Showcase Showdown

PASSAGE OF THE DAY:
Acts 19 (click the link)


KEY VERSE:
“There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.” (Acts 19:27, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
In the great cosmic conflict for the souls of men, every intrusion of good is met by the fierce resistance of evil. Such was the case in Ephesus.

A silversmith named Demetrius, who manufactured small idols of the Greek goddess Artemis, became alarmed by the mass conversion of Ephesians to Christianity. Gathering his fellow tradesmen, he convinced them that Paul and his message where a serious threat to their livelihood. A riot at the city's amphitheater ensued, and it took a soothing plea from the mayor to rescue Paul's traveling companions, Gaius and Aristarchus.

Demetrius sought to protect his god and his way of life by accusing Paul and his companions of malice and creating a great uproar in the city.

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Question: In what ways has the modern Church used the methods of Demetrius in an effort to protect our God and way of life?

While reading this passage, a memory immediately jumped into my mind. 

A few years ago, we took the youth from PRF to Denver for a summer mission trip. One morning we went to an abortion clinic. Our goal for that time was to engage in spiritual warfare by praying for the girls entering the clinic. Our hope and prayer was that God would mysteriously and powerfully intervene in such a way that they would choose to not go through with the abortion. The students were allowed to pray by themselves or in small groups. Their only "rule" was that they were to stay on the sidewalk across the street from the clinic.

Our group was not the only one engaged in the spiritual conflict that morning. Another group set up camp directly outside the clinic. They marched around with large posters of aborted fetuses. They used a bullhorn to loudly berate the girls and staff who entered the clinic. They had ladders, which they used to climb the walls in order to shout even more curses at those inside. They spewed forth a disdain not only for the practice of abortion but for those who engaged in it.

That evening, we gathered the students for a meeting to discuss the events of the day. The one thing that stood out to everyone was the behavior of the protesters at the abortion clinic. We were all appalled at their behavior. The group of protesters conducted themselves in a manner that was totally opposed to what we see of Jesus in the Gospels.

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Ask someone today if he or she likes Jesus, and the answer is usually yes. But ask if that person likes the church, and chances are you'll get a far less favorable response.

Instead of serving as a showcase for the grace and truth of Jesus Christ, the church has done a great job of turning off many in our society by being against virtually everything. Watch or read the news and there's a good chance you'll come across a report about some sort of a protest led by church leaders: protests against homosexuality, gay marriage, abortions, Muslims, etc. 

Last year, the news cycles were abuzz with stories of a Florida pastor who burned the Koran. While most Christians I know thought this pastor was a bozo, many people in our society—particularly those outside of the Bible belt—believe that the church is made up of people just like him. Based on the way many of us have conducted ourselves, we've given them good reason to hold such beliefs.

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Ephesus was apparently a center for black magic and other occult practices (19:18-19). It was also home to the Temple of Artemis, a goddess of fertility. She was represented by a carved female figure with many breasts and worship practices at her temple included wild orgies and carousing.

Surely, if he had wanted to, Jesus could have called the church of Ephesus to publicly denounce these practices. However, neither this chapter nor the remainder of the New Testament contains such a command from our Lord.

Instead, what we see is the Apostle Paul boldly yet humbly speaking about the kingdom of God in the local synagogues. When opposition came against him and the Jewish leaders began to malign the church, Paul humbly "left the synagogue and took the believers with him" (19:9).

Paul's ministry in Ephesus was also accompanied by "extraordinary miracles"—long-distance healings (involving the apostle's sweat cloths) as well as exorcisms. These Spirit-empowered miracles served as a showcase for the power and authority of Christ's name in a city where Satan had a stronghold and simultaneously demonstrated the compassion and mercy of Jesus to those in great need.

In a truly bizarre story, an evil spirit bore witness to the authority of Jesus' name and literally beat the pants off seven Jewish "prophets." This story demonstrated the power of the name of Jesus over evil spirits. As the story of this event spread, a solemn fear descended upon the whole city and "the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored" among the people. The story also became the impetus for a spiritual spring cleaning in the lives of many Ephesians, as they renounced their fascination with all occult practices and burned the remnants of their pagan past at a public bonfire. Summarizing this event, Luke writes: "In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power" (19:20).


POINT OF ACTION:
Jesus' name and majesty does not need to be "protected" by man. He is big enough to protect his own name. Instead, he tells us to showcase his majesty through such things as Spirit-empowered acts of mercy, humble speech that details the glory and goodness Jesus, and love for and service to others, particularly our enemies.

Rather than using the world's methods to supposedly highlight the glory and uniqueness of our God, may we learn from the life of Jesus and the early church to walk with a humble reliance upon the Spirit of the living God.

If we truly wish to showcase the uniqueness of Jesus, let us embrace the lifestyle our Lord calls us into: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)


WHO AM I?
I'm Tres Sansom and I'm an old man at heart. Just about my favorite pastime is to sit in the driveway with Kate, sip iced tea, and talk about life with my sweetie. Oh yeah… and toss the frisbee to our Border Collie, Dolly.