Lesson Date: October 2, 2011

Focal Scripture Passage: Acts 19:1-41

AIM: To lead adults to recognize that pride and the desire for money caused many of the Ephesians to ignore or reject the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to examine their motives to see if either pride or the desire for money is causing them to reject the gospel or compromise their convictions.

 

INTRODUCTION (Create Learning Readiness): Before class: Familiarize yourself with the map so you can show the class the locations named in the lesson.  Write the following question on the marker board or chalkboard: “What Would You Be Willing To Do For $1,000,000?”  For added visual effect you could take a plain white envelope, seal it, and write or print “$1,000,000” on the outside.  You could hold this up in front of the class when you ask them what they would be willing to do for $1,000,000.

When class begins: Ask: “What are some crazy, unsafe, or immoral things people do for money?”  After members suggest some answers tell them that people sometimes do unbelievable things for money.

Ask: “What would you be willing to do for $1,000,000?”  Ask them to silently answer that question as you mention the following possibilities:

·       Ride in an experimental airplane?

·       Pose for nude photographs?

·       Walk a tightrope across a canyon?

·       Behave in an immoral manner?

·       Publicly renounce Jesus Christ and never again set foot in a church?

Read the lesson aim to the class.

 

HEART OF THE LESSON (Bible Study):

1.     Review.

a.     Briefly review the study of Acts.

b.     At this point Paul is on his Third Missionary Journey.

c.     He began that journey by again going through the regions of Galatia and Phrygia (Acts 18:23) in central Turkey (locate on the map).

2.     Paul Went to Ephesus where He Met some Disciples of John the Baptist.

a.     Ask a volunteer to read Acts 19:1-3 to the class.

b.     While Apollos was at Corinth (Acts 18:27-28) Paul went to Ephesus (locate on the map).

c.     At Ephesus Paul found some men who claimed to be disciples.  He asked them if they received the Holy Spirit when they were saved (a better translation for the word “since” in the KJV is “when”).

d.     Ask: “How did they answer Paul?” (they said they hadn’t even heard of the Holy Spirit).

e.     Verse 3 tells us these men were followers of John the Baptist.

f.      Read Acts 19:4-7.

g.     Ask: “What did Paul tell them in verse 4?” (that John baptized people as a symbol of their repentance, but told the people to follow Jesus).

h.     The men received Christ and were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  To confirm the reality of their salvation God caused them to speak in other languages, proclaiming the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ.

3.     Preaching and Miracles at Ephesus.

a.     Ask the class to listen for where Paul preached and the result of that preaching as a volunteer reads Acts 19:8-9 (Paul preached boldly in the synagogue for three months; when some opposition arose, he left the synagogue and continued preaching in another location).

b.     Read Acts 19:10-12.

c.     Ask: “How long did Paul continue preaching in Ephesus?” (two years).

d.     Tell the class that the gospel spread throughout that region.

e.     Verses 11-12 reveal that God worked through Paul to perform many special miracles.  God used these miracles to confirm to the watching crowds the truth of Paul’s message.

f.      Ask: “Do we need miracles today to confirm the truth of the gospel?” (no, we have the complete revelation of God in the Bible).

4.     Exorcists and Magicians.

a.     Tell the class that the next verses tell about some people who wanted to use Jesus’ name for financial gain.

b.     Read Acts 19:13-22.

c.     Tell the class that the “vagabond Jews” were traveling magicians and exorcists (people who cast out evil spirits).  They saw the power Paul exhibited through the name of Jesus (verse 12), so they used the name of Jesus, as well.

d.     Ask: “What happened when the seven sons of Sceva did this?” (they were attacked and beaten by a demon-possessed man).

e.     Tell the class that many people were saved, including many magicians.

f.      Ask: “What did they do with their magic books?” (burned them).

g.     The value of those books was equal to what an average laborer would earn if he worked seven days a week for 137 years!

h.     Paul’s future travel plans are revealed to us in verse 21.

i.      Ask: “Where did he plan to go?” (he planned to go back through Macedonia and Achaia, then to Jerusalem, and finally to Rome – locate these places on the map).

