{"id":780,"date":"2021-05-28T07:41:08","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T12:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/?p=780"},"modified":"2021-05-28T07:42:22","modified_gmt":"2021-05-28T12:42:22","slug":"the-best-laid-plans-different-results-acts-1921-41","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/?p=780","title":{"rendered":"Best Laid Plans -Different Results Acts 19:21-41"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">Lesson 35<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">Best Laid Plans \u2013 Different Results <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">Acts 19:21-41<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;Back when I was working a strange dynamic\nwould sometimes occur.&nbsp; There would be\nmeeting that would be held to deal with issues that would affect the section in\nwhich I worked.&nbsp; We would sit down before\nthe meeting and discuss exactly what we were going say and what would be our\nposition. When we got into the meeting our lead person who had been privy to\nall of the planning would flip-flop and take the side of the opposition.&nbsp; I would come away from the meeting trying to\nfigure out what happened.&nbsp; I would be\nboth disappointed and frustrated with the decisions that were made, because\nthey certainly would not been what I expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have all\nprobably experienced this sort of thing in the church.&nbsp; The church will do a lot of planning and have\nall kinds of discussions on some direction to be taken.&nbsp; Everyone will seem to be excited by what is\nhappening and seem to be on board.&nbsp; Then\nbecause of some opposition to the idea it is scuttled.&nbsp; We then find ourselves in the same position\nthat we were before the idea was ever put forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Acts 19:21<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Paul sensed\nthat his work was done in Ephesus.&nbsp; As\nwill be noted in the next chapter he had established a strong vibrant church\nwith good leadership in the form of elders.&nbsp;\nHis plans upon leaving there was to once again travel through Macedonia\nand Achaia on his way to Jerusalem.&nbsp; Once\nthat was completed, he wanted to go to Rome.&nbsp;\nSee Romans 1:11-14 and 15:20 for the reasons he wanted to travel to\nRome.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>As the Scripture says, \u201cwhat things\nwere finished?\u201d<\/li><li>Why did Paul plan to leave Ephesus?<\/li><li>Why would he want to go back through\nMacedonia?<\/li><li>What did he hope to accomplish in\nRome?<\/li><li>Why was that city so important in the\nmind of Paul?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Acts 19:22<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Paul did not\nleave immediately but sent Timothy and Erastus ahead of him.&nbsp; He then remained in Asia for some time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Why did Paul send Timothy and Erastus\ninto Macedonia and Achaia ahead of him?<\/li><li>For what reasons did Paul remain in\nEphesus?<\/li><li>Why would he go back into Europe from\nAsia before going to Jerusalem?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Acts 19:23-27<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before Paul\ncould leave trouble ensued concerning Christianity.&nbsp; One of the silversmiths named Demetrius made\nstatues of Artemis to sell.&nbsp; This trade\nwas profitable for all of the craftsman who were engaged in the business. &nbsp;He determined that Christianity, and the work\nof Paul in particular was detrimental to their business.&nbsp; According to Demetrius Paul was stating that\ngods made with hands were not gods at all.&nbsp;\nDemetrius saw three outcomes if the trend of more and more people\nbecoming Christians was allowed to continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Their business would be gone.<\/li><li>The temple of Artemis would be\n\u201cregarded as worthless.\u201d<\/li><li>The goddess who all of Asia\nworshipped would be dethrone and lose \u201cher magnificence.\u201d<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>What happened in Ephesus that immediately\naltered Paul\u2019s plans?<\/li><li>What affect would Christianity have\non the trade of Demetrius?<\/li><li>What did he fail to acknowledge in\nhis evidence shared with the other craftsmen?<\/li><li>Which of the three trends would be truer\nthan the others?<\/li><li>In what ways can gods or goddesses\nlike Artemis be dethroned?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Acts 19:28-31<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What started\nout with the outrage of a few angry artisans soon grew into a full scale riot\ninvolving the whole city.&nbsp; One of the\nfirst acts of the mob was to drag two of Paul\u2019s travelling companions, Gaius\nand Aristarchus into the theater. The theater mentioned here has been excavated\nby archeologists and was able to hold over 20,000 people. When Paul tried to go\ninto the meeting his friends including the Asiarchs prevented him from doing\nit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>&nbsp;What was the true underlying reason that\nDemetrius and the others started the riot?