Friday, July 13th
Read: Acts 19
This chapter explains what happens when Paul goes to Ephesus. First off, Paul meets some disciples who had not heard of the Holy Spirit. These believers were true followers of the Messiah which they had heard of through John the Baptist. Now this might seem odd that they had not been baptized in the Spirit yet. These disciples were baptized in John’s baptism though, and this prepared them for the Holy Spirit. It was a symbol of the baptism to come. Because of this, after Paul tells them that the messiah is Jesus, he baptizes them again, but this time it is in the name of Jesus Christ. At this point, they receive the Holy Spirit.
Following this, Paul went to teach the Ephesians in the synagogue for three months. Because of some unrest there, Paul moved his teaching to the school of Tyrannus. There he taught for two years. God was working through Paul in this area. In verse 8 it says that Paul was speaking about the kingdom of God. It is no surprise then that God worked so many miracles through Paul during this time (vs.11-12). He was showing the people that Paul was truly His messenger and that His (God’s) Kingdom was, in some respect, already on earth.
Eventually, the town could only take so much of Paul and his teachings. A man named Demitrius and some of the other businessmen met together. Their work was in making small idols or shrines to Artemis, a false god of the city. God’s work through Paul was so great that they were turning people away from false gods, so much so that the businessmen were losing sales on their shrines. Because of this, the businessmen were angered, and they brought the city into confusion as they began looking for Paul and his followers. Many people were brought into this situation; shouting aloud the name of a false god called Artemis…for two hours! (v.34).
Whom and what do we choose to worship? While statues like Artemis seem a bit far off, our generation has made many of its own false gods. Money, self-image, power, material possessions, music, sex, drugs, and alcohol are a few. We live in a culture of cool; the latest trends and fashions distract us from the one true God we were made to worship—Jesus. We are left feeling empty and confused when we chase after false gods. In Ephesus we read that “Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there” (v.32). The people were caught up in the wave of what was happening around them and lost sight of who they were and what they were doing. But deep within us we have a hunger and desire to be in relationship with something greater than ourselves. We have a hole inside us that only the one true God can fill. We might find ourselves following after false idols, or simply carried along with the crowd. But God is the only one who truly satisfies the heart.
It’s so easy for us all to be caught up in the world’s trappings. Our enemy seeks to keep us in things that waste our time, steal our loyalty and leave us feeling empty—leading us to go after more things that cannot satisfy. We lose our identity and who we are in Christ when we conform to the patterns of the world. We must become aware of the enemy’s schemes and not be confused by the way the world is against us. Paul, knew his identity in Christ and didn’t waste time chasing after worthless things. If we are to avoid the mistakes that the Ephesians made, we too need to find our identity in Christ.
Process:
– We all have a longing to belong.
– Do you feel like you have found the place where you belong? Do you feel and know that you have worth in God’s eyes? Where is your identity found?
– Ask God to reveal areas in your life where false gods may be lurking and ask Jesus to take them away. Seek to become a worshipper who is solely devoted to the one true God.
– Whom and what do you choose to worship? False idols creep up in strange and unexpected ways. Root yourself in Christ and let him form who you are into who he wants you to be.
Youth Department