Which Way Will We Choose?

April 6, 2025
Acts 19:23-41
ፓስተር ክሪስ ታመመ

Please pray with me.
Holy Spirit, would you please open our hearts and minds to the word of God?
I do not have the wisdom that we need, or the power to choose the right path, even for myself.
But Jesus, the living Word, offers to us the wisdom and power we need for life.
So bless us, Father in heaven, through the gospel of your Son Jesus, amen.

In tonight’s message, we will continue our study of the book of Acts chapter 19.
The apostle Paul has already spent more than two years in the city of Ephesus, teaching the Word of God daily.
As he taught, the power of God flowed into the hearts of many people trapped in idolatry and black magic.
When these new believers in Christ confessed publicly, they burned piles of black magic items.
They turned away from the ungodly paths they once walked on.
Tonight, we will see how the rest of Ephesus reacted when they saw the impact of the gospel on their Christian neighbors.
The cities of Ephesus, Corinth, Athens and Philippi all had temples to various gods.
In some ways, these temples were like the cathedrals of Europe, or the elaborate mosques you find in Muslim cities.
Wealthy donors and community leaders gave money to build these cathedrals, mosques, and the ancient temples.
2,000 years ago, such temples were symbols of national pride, tourist attractions, and places of pagan worship.
Athens had the famous Parthenon, a temple to the goddess Athena.
Ephesus had the much-larger temple to Artemis, the goddess of war and fertility.
It generated a lot of income for Ephesus, because people from everywhere traveled to see it, and buy small models of the temple.
Some of them were souvenirs, like this little Statue of Liberty sold in New York City.
But the silver models of the Temple of Artemis were for worship.
People used them at home to make offerings to Artemis and light candles, like Hindus and Buddhists do today.
Making and selling these shrines of Artemis was big business in Ephesus.
But the worship of false gods like Artemis was incompatible with the Christian message that Paul was preaching.
This conflict had been brewing in Ephesus for two years while Paul taught the Word of God.
So please give your attention to Acts 19:23–41, to hear what happened next.
23 “About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.
24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there.
25 He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said:
“You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business.
26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia.
He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.
27 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.”
28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar.
The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together.
30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him.
31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.
32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another.
Most of the people did not even know why they were there.
33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him.
He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people.
34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours:
“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said:
“Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven?
36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash.
37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess.
38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls.
They can press charges.
39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly.
40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today.
In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.”
41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.”

Together we read Isaiah 40:8:
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

This event has a happy ending, because the crowd was dismissed peacefully before they could hurt anyone.
But this wasn’t the only time Paul and his friends were attacked by mobs like this.
In Lystra, Paul was beaten so severely that they dragged his body outside the city, assuming he was dead.
Sadly, God’s people are still attacked like this today.
Last May, a mob of hundreds of people gathered in the city of Sargodha, Pakistan.
Someone made false accusations that 74-year-old Lazar Masih had insulted the Quran.
Masih was beaten, his skull fractured, and he died a few days later.
The violence of the mob forced the evacuation of over 200 Christian families from the area.
In Sargodha, it did not matter that the charges against Masih were false.
Did you notice in verse 32:
“The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another.
Most of the people did not even know why they were there.”

People in a mob are often confused, but the organizers always know what they are doing.
Demetrius revealed his true economic motive when he told the Ephesian craftsmen in verse 25b: “You know, my friends, we receive a good income from this business.”

The people who made items for the worship of Artemis were experiencing the financial pinch of Christianity spreading in Ephesus.
That is why hundreds of them gathered for a riot in the theater.
Just when it appeared that the mob might turn violent, the city clerk managed to calm them down.
This government official made three arguments:
In verse 37, he said:
37 “You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess.”

The clerk points out that the Christians have not attacked the temple, stolen anything from it, or said derogatory things about Artemis.
Christians today should act the same way.
We don’t use the world’s methods, attacking things we disagree with.
Because only God can change someone’s minds.
Next, in verse 38, the city clerk appeals to Roman law:
38 “If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls.
They can press charges.”

The clerk reminded the mob that the correct way to deal with their concerns was through the court of law.
In Acts 18, Paul was brought into court in Corinth, and the charges were dismissed by Gallio.
That event, and this one in Ephesus, established legal precedents in the Roman Empire.
The religious freedom of Christians was affirmed, enabling the gospel to spread throughout the region.
Now look with me at the last argument the clerk made, in verses 35-36:
35 “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven?
36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash.”

This is actually a very modern kind of argument.
The clerk is basically saying:
“Everyone knows these Christians are fools, because they worship an invisible god.
But look at our enormous temple!
People from every nation travel here to worship Artemis, and bring great honor to our city.
Obviously, we are right and the Christians are wrong.”

Today is no different.
All kinds of dangerous ideas are believed by the majority of people.
Sometimes it feels like the whole world is hurrying down a four-lane highway of lies.
When the world sees us following the narrow path of God’s truth, they laugh at us and say we are going the wrong way.
That’s what Demetrius said in verse 26:
26 “you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus…”
That was true.
Many Ephesians had exited the four-lane highway of the world, where everyone worships man-made gods in man-made temples.
Paul introduced a different, better, and true path.
Luke calls it “the Way” in verse 23, because following Christ requires a significant change of direction.
Making that decision is difficult for many of us.
We might be criticized or attacked for choosing the Way of Christ.
That’s why some people get stuck in indecision for a long time.
About 100 years ago, many people in Europe had two choose between two paths.
When Germany invaded Belgium in August 1914, civilians ran for their lives from the German invaders.
1.5 million Belgian refugees had to choose between two paths of escape.
Some went west to find safety in France and England.
Many other refugees went east, to the Belgian city of Liège.
Liège was heavily fortified, protected by 12 very modern and powerful forts.
It was the safest city in Belgium.
But the German army destroyed those 12 forts, and overpowered the city of Liège, in only 11 days.
Many of those civilian refugees were killed or put in German prisons.
When Germany first invaded Belgium, it seemed smart to run to a strong city like Liège.
But that was the way to death, and the road west was the way to freedom.
How can we know if we are on the right path?
Proverbs 14:12 reminds us:
12 “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”

