|
A World
Turned Upside Down
Acts 19
These men who
have turned the world upside down have come here too. Acts
17:6. NKJ
Paul wrestled
against principalities and powers throughout the
Roman Empire, spirits stirred from their
comfortable, unchallenged rein in their own regions. His
dynamic Gospel stole the hearts of demonically captive people
through the introduction and impartation of the Holy Spirit,
the steady teaching of the Way, and the demonstration of
extraordinary miracles. The demonic counter attack against the
seven sons of Sceva, during which the would-be devil-kickers
were administered, “such a beating that they ran out of the
house naked and bleeding,” succeeded instead in seizing the
Ephesian populace with fear!
The name of the
Lord Jesus was held in high honour.
Many of those
who dabbled and indulged in sorcery generated a great public
bonfire by burning their scrolls.
Practically the
whole province of Asia was turning to God!
The
ex-sorcereres were not alone. They were joined by massive
crowds of ex-idolaters who gave up their idols. This literally
overturned the regional economy. As the centre of the god
Artemis, Ephesus was the home to a
complex system of tradesmen and craftsmen involved in the
creation of little shrines and related objects. Another
significant portion of the population was involved in the
tourist trade, as pilgrims trekked to
Ephesus
to express worship at the
Temple
of Artemis.
It was as if Disney World was closed down in
Orlando!
Social unrest
was close behind. Riots sought the lives of the ringleaders of
the Way.
But as
significant portions of the economy were redeployed from
wickedness to godliness the city was changed. Millions of
dollars that were invested in demonic interests, in sorcery,
in witchcraft, in the occult, were now transferred to the
coffers of the Kingdom.
So instead of
propping up an impotent goddess and the evil behind her wealth
was invested in providing for the widow, the orphan, the
alien, the poor, and the needy. And funds were poured out into
the lives of Gospel revolutionists, warriors of the Lord Jesus
Christ, to replicate these results.
Some
commentators figure the 50,000 drachma up in smoke to be
roughly equivalent to £2-3 million sterling. One drachma was
the daily wage of an agricultural worker. The Canadian average
worker now earns $31,000 a year. That works out to about $11.2
million (CDN).
Granted, that
money went up in smoke. It wasn’t invested directly into the
Kingdom. But much more than that amount, the future disposable
income and prospects of these revolutionists, was targeted for
the Kingdom.
What was the
bottom line? The enemies of the Way admitted that it was
winning the province of Asia.
Some even figured that it had turned the whole world upside
down. “The word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.”
Just keep in mind what we've in front of us.
|
