Paul at Ephesus

The Way Home
PAUL AT EPHESUS

Story 13 - Acts 18:23 to 20:1
The apostle Paul did not stay long at Antioch. He soon started out on another journey among the churches already formed. He also went to new places. Paul went through Syria, the country around Antioch, and then to the region near Tarsus, which had been his early home, always preaching Christ. He crossed over the mountains and entered into the heart of Asia Minor, coming to the land of Galatia. The people in this land were a warm- hearted race, eager to see and hear new things. They listened to Paul with great joy and quickly believed his teachings. Paul wrote afterward that they received him as an angel of God, as though he were Jesus Christ Himself, and that they were ready to pluck out their own eyes and give them to him. Truly they were eager to have the Gospel.

But soon after Paul went away, some Jewish teachers came, saying to these new believers, “You must all become Jews, and take upon you the whole Jewish law, with all its rules about things to be eaten and fasts and feast days or you cannot be saved.”

And the people in Galatia turned quickly away from Paul’s words to follow these new teachers; for they were very fond of change and were not firm in their minds. There was danger that all Paul’s work among them would be undone. But as soon as news of their sudden turning from the truth of the Gospel came to Paul he wrote them a letter: “The Epistle to the Galatians.” In this letter he called them back to Christ and showed them that they were free and not slaves to the old law, and he urged them to stand fast in the freedom which Christ had given them.

Paul went through Phrygia, and from that land came again to Ephesus. Do you remember that Paul visited there in our last story? (Judy nodded yes) This time he stayed in Ephesus preaching the Gospel of Christ for more than

two years. At first he spoke in the synagogue of the Jews, telling them that Jesus was the Anointed Christ, the King of Israel, and proving it from the prophets of the Old Testament. But when the Jews would no longer listen to him; and began speaking evil against the way of Christ, Paul left the synagogue and spoke every day in a schoolroom which was opened to him. His work became so well known that almost all the people in Ephesus, as well as many in the lands around the city, heard the Word of the Lord.

At this time, God gave Paul great powers of healing. They carried cloths to the sick, cloths with which Paul had wiped the sweat from his face, and the aprons that he had worn while he was making tents; and the diseases left the sick, and evil spirits went out of men. These wonderful works drew great crowds to hear Paul and led many more to believe in his words.

In the city were some Jews who wandered from place to place, pretending to drive evil spirits out of men. These men saw how great the power of the name of Jesus was, when spoken by Paul, and they also began to speak in Jesus’ name, saying to the evil spirits in men, “I command you to come out, in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches.”

And the evil spirit in one man answered two of these pretenders, “Jesus I know and Paul I know; but who are you?”

And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped upon them and threw them down. He tore off their clothing and beat them, so that they ran out of the house naked and covered with wounds. Everybody in the city, both Jews and Greeks, heard of this, and all knew that even the evil spirits feared the name of Jesus as spoken by Paul.

And many of those who had dealt with evil spirits came and confessed their deeds and turned to the Lord. And some who had books claiming to tell how to talk with spirits brought them and burned them as bad books, although the books had cost a great sum of money. Thus the Word of the Lord grew in Ephesus, a great number believed in Christ, and a large church arose.

Paul now began to feel that his work in Ephesus was nearly finished. He thought that he would go across the Aegean Sea and visit the churches at Philippi and Thessalonica and Berea, in the land of Macedonia and then the church at Corinth in Greece, and then go once again to Jerusalem.

“And after I have been there,” said Paul, “then I must also see Rome.”

So to prepare the way for going into Macedonia, he sent Timothy and another friend named Erastus, while Paul stayed in Ephesus for a time longer. But soon after this a great stir arose in that city over Paul and his preaching.

Standing in the city of Ephesus at that time was one of the greatest and richest idol temples in the world. Around this temple stood a hundred and twenty great columns of white marble, each column the gift of a king. And in it was an image of the goddess Diana, which the people believed had fallen down from the sky. People came from many lands to worship the idol image of Diana; and many took away with them little look-alike images, made of gold or silver. The making and selling of these little images provided work for many people who worked with gold and silver, and the work brought them great riches.

One of these workers in silver, a man named Demetrius, called together his fellow workmen and said to them, “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. But you can all see and hear that this man Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, not only in this city but also throughout all these lands, by telling all men that there are no gods which are made by hands. There is danger that our trade will come to an end. There is also a danger that the temple of the great goddess Diana may become worthless. It may even be that the goddess whom all Asia and all the world worships shall fall down from her greatness.” When the workmen heard this, they became very angry, and they set up a great cry, shouting out, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians! Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”

And soon the whole city was in an uproar. People were running through the streets and shouting. A great multitude was drawn together, most of whom did not know what caused the crowd and noise. There was a great open place hollowed out in the side of the hill near the city, with stone seats around it on three sides. It was used for public meetings and was called “the theater.” While all the people rushed into and thronged this place, Demetrius and his fellow workers kept shouting: “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” They seized two of Paul’s friends, Gaius and Aristarchus, who were with him in the city and dragged them into the theater. Paul wished to go in and try to speak to the people, but the disciples of Christ would not let him go. Some of the chief men of the land, who were Paul’s friends, sent word to him, urging and beseeching him not to venture into the theater.

The noise and shouting and confusion kept going for two hours. When the crowd began to grow tired and were ready to listen, the clerk of the city came forward and calmed the people saying, “You men of Ephesus, what is the need of all this riot? Is there anyone who does not know that this city guards the temple of the great goddess Diana and of the image that fell down from the heavens? Since these things cannot be denied, you should be quiet and do nothing rash or foolish. You have brought here these men, who are not robbers of temples, nor have they spoken evil against our goddess. If Demetrius and the men of his trade have a charge to bring against any man, the courts are open, and there are judges to hear their case. But if there is any other business, it must be done in a regular meeting of the people. For we are in danger for this day’s riot and may be brought to account for it, since there is no cause for it and no reason that we can give for this gathering of a crowd.”

And after the city clerk had calmed the people with these words, he sent them away. When the riot was over and all was peaceful again, Paul met the disciples of Christ and spoke to them once more. He had been preaching in Ephesus for three years; and while there (besides “The Epistle [or letter] to the Galatians”) he had written one to the Romans, and two letters to the Corinthians, the believers in Christ at Corinth in Greece. Paul now sailed away from Ephesus, across the Aegean Sea to Macedonia, where he had preached the Gospel before on his second journey.