Demetrius said in verse 27 that Artemis was “worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world.”
The road that leads to death often “appears to be right.”
It’s tempting to go with the flow, not knowing where the road leads.
But Demetrius and his friends were actually walking on the road of death, like the refugees who ran to Liège.
When they rejected the gospel, they chose silver instead of salvation.
They chose gold instead of God.
People today make the same deadly choices, because fear, pleasure, success, and security have a strong grip on our hearts.
Deceiving us, they lead us down the wide road that leads to death.
There’s a better path, my friends.
Jesus invites us onto the narrow path of new life, saying: “Come follow me.”
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Every human being must choose which path to take.
In Deuteronomy 11:26–28, God says it like this, through Moses:
26 “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse–
27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today;
28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.”

Many times in my life, I have turned from the way that God commanded.
I have given the attention of my mind and the devotion of my heart to false gods.
How about you?
Do you struggle to obey God, and choose the path of blessing?
Satan and our own hearts deceive us, making the path of blessing look difficult, boring, or silly.
Meanwhile, the wide highway of the world seems more attractive.
It’s actually the road of death, but it seems to offering hope, peace, security, entertainment–whatever our hearts hunger for.
That is why we choose the wrong way, over and over again.
I don’t know how far you have traveled down the road of sin and death, but it’s never too late to change directions.
The way of life is open to anyone, because Jesus has already walked the way of death before us.
Next week is Palm Sunday, when we remember the day that Jesus arrived in Jerusalem.
He rode into town carried by a donkey.
Five days later, he walked out of town, carrying a cross.
He walked a path that we call the Via Dolorosa–the Way of Suffering.
When those refugees in Belgium chose to travel east to Liège, they hoped it was the way of life.
But when Jesus was walking the Via Dolorosa, he knew it was the way of death.
Why would he willingly walk the path of death?
Because Jesus knew his death was necessary to open the way of life to you and me.

Listen to how Hebrews 10:19–22 describes the way that Christ opened for us:
19 “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

If you want to draw near to God, there is only one way to get there.
It is through faith in the blood of Jesus, poured out for the forgiveness of your sins.
His blood, symbolized by the water of baptism, washes away our guilt and our shame.
I hope you have made that choice, to walk on the way of life that Jesus died to open for you.
You can be born again to new life, through faith in his name.
After that rebirth, we continue to face choices, every hour of every day.
Even as born-again Christians, we must consciously choose the way of life every day.
Do you know why breaking a sinful habit is so difficult?
Because you have repeatedly said yes to that habit.
You chose the wrong way, hundreds of times.
But today is a new day.
Each time that same temptation is there in front of you, you can choose.
As redeemed children of God, the Holy Spirit gives us power to say no to sin, and yes to the way of Christ.
When the Christians in Ephesus began choosing the way of Christ, they stopped buying silver shrines and other objects of idol worship.
They burned scrolls of black magic worth $1 million.
The gospel changed their hearts, and that had a noticeable financial impact on the economy of the city.
Surveys of Americans tell us that 50 percent of Christians use pornography.
The guilt and shame of using porn isolates us from God and from one another.
It’s terrible, but it’s pushed on us all the time.
Because pornography generates $15 billion in profits every year in the US.
Try to imagine, however, if the Holy Spirit enabled every Christian to say no to the flesh, and yes to Christ?
Would there be a noticeable financial impact on the porn industry, like there was in Ephesus?
Porn is only one example of the choices we must make every day.
Every day, we must choose between two ways of living.
Will I respond to other people with patient love, or bursts of anger?
Will I use my phone for endless entertainment, or will I use my phone to call a friend who needs prayer and encouragement?
Will I buy more stuff to fill my house, or give that money to ministries that serve the needy and reach the lost?
We all need spiritual power to make these decisions, and thankfully that power is available!
As we said last week, the power of God flows through the Word of God.
So I am going to ask you to stand, and let’s use scripture to pray about these things together.

Titus 2:11–14
Reader: 11 “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
ALL: 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
13 while we wait for the blessed hope–the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

Thank you, Jesus, for the grace you give us every day, to follow you in Spirit and in truth.
Keep our eyes focused on you, for our good and your glory, amen.

Questions for Meditation and Discussion

1) Read Acts 18:12-16 and Acts 19:35-41.
a) These events helped to guarantee the freedom of Christians to practice their religion in the Roman Empire.
As Christians in the US today, why is it important that we defend the religious freedom of Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and atheists?
What is the connection between their freedom and ours?
2) Read Titus 2:11-14 and Deuteronomy 30:15–20.
a) Why is it often difficult for us to “choose life” and to “say ‘No” to ungodliness and worldly passions”?
b) What does God tell us in these passages about the two choices?
Where do they lead, what do we find at the end of each path?
c) What help does God offer to us, to make good choices and stay on the path of blessing?
d) Be honest with yourself and trusted friends about the unhealthy habits in your life.
Pray with honesty and hope, asking Jesus to help you choose life today and every day!