Building The Body Study 4 - Opposition to the Body

Acts 19:23 NIV 

[23] About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/act.19.23.NIV)

Riots are unfortunately a fact of modern-day life. 

Often they are orchestrated by people who don’t understand a lot of the nuances to the situation they are protesting, but persuade people to think in black and white so they can cause chaos and gain from it. Those who do this are heartless, mindless, feckless losers who cannot win any other way. 

Rioting solves no problems. It only creates more problems. 

It is never a solution and does not work. 

Christians have no place taking the side of people like that, no matter how fair or justified their cause may seem to be. 

What we see here is a riot. And there can never be an excuse for that. 

But it’s worse. Ephesus was a Greek-speaking city in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) that was raised up, policed and governed by the Romans. The Romans had a very low tolerance for any threat to the Pax Romana. Everyone involved in this riot risked severe consequences, both for themselves, their administration and the city at large. 

So what could possess a man that he would start a violent riot in his own city and risk losing everything? 

To understand that is to get to the very heart of how false religion works, and how the mindset of a rioter works. 

The first thing we see here is that this riot was due to  A Question of Worship. 

A Question of Worship 

Acts 19:24-27 NIV 

[24] A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. [25] He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that 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 gods made by human hands 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.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/act.19.24-27.NIV)

Have you ever been in a town or a city that is dominated by a particular trade or product? 

For example, the car industry in Detroit led to it being nicknamed ‘Motor City’.   

In England, the city of Stoke-On-Trent became so synonymous with ceramics that it, and its football team, are nicknamed ‘The Potteries'. 

Sheffield is synonymous with steel. And the rock band ‘Def Leppard'. 

In Scotland, Aberdeen is synonymous with oil. 

Arbroath with smoked fish. 

Motherwell used to be synonymous with steel. 

The town I grew up in, Blantyre, was famous for coal mining and the missionary-explorer David Livingston. 

Ephesus had a huge claim to fame: the Temple of Diana/Artemis. It was known throughout the world for it. The Temple was one of the Ancient Wonders. It was part of the city's identity. 

But the Gospel struck at all of that. The Gospel taught that Diana/Artemis was a fake god, not a real god – nothing more than an idol fashioned by human hands. 

It’s this that Demetrius and his fellow workers were defending. 

Or was it? 

Because Luke's insightful commentary raises the prospect of another god being worshipped here: 

Mammon. 

Acts 19:24 NIV 

[24] A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/act.19.24.NIV)

Demetrius was making money out of it. As were his fellow workers. 

And this is where things really take a huge twist. 

The real reason behind this riot was less to do with worship of Artemis/Diana and more to do with a loss of income and status. The growing church was perceived as a threat to their financial and societal status. 

What was most important to them was their income and their position. The fact that this was his opening and closing gambit betrays this fact. 

His gods were money and status. Artemis/Diana was simply the means through which he obtained them. 

This is where the challenge really comes. Yes, there is no doubt at all that in other countries the sale of trinkets or indulgences for pagan worship is a means of making money, and religion is also a means to gain status in society. The entrance of the Gospel is a threat to that business. The riposte to a perceived threat is almost always intimidation followed by violence. 

It should come as no surprise at all that persecution takes place in such countries. It happens not because their gods are insulted or blasphemed against, but because the status that comes with their worship is at risk. 

However, I have also seen such behaviour among those who claim to be Christians. An Orthodox priest once threatened my mission team with violence if we didn’t leave his village because he saw us as a threat to his income – he perceived us as ‘stealing the bread from [his] mouth’. 

The fact is that every single violent protest without exception betrays what we truly worship.

If we value our culture or way of life or financial position more than bringing glory to God, then, yes, we will threaten violence and riot.  

But in doing so we prove that we are not truly worshipping God at all. The very fact that we have crossed the line and resorted to violence is an absolute betrayal of what and who He commanded us to be (Matthew 22:36-40). 

No true Christian will ever riot, or even threaten violence – to get what they want. 

We have better, more powerful means than that. 

Apart from a question of worship, we also see that this riot was A Question of Identity. 

A Question of Identity 

Acts 19:26-28 NIV 

[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 gods made by human hands 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.” [28] When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/act.19.26-28.NIV)

Last year my country – Scotland – achieved something they had not achieved for twenty-eight years: they qualified for the World Cup. 

Of course, when they got there, they hardly set the heather alight and were knocked out pretty meekly in the first round. That is what tends to happen when we qualify for international tournaments. We hold the record for the most number of times a country has qualified for an international football competition without reaching the second round.

