God of This City

Text: Acts 19:35-41
Title: God Of This City
11/15/09 Clarksville

If you had taken a walk down almost any street in the bustling city of Ephesus it would have been obvious this was a spiritual place. There were shrines and temples on almost every corner. Spirituality in this town wasn’t just a matter of the soul - it was one of the primary forces that drove the economy. Some towns get tourist traffic for their connection with nature. Some have a booming market because of boats or ball teams and others try to capitalize on historic events or man-man attractions. People will plan trips, take vacations, and spend money on everything from roller coasters to religion. They did it in Ephesus too. Ephesus’ claim to fame was the spiritual slant of their city that married the best architecture in the world to create a union that was more than good for their economy. It benefited everyone, from hotel owners to local craftsmen who set up shop in storefronts and makeshift carts in the shadow of one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. They were all over the city, selling their wares to pilgrims who came from near and far either to worship, or just to see the magnificent temple that is believed to be the first building ever constructed completely of marble. It was built in honor of Artemis, the goddess of fertility. Spiritual or not, everyone in the city had a vested interest in the ongoing popularity of the goddess - their goddess. They didn’t have to be a faithful worshiper to benefit from the profits generated from Artemis and the Temple built in her honor. It was common knowledge that this was the center, the hub, the heart of Artemis worship. Say the word “Ephesus” in Rome, Jerusalem, Asia Minor, or anywhere else for that matter and the very first thing that would come to mind was the connection between this city’s spirituality and the architecture that bore witness to it. There was no question about it. If ever there was an entire city that had a reputation inextricably connected with their god, it was Ephesus. Artemis belonged to Ephesus, and Ephesus belonged to Artemis.

Everyone in Ephesus - from school children to sidewalk merchants to those who occupied seats in city hall - everyone knew Artemis owned this place. Everyone that is, except God. God knew this city was full of misdirected worship and He told Paul to get over there and tell the people about the true God who had revealed Himself completely in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Like a good disciple, when Paul knew what God wanted him to do, he did it (that’s what we do when we follow God - we do whatever He says). No arguments about how futile it would be to try to introduce these people to Jesus, he just obeyed. Paul stayed in Ephesus for a couple years teaching whoever would listen, and putting the power of the true God on display by healing the sick and setting people free who had been possessed by evil spirits. (Acts 19:11-12). He was gaining ground and people were being converted but the progress was so slow and the group so small that no one paid them much attention. No one, that is, until “the incident.”

Read Acts 19:13-20 Now all of a sudden the Christians were getting more attention than they ever dreamed. As long as they were holding little meetings and Bible studies and not making much of an impact in the culture, it was pretty smooth. But now that their God were on the loose, changing lives and setting people free - and it started affecting the economy - now it was a different story. New converts started confessing their sins and getting rid of their false gods (a radical change in their lives was showing up in radical changes in their lifestyles). When he saw what was going on, Demetrius, the head of the Silversmith’s of Artemis Union, smelled trouble for his financial future. He got all the idol makers on the same page to protect not only their interests, but the reputation of their goddess. They were afraid she might be discredited, “robbed of her divine majesty” and they had to defend her. That was another big difference between the Christians and the idol worshipers. The Christians had a God who defended them, but Artemis needed her followers to defend her. They sure tried, because they were fearful that her reputation might suffer if this Christian movement gained any more momentum (19:27).

Demetrius and his fellow silversmiths who fashioned spiritual souvenirs for a living got the whole place fired up. They drug 2 of Paul’s companions, Aristarchus and Gaius into custody. It wasn’t long before a riot broke out. There was chaos and you know who was to blame for it? God was! Things were pretty calm around there til He showed up with power and brought conviction that was so strong it caused people to confess their sins and start burning up their false gods and sorcery scrolls. Sometimes it’s like that. When God shows up He makes a raucous, brings chaos before the calm, shakes and stirs things up. Sometimes God can make a real mess when He shows up. Now all of a sudden His followers are being held hostage and the whole city is an uproar. I think the Christians have everyone’s attention now ?.

In the middle of the riot, some Jews tried to push one of their leaders to the front to calm things down. Didn’t work. In fact all he did was incite the out-of-control-crowd to yell a chant for 2 hours. 2 hours! Bet that was tiring. For 2 hours straight they drowned out any voice of reason while they yelled at the top of their lungs, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.” I’m not sure if they were trying to convince themselves or someone else that Artemis was great, but that’s what they did. They yelled their chant for 2 hours.

Finally the city clerk, a very powerful person, stood up to address the crowd. As soon as he got up the crowd quieted down -- what a relief! They were probably all worn out. Read 19:35-41.
What a tame ending. “After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.” “OK, you can go home now.” So in one day’s time the city went from calm to chaotic back to calm again. At the time it probably seemed like just another day. Some excitement that settled down by nightfall - nothing earth shattering. But history would prove that this was not just another day.

Acts 19 marked the beginning of a shock wave sent across Ephesus, home of the goddess Artemis, when God showed up in their city. The city wasn’t turned right-side up overnight, but this was the beginning of a transformation that left an entire city a different place. Fast forward. The year is 262 AD and Ephesus is attacked by the Goths. They destroy houses and buildings, including the Temple to Artemis. The other 2 times that had happened, the people of Ephesus just rebuilt it, bigger and better than it was before. But by the time it was destroyed the 3rd time, there was not enough support to rebuild it. What the silversmith’s feared actually happened - her popularity faded until it was no longer the case that to say “Ephesus” was to automatically think “Artemis.” The temple - gone. The souvenir shops - gone. It all started when God showed up in power, gave boldness to His followers, and worked through them to set others free.

A few changed lives empowered by the Spirit of God ignited a spark that brought change to an entire city. They engaged the broken and bound with the power of the Gospel and over time lives were changed. When lives changed families changed. And when families changed a city changed. Do you hear what I’m saying - a whole city!

You know what I think? I think we still have a God who likes to show up in places where He isn’t yet God of the City. I think He enjoys coming to cities like ours and working through people like us. I think that if God could transform a city like Ephesus, it wouldn’t be too hard for Him to transform a city like Clarksville too.

What do you think God can do? Change a life? He can do that. Transform a family? He’s good with that too. Impact a neighborhood? He’s done it before. Transform a whole city? Our city? Why not?

That’s why I think Grace is at 3135 Trenton Road - because God wants to transform this city and He wants to do it through people like us who get serious about engaging our culture with the Gospel; who get involved in sharing the Good News; who move beyond meetings and studies to seeing people set free. The cool thing is God has a lot of other followers to work with too. We’re getting together with a bunch of them tonight at our 2nd annual all-Nazarene service. It will be a time to celebrate and unite in what we all want to see - an invasion of God that changes our whole city. Who knows, maybe the spark that’s needed to transform our city will be ignited in us. I pray that it is. Amen.

Response Song: “City on Our Knees” - invite everyone to pray for our city, and for God to use us however He can to see it won for Christ.

Benediction: Eph. 3:20-21