<\/li><li>Why did they use religion to mask\nwhat really upset them?<\/li><li>Why would the mob drag the companions\nof Paul into the theater?<\/li><li>Why did Paul\u2019s friends keep him from\ngoing into the assembly?<\/li><li>What would he accomplish by doing so?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Acts 19:32-34<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What took\nplace in the theater was a scene of mass confusion.&nbsp; Because most of the people there had not\nheard the accusations of Demetrius they were swept along by the mob\nmentality.&nbsp; Each of them had a different\nstory and no one knew why they were there.&nbsp;\nThe crowd decided that Alexander the coppersmith was responsible and put\nhim forth to explain what was taking place.&nbsp;\nHis defense was to distance himself and his fellow Jews from Paul and\nthose with him.&nbsp; When the crowd\ndetermined he was a Jew making him part of the opposition to Artemis they began\nto shout him down. For two hours the people continued to shout one thing.\n\u201cGreat is Artemis of the Ephesians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Why does a scene like is seen here\nresult in one of mass confusion?<\/li><li>What are some clues that indicate\nthat the people did not know what was taking place?<\/li><li>What did Alexander try to explain to\nthe people?<\/li><li>Why would he be considered the\nopposition even though he was not a Christian?<\/li><li>Going back to the previous verses how\ndid the Asiarchs prove to be wise?<\/li><li>What was the advantage to those who\nhad been dragged into the theater because of the crowd\u2019s confusion?<\/li><li>What was the rallying cry of the mob?<\/li><li>Out of all the confusion how could\nthey know why they were shouting for Artemis?<\/li><li>When may there have been times when\nyou have been swept up in what became a crowd and did not really know what was\ngoing on?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Acts\n19:35-36<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The town\nclerk was finally able to restore order.&nbsp;\nOnce they were quiet he gave a defense of Artemis that would satisfy\nthem.&nbsp; His points were<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Everyone knows that Ephesus is the\nguardian of the temple of Artemis and the statue that fell out of heaven.<\/li><li>Since that was an undeniable fact\nthere was no reason for their actions.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>How was the town clerk able to calm\nthe situation?<\/li><li>What were the points that he used to\nget them thinking about what they were doing?<\/li><li>How is this a pattern that can be\nused to diffuse many volatile situations?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Acts 19:37<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His actions\nshowed his impartiality in this situation.&nbsp;\nHe first defended the Paul and those with him.&nbsp; His words indicate he was aware of what was\ngoing on in the city.&nbsp; Paul and the\nothers did not need to defame Artemis.&nbsp;\nAll they needed to do was preach Jesus.&nbsp;\nThe natural outcome would be that people would turn from the false\ngoddess to the one true God and His Son. &nbsp;&nbsp;The town clerk was right they had committed\nno crime.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>In what ways did the town clerk show\nhis impartiality in this situation?<\/li><li>What was the one thing of which Paul\ncould be accused?<\/li><li>In what ways did fact that the town\nclerk understood the real issue indicate that the Romans did not see\nChristianity as a threat at that time?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Acts 19:38-39<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After\naddressing the crowd he brought clarity to the real issue.&nbsp; It was not about religion at all.&nbsp; Pointing out that Demetrius was behind the\nriot indicated that it was all about economics.&nbsp;\nThe craftsman had couched their accusations in religious issues knowing\nthat that was the only way that they could get the reaction they wanted.&nbsp; The town clerk saw through their ploy and\nbasically called them on the carpet.&nbsp; It\nis interesting that he had said that Paul had not committed a crime and if\nDemetrius really had a case it should have been tried in the proper courts not\nin the court of public opinion where the facts could be skewed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>How do we sometimes muddy the water\nin our discussions?<\/li><li>Why do we need someone like the town\nclerk in the church?<\/li><li>Why do we beat around the bush with\nthe statements we often make?<\/li><li>How was it that the town clerk was\nable to see clearly the situation?