About that time,
serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way. It
began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing
silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen
busy. He called them together, along
with others employed in similar trades, and addressed them as follows: “Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes
from this business. But as you have seen and heard, this
man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t really gods at
all. And he’s done this not only here in
Ephesus but throughout the entire province!
Of course, I’m not just talking about the loss of public respect for our
business. I’m also concerned that the
temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that
Artemis—this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and
all around the world—will be robbed of her great prestige!” Acts 19:23-27
This account of Demetrius’
smoke-filled, back-room meeting with all the other local tycoons of the idol
business was simply what happens in all conglomerates, govermental entities,
and religious institutions…keeping what’s lucrative, and destroy everything
else.
Demetrius did what those
invested in “big business” always do, committing to holding on to power, prestige, and the
comfort of keeping things the same. Their
methodology is underhanded strongarming, while staying remarkably clear of the
fallout. By pitting religion against God’s
movement, they maintain the status quo, and the world buys it
every time!
Paul was a small cog in the great wheel of
history, but God used the Apostle to get the attention of the powerful movers
and shakers of the day. It started a
riot, but it placed the choice between greed and God in plain view. What was on the table was the sovereignty of
God; would they be obedient to the Creator, or rebellious in favor of keeping the
cash flow overflowing?
They chose to chase the dangling carrot in front of their power-and-money-sensing noses. It seemed like a no-brainer to keep the bottom line healthy, providing their resources for keeping their power base numbers acceptible. They chose poorly!
For You Today
Demetrius made his choice, and took the rest
of “big business” with him. And
what/where did that get them? What they
failed to realize was God’s movement has an eternal, sovereign king, to which
all men must eventually answer.
Each of us has that same choice.
…in business
sense: Silver idols or golden streets?
…in common
sense: Hell or Heaven?
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When Truth Gets Offensive and Business as Usual
[1] Images: Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
