O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His compassion and lovingkindness endure forever!
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary… Psalm 107:1-2 AMP
Acts 19:23-41 (<<click here to read the passage)
Reading through this passage, I immediately saw a “can of worms”. It’s one of those passages that could be very volatile. I was hesitant, but that’s all I saw from an application standpoint. But as I thought about it a concept came to mind that is vital for all followers of Christ to embrace and actively cultivate.
First, a quick synopsis of what’s going on here in these verses. Ephesus was the epicenter for the worship of Artemis, a fertility goddess. Verse 35 tells us that Ephesus was the official guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, whose image fell down to…from heaven. NLT
Paul’s preaching greatly impacted many in the area – turning them to the one true God. The problem was that this put a crimp in the pockets of the local silversmiths, who made a great profit off the sales of their little silver Artemis shrines.
Demetrius, one of the biggest manufacturers of the shrines said, in verse 27.
Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will be discredited, but also that the [magnificent] temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and that she whom all Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned and lose her glorious magnificence.” AMP
Can you say, baloney? Some of that may have factored in, but the Life Application Bible note on this verse states:
Demetrius’s strategy for stirring up a riot was to appeal to his fellow workmen’s love of money and then encourage them to hide their greed behind the mask of patriotism and religious loyalty. The rioters couldn’t see the selfish motives for their rioting; instead, they saw themselves as heroes for the sake of their land and beliefs.
And the whole thing just escalated.
So, here’s the concept that came to mind: discernment.
We all probably have a basic understanding in our heads, but I wanted a more Biblically based definition. I found one on Ligonier’s website. (Ligonier is a fellowship of teachers dedicated to making the deep truths of the Christian faith accessible to growing believers.) Here’s a sound definition.
True discernment means not only distinguishing the right from the wrong; it means distinguishing the primary from the secondary, the essential from the indifferent, and the permanent from the transient. And, yes, it means distinguishing between the good and the better, and even between the better and the best. (Click here to read more >> What Is Discernment?)
Without getting into a huge political/philosophical debate, I need to stress that followers of Christ need to be very careful about what we believe and why we believe it. Just because everyone else is on the bandwagon, doesn’t mean that we have to jump on, too.
Like the rioters in Ephesus, is it possible that we don’t really have a full understanding of what is going on? Verse 32 spells it out,
Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there. NLT
Just because we hold “John (or Jane) Smith” in high esteem, doesn’t mean that they have the best interests of God’s Kingdom in mind. A lot of things pull the strings for a lot of different people. We need to make sure that we are not just swallowing everything, hook, line, and sinker. Pray about things. Read about them. See what wisdom God’s word has to say. Ask God to help you discern what is best. That is where you will find the answer.
July 3rd, 2022, Sun, 5:46 pm
