Rev. Sean Daenzer, director of worship for the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and chaplain at the International Center in St. Louis, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 19:21-41.
Paul’s lengthy ministry in Ephesus was not without controversy and trouble. A silversmith named Demetrius has felt economic pain from Christian preaching, and he rightly sees that Paul’s preaching of the one true God cannot stand together with idols made by human hands. The crowd works itself into a riot, chanting the praises of Artemis and seeking to harm anyone they can find. Christians in Ephesus keep Paul from physical harm as the crowd continues mindlessly and violently for two hours. Finally, a town clerk appeals to the greatness of Artemis and a desire to avoid the charges of rioting in order to calm the commotion.
“To the End of the Earth” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Acts. In his second volume, St. Luke records all the things that Jesus continued to do through the ministry of His Church. By the end of the book, the proclamation of the Lord’s Word that began in Jerusalem grows all the way to Rome. By God’s grace, even now, that same Word is proclaimed to us.
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