Feb 23, 2018
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.