We use cookies to collect general visitor statistics but not personal information. Privacy policy

Paul - Part 4 - Ephesus

The riot in Ephesus.
Contributed by Lars-Goran Ronnberg
1
Ephesus used to be a very large city with several hundred thousand inhabitants. It was located in what is now western Turkey. It had one of the world's largest outdoor theatres with 25,000 seats. – Slide 1
2
Ephesus was famous for the Temple of Diana (also known as Artemis), a very large building that was 55 meters wide and 115 meters long. The temple was known as one of the seven wonders of the world. – Slide 2
3
Inside they prayed to a large man-made statue called the goddess Diana. Gifts of gold, silver and ivory were offered to this false goddess. – Slide 3
4
No one who went to the Temple of Diana was helped in any way. After all, Diana was just a man-made statue that could neither see, hear nor speak. – Slide 4
5
In Ephesus there were silversmiths who made small statues of Diana in silver to sell to the worshippers. One of the silversmiths was named Demetrius. – Slide 5
6
Many bought these silver statues to carry with them. They would pray to Diana for her protection against various dangers. – Slide 6
7
In around the year 54 AD Paul came to Ephesus. Paul saw the great outdoor theatre and the great Temple of Diana. He wanted to tell the people of Ephesus about the one true God who made heaven and earth, and teach them about His Son, Jesus Christ. – Slide 7
8
In Ephesus, Paul met 12 men who all wanted to be baptised and belong to Jesus. – Slide 8
9
When Paul then prayed for them, they received the Holy Spirit as a gift to become God’s servants. – Slide 9
10
Paul rented a large room in Ephesus, called Tyranno’s teaching hall. There he shared the good news of Jesus with people. Some became Christians and a congregation was formed which sent out many missionaries to preach in other places. – Slide 10
11
In the mornings and evenings, Paul worked making tents to earn an income and live. Then he taught in the teaching hall from about 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. – Slide 11
12
More and more people came to hear Paul teach the Word of God. The congregation grew larger, and many were baptised in the Name of Jesus. – Slide 12
13
It is also written in the Bible that people confessed their sins to God and to each other... – Slide 13
14
... and everyone was happy and grateful to receive forgiveness and a clean heart. – Slide 14
15
It is also written in the Bible that God did many unusual and glorious and powerful things. For example, they took prayer cloths that Paul had touched and sent them to the sick who could not come to the teaching hall. – Slide 15
16
When the sick received the prayer cloth, God made them completely healthy. – Slide 16
17
It also says that they burned all the bad books they owned on magic and making predictions. So many bad books were burned that the value of them was estimated at more money than 150 people could earn in one year. – Slide 17
18
After a while, hardly anyone wanted to go to the Temple of Diana anymore or buy the silver statues of the goddess. – Slide 18
19
Demetrius did everything to continue selling his silver items about Diana. ‘Buy fine Diana statues and temples in fine pure silver!’ – Slide 19
20
But he often got the an-swer: ‘No, we now believe in the only living God and His son Jesus Christ!’ – Slide 20
21
Demetrius became very angry. ‘It's that horrible Paul who came and told people to stop worshipping the great beautiful goddess Diana! I need to hear how the other silversmiths are doing and whether sales are as bad for them also!’ – Slide 21
22
The other silversmiths were all losing sales too and were all very angry! ‘It is that preacher Paul who is losing us money. He is telling people to ignore the world famous goddess Diana whose great temple is here in Ephesus!’ – Slide 22
23
One of the silversmiths then said: ‘We must organise a big demonstration in support of Diana. Let’s grab Paul and other Christians and force them to the theatre to pay tribute to Diana.’ – Slide 23
24
All the silversmiths thought this was a very good proposal. – Slide 24
25
Quickly they gathered a mob who shouted ‘Great is Diana of the Ephesians’. The mob grew rapidly and they grabbed two Christian men named Gaius and Aristarchus as prisoners and forced them into the theatre. They searched for Paul but could not find him. – Slide 25
26
In the theatre the mob shouted at the top of their lungs: ‘Great is Diana of the Ephesians! Great is Diana of the Ephesians!’ – Slide 26
27
Paul heard what had happened. He wanted to go to the theatre to preach about Jesus and save Gaius and Aristarchus but his friends would not let him. It would be very dangerous for Paul and he might be killed. The Christians prayed for Gaius and Aristarchus. – Slide 27
28
Demetrius and his friends shouted louder ‘Great is Diana of the Ephesians!’ They kept on shouting for several hours and the noise was heard all over Ephesus. – Slide 28
29
Many came to the outdoor theatre and joined in the shouting. Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. – Slide 29
30
The secretary of state of Ephesus heard the noise and entered the theatre. He ordered them to stop. ‘Men of Ephesus,’ he said, ‘everyone knows that Ephesus is the centre for worship of the great Diana, whose image fell down to us from heaven. Since this is an indisputable fact, you shouldn’t be upset no matter what is said. You should do nothing rash.’ – Slide 30
31
‘You have brought these men here who have stolen nothing from her temple and have not defamed her. If you have a case against them, the courts are currently in session and the judges decide. And if there are complaints about other matters, they can be settled at the regular City Council meetings.’ – Slide 31
32
So everyone quickly left the theatre and those who found it most embarrassing were Demetrius and the other silversmiths who were all very ashamed. They had to stop or called to account by the Roman government for leading a riot. – Slide 32
33
It was now time for Paul to leave his friends in Ephesus and preach about Jesus in other places. He gave the Christians much encouragement and comfort to continue in faithful service to the only living God who created heaven and earth. He told them to keep sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, and trust in Him for eternal life. – Slide 33
34
Paul had been in Ephesus for almost three years and the congregation had grown to several thousand who all loved God and each other. – Slide 34
35
Today the big outdoor theatre in Ephesus can still be seen but it is in ruins. – Slide 35
36
All that remains of the great Temple of Diana in Ephesus is a pillar that is about 19 meters high. – Slide 36
37
Slide 37