Acts 19

This chapter is yet another detailed adventure. That's what I love about Acts. It's full of Action! I guess my favorite part though is the riot at Ephesus.

For these craftsmen, idolatry was their business, their livelihood, their national identity, their way of life. The message of Jesus threatened everything about who they were. And even though you may not be a vocational idol carver, the gospel is a threat to your way of life too.

If you really read this book like you've never read it before and take all of the words at face value, I think you'll find a message that is a threat to people's lives today. This gospel is no play-it-safe message of security and material things. It is abandon, sacrifice, surrender, and sheer joy. Although we may think we're above a two-hour tantrum, we still do a lot to make excuses for our idols and cling to our selfish ways. Or is that just me?