PAUL’S MISSION

 

Well, here we are travelling in the company of Paul, he who had previously so fiercely persecuted the Christian Jews, now even more fiercely preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the heathen nations. Formerly a dedicated Orthodox Jew, educated by Gamaliël, the Pharisean professor, his now travelling far and wide among foreign peoples is most extraordinary and almost inconceivable.  The fact that these people worship the goddess Artemis, or Diana, adds to the almost improbability of Paul’s mission.  Not only do these people busy themselves with soothsaying and magic, they also practice occult and temple prostitution, not to mention human offerings.  The goddess Artemis at this stage is worshipped not only in the city of Ephesus, but also throughout Asia, and even up to the four corners of the known world.  A huge silver image of Artemis fills the temple at Ephesus – tradition had it that Jupiter himself placed it there.

PAUL MUST GO

 

People say:  “This man Paul, he is travelling all over the city, telling the Ephesians that they are worshipping an idol made by man”! A silversmith, Demetrius, together with some other artisans, took advantage by selling miniatures of the temple – quite a lucrative business. The cries of the rioting demon-worshipping mob were:

Paul not only speaks with much conviction; he also works healing and miracles in the name of his God Jesus! Many people believe in his preaching and turn away from our goddess, who, he says, is in any case worthless.  People will no longer buy our handiwork – the city’s economy is going to plunge! Let’s organise a demonstration and riot throughout the city.  Let’s riot, and appeal for our democratic rights! Let’s stand up for our human right to protect our goddess and her worship, and our business!

 

Away with this Christian Paul! Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!

 

GOD IS STRONGER THAN ANYTHING

 

For two years Paul crisscrossed Asia, preaching the Word of God, so that the whole region could hear it.  Powerful miracles were performed in the shade of idolatry and Christian numbers increased significantly.  One man who did not allow himself to be intimidated by this firmly established bastion of idolatry and demonic forces…  He had all the arguments to speak out freely – backed by miracle workings – to prove that his God is much stronger than the demonic goddess Diana.

 

PAUL WAS UNSTOPPABLE

 

Paul had not been unfamiliar with confrontation with demonic forces.  During his first missionary journey a priest of the god Jupiter brought bulls and garlands to the gate of Lystra, to bring sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas.  It so happened that Paul had healed a crippled man, which brought the people to regard them as gods, calling Paul “Mercurius” and Barnabas “Jupiter”.  But these two humble servants of God did not fall into Satan’s snare; they immediately grabbed the occasion to start praising God.  Of course the Lystreans were disappointed and, easily incited by non-Christian Jews, they dragged Paul outside the city after having stoned him, thinking he was dead.  But the disciples formed a circle about him and he got up and went back into the town.  Nothing, but nothing, would check this man Paul in his war against Satan and his forces – in fact, after a short visit to the neighbouring  Derbe he returned to Lystra to encourage the disciples remaining there.

 

LEARNING TO LISTEN

 

Then during his second missionary journey Paul again visited Lystra to meet Timothy, whom he meant to train as a preacher.  Thus an amazingly wonderful fruit was picked in this same town where Satan had physically beaten Paul.  Also along this journey we experience the secret of Paul’s spiritual fearlessness. In Acts 16:6 we read that the Holy Spirit forbade the apostles to proclaim the Word in Asia.  Now when I read this for the first time, I just could not understand it.  Surely it’s God’s will that we should make use of every opportunity. Only after I had progressed further on the Lord’s way, I learnt to listen to the Holy Spirit.  We should not always try to understand, or, with our human logic, to prescribe to God – no, we should learn to listen and then to follow His instructions.  And for a simple reason:  so many (other) voices are lobbying for our attention that we must learn to distinguish the Lord’s voice and listen to Him.

 

PAUL’S THIRD JOURNEY

 

Paul had much success in his work in Asia during his third missionary journey.  So perhaps there was first to be a period of preparation work God had to complete before He would allow Paul to preach there. A little further on along this journey we read about another extraordinary way in which the Spirit would work though Paul. Acts 16:16-18 says:

 

And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:  The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

 

PUBLICIZING THE GOSPEL

 

According to verse 18, this girl had been shouting after the apostles for many days.  Now why did Paul not cast out the spirit from her at once on the first day?  The answer is simply that she, who had quite a following, actually paying her for her soothsaying – they must have regarded her as worthy of belief – was in fact publicizing the Gospel!  Leaving her at first, she was the one to proclaim that

 

…these men (were) the servants of the Most High God … (who would) announce to you the way of salvation! 

 

PRAY AND COMMUNION WITH THE SPIRIT

 

Paul was shrewd enough to let the people’s interest build up, as they surely were waiting to see what he would do eventually.  What is also important is that on the first day that the girl started shouting after them, Paul and his companions were on their way to a place of prayer – he was determined not to allow the devils to detract him from that more important action of prayer.  Prayer, after all, is the action that leads to communion with the Spirit, who equips us with the power to hold our ground against Satan, even to overcome him.  I believe that the moment they started praying, Paul would have interceded for this demon-possessed girl.  Then he would wait on God for guidance as to act, how and when.

 

WHAT WAS GOD’S INTENTION?

 

In this incident we also learn about the importance ascribed to money by the owners of the girl.  They arrested Paul and Silas, had them beaten, and threw them in prison. Now – how would you have responded to God in this case?  For myself, I would definitely not have been happy with the course matters had taken, seriously querying God’s intent.  Satan does not seem happy with Paul’s meddling in his domain – but why does God allow this?  Here His servants are in the clutch of His enemy, and that after they had demonstrated such a wonderful victory!

 

GOD’S GREATER PLAN

 

God, who knew that He could count on his servants, had a greater plan in mind.  First of all God demonstrated His authority to all, allowing His servants to be placed in the hands of the local authorities to be imprisoned, being set in chains so firmly as to leave no possibility at all for escape.  And then, miraculously, God Himself set the apostles free, and the chief warden and his family came to believe in God.  Thus, Satan’s empire was robbed even further by the conversion of this key figure.  Owing to his position, his conversion would definitely be noticed by the magistrates under whose direct jurisdiction he was.  So the power base of this city was shaken by God, to prove that He was in control, in spite of the influence of the occult in the city.

 

PAUL IS UNWAVERING

 

We see that, in not one of these cases mentioned above where Paul was confronted with the powers of the darkness, did he bow to fear or compromise, even though he was to experience utter deprivation and pain.  He understood a distinct division between the forces and authority of God and those of Satan.  Therefore Paul comments on this theme in 1 Corinthians 10:19-22:

 

What say I then? that the idol is anything, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything? But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

 

In our days many Christians are being misled about the work of evil spirits because they are not willing to allow the Spirit of God to lead and to teach them.

 

DR KRIGE AND HOUSE REGENERATION

 

This adapted content was extracted from A Biblical Approach to Psychotherapy authored by Dr Ado Krige, the Founding Director of House Regeneration, a South African drug rehabilitation centre offering a comprehensive discipleship training program. By applying principles of Biblical Therapy, using the Scriptures to teach, rebuke, correct, and train in righteousness, House Regeneration counsellors show anyone who has suffered from addiction how to fully understand why they do what they do and how to bring their belief systems in line with the Word of God.