Ep 434 – Acts 19:21-41

When we talk about salvation, we tend to address it in terms of the impact it has had on the life of the individual for whom faith in Christ has become a reality. We discuss how it brings about life change and results in a new way of living marked by behavioral transformation. But it’s interesting how often Luke describes the end result of salvation in terms of its group impact and communal influence. As we open up Acts 19:21-41, we are going to see the apostle Paul preaching and teaching in the city of Ephesus. And his efforts would not go unrewarded. There would be many who came to faith in Christ and, as we will see, these new believers began to have a powerful impact on the rest of the community. So much so, that the local idol trade had been negatively impacted. People were placing their faith in Christ and recognizing the illogical and unhelpful role that pagan, lifeless gods played in their daily lives. People were discovering Christ and, at the same time, realizing that the hope they had placed in the saving power of their false gods had been highly misdirected. As a result, they were making significant changes in their lifestyles that were impacting others around them, including both the saved and the lost. While the majority of the citizens of Ephesus remained unsaved, they were seeing and feeling the influence of the gospel’s transformative power. Like yeast in a batch of dough, the new believers in Ephesus were slowly spreading their influence throughout the city, eliciting a range of reactions, from positive to negative, but rarely indifferent.