Christianity Expands in Asia

Acts 19:8-10, 23-32

GOLDEN TEXT: “So mightily grew the word of the Lord and prevailed.”—Acts 19:20

EPHESUS was in many respects the scene of the Apostle Paul’s most successful work. He spent about three years there altogether, accompanied by Timothy, Erastus, Titus, and possibly others. The influence of his work, either directly or indirectly, extended to cities round about. It is supposed that it was during this stay at Ephesus that congregations were started in nearby places, mentioned in Revelation as “the seven churches of Asia” (Minor).

The apostle preached in the local synagogue until opposition to his message became quite marked, and certain of his Jewish hearers began to speak evil of the teachings and of the believers. Then the apostle and those who believed, unwilling to continue a condition of strife, discontinued their attendance at the synagogue, and began a separate meeting, apparently in a rented public hall.

The apostle probably labored at his trade during the forenoon, and daily during the afternoon, preached the message to such as had hearing ears, not only in the public hall, but also by visiting those whom he had reason to expect would be amenable to the Gospel. The apostle did not belong to a paid ministry. He had a message to deliver, which he appreciated so highly that he was glad to spend his life in its promulgation—using for other purposes only so much of time and energy as were necessary to procure life’s necessities.

When Paul had spent nearly three years at Ephesus he purposed going again to Jerusalem, but before doing so planned to visit the churches in Macedonia, Philippi, Berea, Thessalonica and Corinth. He sent two of his helpers, Erastus and Timothy, in advance. (II Tim. 4:20; I Cor. 4:17-19) It was this visit to Corinth that he evidently referred to in his epistle to them. (I Cor. 16:1-4) He proposed taking contributions from them to the poor in Jerusalem—not as seeking a gift, but as seeking an evidence of their love for the Lord, in their desire to be helpful to the brethren at Jerusalem, who were chiefly poor, and doubtless financially disadvantageous by their loyalty to the truth.

Apparently also the apostle was planning a later tour, which would include Rome—little suspecting that he would be sent to Rome as a prisoner. About this time occurred the riot described in this lesson, which probably would have caused the apostle to leave Ephesus, if he had not already determined not to do so. The Lord seemingly permitted persecutions to drive him out of many places, indicating the proper time for terminating his ministry at those points.

The account says, “There arose no small stir about that way.” Very evidently the “way” of the Lord’s people differs decidedly from the way of others, not as concerns their future hopes only, but also regarding their course in the present life. All things become new to those who receive the new mind of Christ; and although their “way” may seem to the unbelieving to be a narrow and troubled one, to them it is the way of peace and joy and blessing and harmony with God, and, ultimately, the way of life eternal.

In Ephesus there were trade unions or guilds, and Demetrius, the leader of the riot, belonged to the guild of the silversmiths—probably its president, or chief. There is a stone now in the British Museum which was found at Ephesus, on which is engraved an inscription concerning a certain Demetrius. It is said to belong to about the date of this lesson, between A.D. 50 and 60.

The name occurs again in III John 12, where the apostle mentions Demetrius as a Christian of good report. Quite possibly the reference is to the person who led this riot, and who may afterwards have become an active Christian, as he was at this time an active opposer of Christianity, and a supporter of Diana—even as Paul, who was a zealous persecutor of the church, and later became its zealous servant. The probability that this was the same Demetrius is strengthened by the tradition that the Apostle John, with Mary the mother of Jesus, afterwards made Ephesus his home.

Our golden text is very interesting. Here it is said that the Word of God prevailed and grew mightily. It was not until the message which Paul preached had had its designed effect that his service in Ephesus was interfered with by this riot. In the first few verses of the 20th chapter of Acts we are told of Paul’s farewell to the brethren of Ephesus shortly thereafter, and it is inspiring to see the deep brotherly love and interest in one another that prevailed. No doubt in sharing with one another the opposition and disparagement of these devotees of the goddess Diana, they were drawn closer to one another and the experience worked together for good to them all, as new creatures.

QUESTIONS:

How did the Apostle Paul provide for his temporal necessities? What was his viewpoint of a paid ministry?

What was Paul’s motive in accepting contributions from some of the churches?

Can anything contrary to the Lord’s will interfere with the spread of the truth?

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