 3. No worship of Artemis, no sales of statues. C. So, the best thing to do is to get the crowd riled up even if confused, 28-29. 1. For two hours they chanted the praises of their god. 2. And that's really what the world does: sing the praises of their god. "When God's kingdom advances, Satan must yield, but the prince of darkness does not capitulate without combat." William Hendriksen "When religious devotion and economic interest were simultaneously offended, a quite exceptionally fervid [intensely enthusiastic or passionate, especially to an excessive degree]anger was engendered." F.F. Bruce D.Yet the church continues and makes the greatest impact in the world. "The world is never changed by the majority; the world is changed by a minority who 'hear a different drummer.' Christians listen to a different Spirit and go in the Holy Spirit's way." James Montgomery Boice Let me finish this morning with the words and challenge of James Montgomery Boice. "And Artemis? Well, it is no exaggeration to say there is not a soul living in the world today who worships 'Artemis of the Ephesians,' while there are millions who worship Jesus Christ and would willingly die for him. "How did Christianity triumph? How did Christians win the day? It was not by appealing to numbers. It was not by a play on the emotions. The Christians did not circulate a petition to see if they could get 51 percent of the Ephesians to sign it, a petition saying, 'Artemis is no goddess, and the God of the Old Testament is the true God.' The Christians did not have a mass rally. They did not send Christians into the amphitheater to do their thing, the way Demetrius and his crew had gotten people together to do his thing. They didn't sing emotional songs. They did exactly what Jesus Christ had done and what he had sent them onto the world to do: They preached the gospel so that men and women got converted, and once they were converted they taught them how to live for Jesus Christ.
Do you want to make an impact on the world today? Do you want to turn this economy upside down? This is the way. It is by teaching the Word and by following hard after Jesu Christ. It does not take larger numbers; a small group can do it. Many small groups have."
http://olympiabp.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-birth-of-church-acts-19.html
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