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Acts\n19:40-41<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The greatest\nfear that the town clerk had was that the Romans would accuse them of\nrioting.&nbsp; One thing that was not\ntolerated was that kind of unruly mob activity.&nbsp;\nThe Romans prided themselves on being a law abiding orderly\nsociety.&nbsp; The second concern was there\nhad been no legitimate reason for the outburst.&nbsp;\nThe town clerk also could have lost his position if he could not\nmaintain a peaceful environment and the city may have been brought under\nmartial law.&nbsp; There were no objections\nwhen he dismissed the crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>What was the greatest fear of the\ntown clerk?<\/li><li>Why should he have been concerned?<\/li><li>What would have happened if he had\nnot been able to regain control?<\/li><li>What would have happened to the city?<\/li><li>When a business section in the church\ngets out of hand what could result?<\/li><li>What are the real consequences when\nwe act like the Ephesians?<\/li><li>What are some things over which we get\nworked up that do not have validity in the ongoing activity of the church?<\/li><li>In what way did the town clerk show\nthat he was the one with a cool head and right perspective on the situation?<\/li><li>What lessons can be learned from the\nattitudes of the players in this narrative?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>You-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Before making a decision be sure that\nyou have all of the facts.<\/li><li>Never let yourself get caught up in a\nmob scene.<\/li><li>Think of ways that you can diffuse\ndestructive conversation and actions in the church?<\/li><li>Learn to be the person who displays\nwisdom by keeping a cool head and the right perspective.<\/li><li>Make sure that any discussion\nreflects the kingdom purpose for the church.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>We do need\nto learn that there are at least as many different opinions in the church as\nthere are members, and maybe more.&nbsp; The\nproblem does not lie with opinion itself but the ways we try to influence\nothers to our way of thinking.&nbsp; As was\nseen in the lesson today, Demetrius saw a problem that needed to be addressed.\nRather than being straight-forward he attempted to twist the truth.&nbsp; He knew that the ephesians were proud of and\nsensitive of the goddess Artemis and the temple in the city named for her. He\nused this issue rather than the economic one to try to dismantle the work by\nPaul thus drawing his customers back to him.&nbsp;\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We do need\nto be very careful that we always present the facts in a clear and truthful\nway.&nbsp; If the church does this it can be\nsure that God will honor the decisions that are made.&nbsp; The last thing that any of us want is to\nbring confusion and divisiveness to the Church.&nbsp;\nLet us take the difficult road that leads to a Christ-like attitude that\nHe will be glorified. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additional\nNotes: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>C-Timothy and Erastus were sent ahead into Macedonia\nwhile Paul remained a while longer in Ephesus. (Acts 19:22)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>C-Demetrius, a silversmith, became upset because his\nbusiness was being affected because many of the Ephesians were turning to\nChrist and were no longer buying the idols be made in the image of the goddess\nArtemis.&nbsp; He was able to convince others\nto join him.&nbsp; These men became an angry\nmob who tried to stop Paul from continuing preaching to the people. When Paul\ncould not be found they dragged Gaius and Aristarchus, his travelling\ncompanions into the theater where the assembly was taking place.&nbsp; Fortunately, the town clerk was finally able\nto quell the riot. (Acts 19:23-41)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>GC-We are to be so concerned with the spiritual\nwelfare of others that we take every opportunity to persuade them to turn away\nfrom meaningless gods m ade by men.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\n(Acts 19:26)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>RT-There are those who will follow the crowd even if\nthey have no idea where it is going or for what it stands. (Acts 19:32)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lesson 35 Best Laid Plans \u2013 Different Results Acts 19:21-41 &nbsp;Back when I was working a strange dynamic would sometimes occur.&nbsp; There would be meeting that would be held to deal with issues that would affect the section in which I worked.&nbsp; We would sit down before the meeting and discuss exactly what we were [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-acts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=780"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":782,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780\/revisions\/782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}