SEPTEMBER 3, Acts 19:19-20, 24-30

When Paul first stepped into Ephesus, he found out that the people did not know God and were doing all kinds of wrong things which were abominable. Abominable means very bad or offensive in the eyes of God. If these people would not repent of their sins, they would end up in hell. Paul was not going to stand there doing nothing. He felt pity for them and the only way to save them was to preach Christ and His power of forgiveness. He must reach out to them who had been living in sin and darkness. Two groups of people heard the gospel and had two different responses.

What were the two groups of people? One group was magicians. Are you amazed by magic? These are different from modern magicians. Nowadays, magicians do tricks with hats, sticks, cards etc. Maybe you see them at parties, and these are magicians who are illusionists and seemingly make people or things disappear. These magicians are entertainers. But, in the Bible, magicians gained power from demonic forces. Magicians pretended to have great knowledge or tell future. You may recall that in the book of Exodus, Pharaoh’s magicians could counterfeit God’s plague on Egypt. After hearing the gospel, what was the magicians’ response? The right reaction - they repented of their sins, turned away from their old ways and turned to the Lord Jesus. The proof of their conversion was by burning up all the magic books. What was the value of all their burnt magic books?

Let’s look at another group of people - silversmiths. Famous in Ephesus was the Temple of Diana. It was a very huge shrine, dedicated to Diana whom the Ephesians worshipped as goddess. The silversmiths made their living by making and selling miniature replicas of Diana’s shrine. When more people become Christians, the craftsmen began selling fewer shrine models and so were earning lesser. To them, money was very important and to them, making money was perhaps like their god! Instead of accepting Christ as Savior, they stirred the people up to a riot forcing Paul to leave the city. The reactions of the magicians and silversmiths to the gospel were different.

Which people do you think did the right thing in the eyes of God? Answer: _______________

Thought: Is your heart hardened like the silversmiths?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the gospel of salvation. Soften my heart to believe Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Forgive me of my sins and help me to follow Jesus. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.