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While reading from the Holy Bible in the book of Acts chapter 19, the account of Demetrius starting a riot in Ephesus (v23-41) caught my attention. Demetrius is a craftsman who has been creating silver shrines for the goddess Artemis and making a good living from his craft. Then the apostle Paul and some other disciples begin preaching the Word of God to the Ephesians. The people of Ephesus believe in Paul’s preaching about Jesus Christ and shift their devotion to Jesus. What happens to Demetrius? His business declines and he starts to lose money. In an effort to bring attention to the situation, Demetrius starts a riot in Ephesus .
Acts 19:24-27 (New International Version Bible) 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. 25 He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."
Now my first reaction to Demetrius is that it makes sense. The Bible does not imply that Demetrius is a believer in Jesus Christ; therefore, he would not understand the need to shift devotion away from Artemis and the one true living God. All he sees is declined sales and declined devotion to Artemis, so he tries to rally the troops to his cause. So it looks like Demetrius’ greed is the major issue here.
Yet, as is normally the case, what about the second glance through the Holy Scriptures recorded in the Bible. As I was thinking about Demetrius and "how much it makes sense," I had to ask myself how many times I change my actions when following Jesus Christ starts to interfere with my prosperity. How do I act when I compare my monetary offerings to the church with my savings? How do I act when I compare my time given to the church with my time outside of church? How do I act when comparing Jesus Christ’s calling to my own career choices? How do I act when comparing Jesus’ teachings in the Bible to my choices around what I buy? How I act around others? How I speak? The questions just keep coming.
The account of Demetrius recorded in Acts chapter 19 is much more then a simple illustration about greed. If we are willing to turn the focus inwardly to our own lives, it becomes a challenge to examine our lives. We are faced with this question. How does my greed effect my commitment to Jesus Christ and His church? Now that is something to reflection upon.
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