Such sporting occasions are times when identities are exposed and people declare their loyalties for one flag or another. 

Some are due to heritage.

Others to friendship.

Or love.

Some are due to family.

In the Scottish national squad there are several players born in England and one in Australia.

Some are simply due to language, like the Hispanic national teams backing each other. 

Some are due to money. There are rumours one country in particular paid their fans to go to the World Cup and cheer for them. 

The point being that such occasions are when national identities are really important. 

We have lived for many years in nations where the politics of identity had dominated: whether it’s in terms of national identity, political identity or gender identity, it had always occupied the front, and sometimes the back, pages of our newspapers. 

For the Ephesians, identity was critical. Their identity was bound up on the Temple of Artemis/Diana and its status as an Ancient Wonder of the World. The city would have been very cosmopolitan as a port city and the second city of the Empire.  

However, the worship of Artemis/Diana was critical to their identity and sense of dignity and Ephesians. Look again at what they chanted: ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’  

Their worship of her defined who they were. 

That sense of identity driving the persecution of Christians is not at all unusual and neither is it the first time it happened. 

Look again at the plots against Jesus: 

John 11:47-48 NIV 

[47] Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. [48] If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.11.47-48.NIV)

The Temple for the Jews was what the Temple of Artemis/Diana was for the Ephesians: a symbol of who they were as a nation. If they lost it, their nation would have been sunk.  

The reason why they went after Jesus was because they saw Him as a potential threat to that Temple. 

Look at the objection raised against Paul in Philippi: 

Acts 16:20-21 NIV 

[20] They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar [21] by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/act.16.20-21.NIV)

Again, their objectors were playing the identity card. Philippi was a Roman colonial outpost occupied by former Roman soldiers and granted special status by the Emperor. They could not risk losing it and they perceived Paul as a risk to that identity and status. 

Our identity is a raw nerve. It’s nothing new – human beings have been like that for centuries. The only change is that recently it has strayed from something relating to our nationality or religion to our gender or sexuality. 

But here’s the thing: in Christ our identity changes: 

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV 

[17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/2co.5.17.NIV)

Romans 12:1-2 NIV 

[1] Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. [2] Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.12.1-2.NIV)

John 3:3 NIV 

[3] Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.3.3.NIV)

The Ephesians were right: the Gospel was a distinct threat to their identity. That has always and will always be the case. 

However, we can liken a Christian to someone who has a dual passport. My wife and daughter are both entitled to dual citizenship and passports. Neither of the countries have any issue with their citizens holding two nationalities.

But some countries do. Some countries are strict. Then the passport holder has to decide which citizenship they wish to hold. 

However, as Christians, we cannot hold two identities. We cannot be both a Christian and someone who worships other gods. Our God is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 4:24, 5:9; Joshua 24:19; Isaiah 42:8). He has every right to be jealous. He absolutely deserves first place in our lives. 

That’s why He commanded us to have no other gods before or besides Him (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7). 

So we have to choose. We are either followers of Jesus Christ or we are not. There is no middle ground. Neither can there ever be. 

We are either Christians or we are not. There is no middle ground. There is no room for compromise.

Demetrius and his guild realised that their identity was under threat

I wonder, do we realise it too?

We have seen, then that the riot was a question of worship – who or what we perceive as being worthy, and it was also a question of identity – who we consider ourselves to be. 

Lastly, we see in the outcome of the riot A Question of Order. 

A Question of Order 

Acts 19:35-41 NIV 

[35] The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? [36] Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. [37] You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. [38] If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. [39] If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. [40] As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” [41] After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/act.19.35-41.NIV)

When the House of Commons in the British Parliament becomes a little raucous and rambunctious, the Speaker of the House, who presides over the debates, cab often be heard yelling over the chaos ‘Order! Order!’ 

Let me tell you a reality ignored by so-called Christians who seem to love violent and inappropriate means to get their way: 

 1 Corinthians 14:33 NIV 

[33] For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1co.14.33.NIV)

Our God does not cause chaos. Instead, He brings order. This is a basic principle of His character. 

It is therefore inconceivable for Him to use riots or anarchy to exert His will. That is just not who He is. 

Now, this is where we must understand these verses correctly. The Gospel came to Ephesus. It bought with it completeness and healing: the casting out of spiritual beings who delighted to bring disorder and chaos. 

Paul and his band of missionaries did not bring about the riot in Ephesus. That riot was caused when idol makers objected to the threat to their trade and saw the Gospel as a threat to their identity. It was their reaction that caused the riot, not the Gospel. 

That distinction must be made and must be clear. 

