by Tim Green
Paul preaches!" One time, seven sons of a certain Jewish chief priest named Sceva were doing this. But one evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know and Paul I know. But you? Who are you?" Then the man in whom the evil spirit dwelt leaped upon them, overpowering them and gave them such a beating that they ran from the house, naked and bleeding. When this became known to the residents of Ephesus, the fear of the Lord fell upon them all, Jews and Greeks alike. The name of the Lord Jesus Christ, came to be held in high regard.
Many of those believers, who had earlier made professions of faith now came and admitted their evil deeds. A considerable number of those who had engaged in occult practices threw their scrolls in a pile and burned them publicly, in the sight of everyone. When they calculated the value of the scrolls that were burnt, it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver, drachmas. Thus the message, the Good News of the Messiah continued in a powerful way to grow and spread throughout the world.
Some time later, I decided by the Holy Spirit to pass through the Provinces of Macedonia and Achaia, most of Greece and then go to Jerusalem. "After I have been there," I said, "I must visit Rome." I had a yearning deep within me, a small voice urging me to go to Rome. I had to go to Rome. By faith I was on my way to Rome. I dispatched two of my helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to the Province of Macedonia. But I remained in the Province of Asia for awhile. It was at this time that a major disturbance arose concerning the "Way of the Lord." There was a silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of the goddess Artemis, also known as the goddess Diana. She was the goddess of fertility. This craft provided a large amount of work and business for the craftsmen.
Demetrius called a meeting together, along with the workmen of similar trades, and said to them, "Men, you understand that this line of business provides us our living. You can see and hear for yourselves that not only here in Ephesus, but in practically the whole Province of Asia, how this Paul has turned away a considerable crowd by saying that man-made gods aren't gods at all. Now the danger is not only that the reputation of our trade will suffer, but that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will come to be taken lightly. It could end up with the goddess herself, who is worshipped throughout the Province of Asia and indeed the whole world, being counted for nothing and her glorious magnificence may be degraded. And that she may fall and be brought down from her divine majesty!"
Hearing this, they were filled with rage and began bellowing, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" Soon the whole city was in an uproar. As one man, the mob rushed into the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, my travelling companions from the Province of Macedonia. I wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples wouldn't let me. I was determined to go down there and rescue my spiritual sons. I would have taken the beating for them. My love for them ran deep. I will most gladly spend myself and be utterly spent for their souls. Some of the officials of the province, friends of mine, sent a message to me, begging me not to risk entering the amphitheater.
Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing and others something else, because the assembly was in complete confusion. A great majority didn't even know why they were there. Some of the crowd explained the situation to Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed to the front to speak. So Alexander motioned with his hand for silence, hoping to make a defense speech to the people. But as soon as they recognized that he was a Jew, they began bellowing and shouting in unison, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" and they kept it up for about two hours. I delivered Alexander and Hymenaeus unto Satan so that they would learn not to blaspheme. Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil. The Lord will pay him back for his works and actions for he greatly withstood my message of the kingdom.
At last the city clerk was able to quiet the crowd, saying, "Men of Ephesus! Is there anyone who doesn't know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone which fell from the sky? Since this is beyond dispute, you had better calm down and not do anything rash. For you have brought these men here who have neither robbed the temple nor insulted your goddess. So if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open and the judges are there. Let them bring charges and counter-charges. But if there is something more you want, it will have to be settled in a lawful assembly. For we are in danger of being accused of rioting on account of what has happened here today. There is no justification for it, and if we are asked, we will be unable to give any reasonable explanation for this disorderly gathering." With these words he dismissed the assembly.
After the uproar and rioting had ceased, I sent for the disciples and encouraged and consoled them. Then I embraced them and told them farewell. I took leave and set out on my way to the Province of Macedonia. After I had gone through those districts and had encouraged the brothers there, I passed on to Greece, where I spent three months preaching there. As I was preparing to set sail for the Province of Syria, I discovered a plot against me by the unbelieving Jews. So I changed my mind and decided to return by way of Macedonia. I was accompanied by Sopater, the son of Pyrrhus from Berea, and by the Thessalonians Aristarchus and Secundus, and Gaius of Derbe and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the Province of Asia. I loved being surrounded by young men. I was passionate about being a mentor and imparting wisdom along with spiritual gifts to them. So that they too could function in their gifting and callings that God had bestowed upon them.
These sons went on ahead and were waiting for us, including Luke at the port in Troas, while we sailed from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, the Passover week. Five days later we met up with them in Troas, where we spent a week. On the first day of the week, when we were gathered to break bread, I addressed them. Since I was going to leave the next day, I kept talking and expounding on the Scriptures until midnight. Now there were many oil lamps burning in the upstairs room where we were meeting. There was a young fellow named Eutychus sitting on the window-sill. As my teaching went on and on without taking a break, Eutychus grew sleepier and sleepier, until he went sound asleep and fell from the third storey window to the ground below. When they picked him up he was dead.
I went down and bent over and embraced him, I put my arms around him and said, "Don't be alarmed or upset, he's alive! His life is within him." Then I went back upstairs, broke the bread and ate after saying a blessing. As the natural body heals itself, so too must the spiritual body, the Church heal itself. Each member of the body is joined together to make a holy habitation in the Lord. The body does not consist of one limb or one organ but of many members. For the body is one yet it has many members. The eye is not to say to the hand, I have no need of you. Nor the head to say to the foot, I have no need of you. For all the different parts of the body need one another. Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular. For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bone. There should be no divisions and discord in the body, but the members should care deeply for one another.
I continued talking with them until daybreak, proclaiming, "Awake you that are asleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine His light in your hearts. It is high time to awake out of your sleep, for our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent and almost over, the day is almost here. Let us therefore cast off and put aside the deeds of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as people of the day, not partying and getting drunk, not engaging in sexual immorality and other excesses, not quarrelling and being jealous. Instead clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ and stop thinking about how to provide for the sinful desires of the old nature. You are all children of light, and children of the day. We are not of the night, nor of the darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do those who do not know Christ. But let us stay alert and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep at night, and they that be drunk are drunk in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, put on the hope of salva
tion. Awake righteously and sin not. You will see God face to face and be satisfied when you awake to His righteousness."
I prayed a prayer with them and then I departed. They took the youth home alive, greatly relieved that he was no longer dead. They rejoiced with him because the boy was dead but God brought him back to life. We are to rejoice with them that rejoice and we are to weep with those who weep. My helpers went on ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, a city in the Province of Asia Minor. They were planning to get me on board with them, but I had arranged to travel there by land. So when I met up with them at Assos, they took me aboard the ship and we sailed to Mitylene together, a town in the Island of Lesbos. The next day, we sailed from there and arrived at a point opposite Chios, an island in the Mediterranean. The following day, we crossed over to the Samos Island in the Mediterranean Sea, where we spent the night in the town of Trogyllium. The day after that we reached Miletus, a city of Asia Minor. I had