5.     For the Love of Money.

a.     Read Acts 19:23-28.

b.     Once again, opposition and controversy followed Paul.

c.     Ask: “Why were Demetrius and the other silversmiths upset about Paul’s preaching?” (because Paul’s admonitions to turn from idols and worship Jesus Christ were causing them to lose money).

d.     Note that in speaking of the magnificence of great Diane the silversmiths added a little “religiosity” to their complaint, to make it seem more genuine.

e.     Ephesus was the center of the worship of the fertility goddess Diana.  Civic pride and the desire for money resulted in a riotous situation.

6.     Let’s Go to the Theatre.

a.     Read Acts 19:29-34.

b.     The mob took two of Paul’s companions and dragged them into the town’s huge amphitheatre.  Paul wanted to go and face the crowd.

c.     Ask: “Why didn’t he go?” (his friends stopped him).

d.     Verses 32-34 let us know that there was great confusion and uproar in the theatre.

e.     Ask: “How long did the crowd shout ‘Great is Diana of the Ephesians’?” (for two hours!).

f.      Tell the class that the silversmiths were motivated by money and the rest of the crowd was motivated by pride over the fact that Ephesus was the center of Diana worship.

7.     Civic Pride and Fear.

a.     Ask a volunteer to read Acts 19:35-41.

b.     To quiet and disperse the crowd, the town clerk (a locally elected official similar to a mayor) appealed to the Ephesians’ civic pride and their fear of Roman punishment.

c.     He said everyone knew that the Ephesians were worshippers of Diana.  He further said if a violent riot broke out the Romans would send in an army, thus taking away their freedom.

 

PERSONAL APPLICATION: Tell the class that people will do almost anything for money or because of their pride.  Demetrius the silversmith didn’t care about the truth of the gospel.  He probably didn’t really care about worshiping Diana, either.  All he really cared about was making money by selling silver statues of Diana.  Ephesus was one of the most important cities in the region and the center of Diana worship.  The people of Ephesus were too proud of their reputation and standing in the region to listen to the truth.

Ask: “What about us?  Are we willing to ignore the truth of the gospel and sacrifice our convictions for monetary gain?  Does our pride cause us to compromise our Christian values and go along with the world’s standards of dress, language, and behavior?”

The Apostle Paul did not get rich preaching the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ.  In fact, he often faced opposition and persecution.  Everywhere he went trouble seemed to follow.  Tell the class that standing up for Jesus Christ may cost them something.  In fact, it will cost their pride.  Explain that no one can come to Christ for salvation without laying down their pride: salvation requires you to admit your helplessness and inability to save yourself.

Remind the class that at the beginning of the lesson you asked them what they would be willing to do for $1,000,000.  That question is still written on the board.  Erase the question mark and add to the question the following words: “Or To Protect Your Reputation?”  Read the complete question to the class.  Below that question write: “Are You Willing to go to Hell?”

Ask everyone to bow their head and close their eyes.  Ask: “Is pride keeping you from coming to Jesus Christ by faith?  Are you scared of what others will think?  Are you afraid Jesus might somehow make you look foolish in the eyes of others?”  Urge any who are not saved to lay down their pride and cry out to Jesus for salvation right now.

Ask those who are already saved to privately examine their motives to see if either pride or the desire for money is causing them to compromise their convictions.  Ask: “Are we willing to do what is right in God’s sight even if it means you might be ostracized socially?” Urge them to repent of their sin and commit to following the Lord faithfully, regardless of the financial cost or cost to their pride.  We should all do what’s right because it’s right.  Lead a closing prayer.

 

CONCLUSION: Ask everyone to look for examples in the news media this week of people doing bad things for money or out of pride.  Urge them to remain determined to do right, regardless of what it might cost them in money or reputation.