Disorder carries with it a serious risk. In Paul’s day, that risk for the second city of the Empire was that the Romans would send their troops into the city to enforce order with violence. They were known for it. They would not stand for any threats to their Pax Romana. A violent end to the riot could cost many lives and cause untold damage to this important and beautiful city. 

But Demetrius and his men did not consider the possible cost of disorder for themselves or other people. Their only desire was to impose their will by any means. 

Hence the rebuke of the city clerk. 

And right there is the problem. Those whose worship is elsewhere and who seek to defend their identity no matter the cost don’t consider the effects of their actions on others. They just seek to impose their will at any cost. 

That is when serious problems occur. 

We are called to be humble (Ephesians 4:2). Using might to force your will upon other people is the opposite of humble. 

And therefore the exact opposite of who a Christian should be. 

Conclusion 

Acts 19:40 NIV 

[40] As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.”  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/act.19.40.NIV)

On 9^th June, 2026, rioting broke out in the Northern Irish city of Belfast. Disorder quickly broke out in cities in the United Kingdom with a close connection to Northern Ireland. 

The spark for these riots was a horrific crime for which there can be no excuse: a stabbing allegedly perpetrated by a Sudanese asylum seeker. What followed, though, was way worse and way more consequential for the country of Northern Ireland than a single stabbing. 

Homes were targeted indiscriminately. Houses containing people of other nationalities who had absolutely nothing to do with the attack – Filipinos and Indians and Eastern Europeans – were firebombed by people whose grudges far outsized their intelligence. People who had served Northern Irish people faithfully in their health care system for years simply grabbed their families and their belongings and fled the country for safety. 

Far from the alluring location it purported to be, after numerous films and TV series were filmed nearby, Northern Ireland became a place that international tourists, particularly non-whites, will now avoid. 

As the husband of an Asian wife and the father of a mixed race daughter, I know I will. 

Wouldn’t you? 

Who would take a holiday in a place were some racist numbskull could potentially accost your family? 

The rioting desecrated Northern Ireland’s reputation across the globe. It portrayed the country as full of people who lacked intelligence and could only solve their problems with their fist. We have friends from Northern Ireland. We know it’s far from true. 

Riots cause serious, and sometimes irreparable, harm. They favour no-one. 

Christians have no place in them. 

We have seen, then, the febrile atmosphere into which the Ephesian church ministered.

This was far from a fun place to be. 

We see how the excuses for this terrible behaviour began with a question of worship: what is it that you value the most? It’s also a question of identity: who do you truly want to be? And lastly, it’s a question of order: is it really worth it? 

Consider again how awful it would have been to be a Christian in that atmosphere. The right approach is actually the approach Paul was urged to take: 

Acts 19:29-31 NIV 

[29] Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. [30] Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. [31] Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/act.19.29-31.NIV)

Paul’s presence would have made things a lot worse, not better. It would have poured gas on the flame. 

Yes, as Christians, we should seek peace (Psalm 34:14; Jeremiah 29:7; Romans 12:16). We should not be agitators. 

But we also need to be wise and recognise when our presence would do more harm than good. 

As Christians, our primary responsibility is not to be ‘right’ and bring glory to ourselves, but to bring glory to God. We live in a febrile atmosphere where people with bad intentions seek to incite us against each other so that they can gain from the chaos. 

No Christian ought to be anywhere near that kind of thinking. 

At the same time, in order to understand the sheer folly of violence and rioting, we must understand how it is built on a foundation of wrong values that lead to wrong actions. When those wrong values try to make inroads into our mentality, they must be challenged and discarded. 

There is one way we should respond to perceived injustice. Violence is not that way. 

Prayer is.

1 Timothy 2:1-4 NIV 

[1] I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— [2] for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. [3] This is good, and pleases God our Savior, [4] who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1ti.2.1-4.NIV)

Riots never bring about peace. Riots cannot follow genuine prayer. 

Peace promotes the Gospel. Violence detracts from it.

It really is that simple.

If we want to live peaceful, quiet lives in the middle of a riotous world, we must seek peace through prayer and flee from the wrong values that could lead us to riot. 

Because in doing this we will truly seek the glory of God. 

Prayer 

Lord Jesus, when there is so much anger and frustration in the world, help keep to be a vessel of Your peace. Help me to understand the wrong values that lead to violence and to flee from them. Amen. 

Questions for Contemplation  

• Why did the riot in Ephesus take place? Was it justified? 

• What triggers could potentially start a riot in your situation? Are any of them justified? 

• What are the consequences of rioting? How can you live for Jesus in such a febrile atmosphere?