Acts; Bad for Business

Sept. 24

Read: acts 19:21-41

Acts;

Bad For Business

“These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth…this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing…” (v.25-27)

There is a great deal of money being  made off of the “domain of darkness” and the activities surrounding it. There are entire businesses that exist built around the sin and brokenness of these imposter “gods”. When the people of God are transformed by the work of Christ and they usher in the values of the Kingdom of God… things can get pretty heated. Nothing will get people more fired up than when you mess with their money! You see, this is one of the most common “idols” amongst humanity. Jesus speaks directly to this truth:

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matt 6:24)

Sometimes we think that the work of the Kingdom of God… the Gospel of Jesus Christ … somehow exists isolated or separate from business / commerce. This is simply not true. The values of the Kingdom of God WILL impact business and the marketplace. They have to. We see that in this passage.

There is a RIOT that forms because of the potential impact to the idol makers in the city. One of the craftsmen (Demetrius) rally the other tradesmen together against the followers of “The Way” (Christians) because people abandoning the use of idols is going to impact his business. It becomes a really big deal… the crowds are fired up… there is a scene. It got so crazy that they feared for Paul’s life and would not let him enter the city. The gospel message of Jesus had disrupted the the marketplace of this city, threatened the bottom line of those who worshipped Artemis (who is most likely a demon or elohim), and these rebel-rousing had become violent. Think back to this Acts passage the next time you read Ephesians written to the church that met in this city!

The point for us today is this: The message of Jesus and the work of the Kingdom of God impacts all of life! Sometimes it is going to mean a total change in the business or commerce we are a part of. Sometimes it may mean the loss of money or a certain sector of business. It may even mean that God might call us to a totally different line of work! Imagine if these craftsmen came to Christ, and then used their gifts to make art that celebrated JESUS and was  a blessing to the people of God!? These people were under the “spell” of Artemis. This pagan god was the focal point of their worship. As Jesus were set people free from the spell of Artemis and opened their eyes to the TRUTH… it actually impacted what they bought and how they spent their money. They no longer went to the Temple of Artemis. They no longer worshipped at what was once the cultural center of their city. Their pass-times changed because of Jesus. People began to no longer be wrapped up in the worship of this god… because they were coming to God Most High! What if the message of Jesus were to impact OUR cities this way? What if the people of God no longer supported the “industries” of darkness? What if the businesses that are rooted in the worship of something evil saw that their bottom line was actually threatened because the served a demonic, imposter god? Would there be riots in our towns? Can you imagine the outrage… illicit businesses losing money because the message of Jesus is transforming hearts! May we be willing to follow Jesus… even when it impacts our “bottom line” or it may mean the entire changing of our jobs. May we be wiling to shift away from the “temple” that the world worships at and begin to worship Jesus the King! Love you guys. - JDP