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Establishing God's Peace
No Gods At All [Acts 19]
23About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way.24For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen;25these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, "Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business. 26"You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all. 27"Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence." 28When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 29The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia.30And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him.
Demetrius and his craftsmen associates didn't worship Artemis, they worshiped the prosperity that idol making provided to them. They not only missed Jesus, but they incited people to reject Jesus in preference for idols make by hands, their hands. All of us worship all sorts of idols with an idol being anything that takes our focus off of Jesus. Those idols can be prosperity, food, family, jobs, knowledge, activity, cars, houses, status, reputation etc..
In Japan, the missionaries have their new converts bring their idols and god shelves to be burned so that there is a complete break with the idolatry of their past. What a powerful visual for those converts and what courage it must take for them to take that step. Here in America, many of us don't take the time to consider the idolatry that pervades our lives when we step into the new faith and openly reject those things. For me, it has taken years to see, acknowledge and surrender many of the idols I have had as a Christian. We can't serve God and "no gods at all" and be at peace in the Lord.
God, we praise You that You alone are God. Cause us to recognize and relinquish our idols that are causing us to miss a closer relationship with You even though it may mean that we suffer some sort of physical loss. Grant us the courage and wisdom to be rid of the "no gods at all."
Beth Warlick, 7/3/2009
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