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[0:00] Welcome and thank you for joining this message by David Entry at Carish Church.! In this season of Great Awakening, may God pour out His Spirit through His Word, refreshing! your heart and awakening you to His will.

[0:12] Acts 19, reading from verse 21. After these things were ended, Paul purposed in his spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.

[0:36] So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timothi and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a season. And at the same time, there arose no small stare about the way.

[0:52] For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsman, whom he called together the workmen of like occupation, and said, says, You know that by this craft we have our wealth.

[1:12] Moreover, you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away much people, saying that there be no gods which are made with hands, so that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at naught, but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshipeth.

[1:46] And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And the whole city was filled with confusion.

[1:58] And having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theater. And when Paul would have entered unto the people, the disciples suffered him not.

[2:12] And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, despising him that he would not adventure himself into the theater. Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and the more parts knew not, wherefore they were come together.

[2:34] And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. Alexander beckoned with the hand and would have made his defense unto the people. But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about a space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.

[2:54] And when the town clerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not that the city of Ephesus is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana and of the image which fell from Jupiter?

[3:11] Saying then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet and to do nothing rashly. For ye have brought either these men, which are neither robbers of churches nor yet blasphemers of your goddess.

[3:27] Wherefore, if Demetrius and the craftsmen which are with him have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies.

[3:38] Let them implode one another. But if ye inquire anything concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly. For we are in danger to be called in question for this day's upro, there being no cause, whereby we may give an account of this cause.

[4:00] And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly. Here ends the reading of God's word. Father, thank you for your word. We pray give us understanding and illumination into your word.

[4:12] And take us one line to the next line. Expose us to the truth of your word. I submit myself under your influence as your word is taught. Heal the sick, deliver the captives. Let power be discharged.

[4:25] Let your name be glorified. Let your people be edified and revived. I pray, O Lord, that as I teach your word, grant me utterance. Grant me insight.

[4:37] Grant me illumination. That my words and my message will be Christ-centered, gospel-saturated, and extremely text-driven.

[4:50] I thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. In our last session, we saw how when revival breaks out or when revival comes, some of the things that happen, we saw that unusual and supernatural occurrences.

[5:08] When there's revival, there will be unusual and supernatural occurrences. According to the verse 11, and there will be satanic imitations. According to the verse 13 and 17, the fear of God actually comes on people.

[5:19] And number four, reverence for the name of Jesus Christ. And number five, believe in Jesus and confession of sins. People believe in Jesus.

[5:30] When there's revival, people actually believe in Jesus and confess their sins. When there's revival, point number six is there's renouncement. People will disclaim, disown, recant, abjure, reject publicly and financially.

[5:48] They don't care about the financial implications. They really are more interested in the godly implications on their lives. And then we said in number seven, that when revival comes, there's a priority for God's word.

[6:01] God's word begins to grow and everyone who is revived enjoys God's word more. When your enjoyment of God's word is declining, that means that you need revival.

[6:13] You have to return to your first love. When you love God, it shows in your attitude towards his word. And then let's look at the text again in the verse 19.

[6:24] Many of them also, which use curious acts, brought their books together and burned them before all men.

[6:35] And they counted the price of them and found its 50,000 pieces of silver. So mightly grew the word of God and prevailed. Now, you see there's a word there in the verse 19.

[6:51] The first word there is many. One of the signs of revival is not very secret. It's open.

[7:01] When revival comes, because revival is open, you see that it's not only restricted to a small area. Real revival in a church or in a society or in a community is widespread and there are many.

[7:14] Sometimes when also there is revival, many people come. Many. So when there is revival, you can see that churches that might be small, suddenly there are more people coming.

[7:28] Please don't get me wrong. I am not saying that when masses gather necessarily is revival. Because we are all aware that in our times, there are churches that are filled with empty people.

[7:48] The churches are filled by the people who are filled the church are empty. So I am not supposing that every crowd gathering in the name of religion or church is actually a revival.

[8:04] I'm not supposing that. However, when there is revival, many gather than usual. Did you understand that? When there is revival.

[8:14] So that's the point number eight. Many gather. Many come in. Many respond to church activities. Permit me to interject this. When there is revival in your personal life.

[8:29] I had a man of God say this. It was really a blessing to me. Some time ago he said, Unbelievers don't need revival. They need conversion. Salvation.

[8:41] But believers need revival. When they have come to know God and their love for God has. Wax cold. Or dwindled.

[8:52] So revival is for the church. Now watch this. There is something called eternal security. Eternal security means that so long as eternity is concerned, there is security.

[9:07] So you don't lose your eternity. Okay. Now, God has guaranteed eternal security for the universal church.

[9:18] So Jesus is coming for his church. He says that he gave himself to present the church, Ephesians chapter 5, to himself. So he's going to present the church to himself.

[9:29] A chaste bride. Verse 27. That he might present the church to himself. A glorious church. Not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.

[9:40] That's interesting because sometimes when you look at church life, sometimes there's a lot of spot and wrinkle. However, the universal church has the eternal security.

[9:54] God has guaranteed eternal security for the universal church. But he hasn't guaranteed eternal security for the local church. Yeah.

[10:06] A local church can backslide. But a universal church won't backslide. So churches go into decline.

[10:18] In modern day Turkey, all the seven churches of Asia, Jesus mentioned from Revelation, in Revelation chapter 1, verse 11. All the seven churches that the letters were, they were all in modern day Turkey, which is 99.8% Islam.

[10:33] Now, but I thank God he has allowed us to be in the United Kingdom because that statistic will not repeat here. That statistic will not repeat here.

[10:48] So now, there are places where the revival of God was strong and moving, but now all the churches, it doesn't mean the believers are going to hell, but the local churches have declined.

[11:00] There's no security. So if we don't wake up to host his presence, with time, we can go into apostasy, our local.

[11:12] You see, many, many ministries start with an individual, with fire, and a group of people. And then as the fire starts, it becomes, the church spreads, the church becomes institutionalized.

[11:26] And after it becomes an institution, if we are not careful, it then becomes a monument, then a museum, then a mausoleum. So there are some churches that you might see that have declined, are not doing well.

[11:48] Once upon a time, they were on fire. So there's no eternal security for a local church. Are you getting it? There's no eternal security.

[11:59] We can be on fire today and tomorrow on ice. And when you get on ice and no awakening, revival comes permanently, you are about to fold up.

[12:16] How many of you have heard of churches that have closed? Shut up. But some of the churches were on fire. On fire. There was revival. And sometimes, after a first generation, that's why we have to keep an eye on what we are feeding our children with.

[12:32] Children shouldn't come to church only to come and be singing, hallelujah, and then go home. We must find ways of teaching them scripture. The only thing that sustains a revival is gospel-saturated, Christ-exalting, I'm adding one more, text-driven teaching.

[12:53] Text-driven teaching. Pastors, stop sharing opinion. You are wasting people's destiny and time. The word of God has a lot to say.

[13:07] Get the scripture open. Pick a text. Let the main point of the text become the main point of what you are saying. That is called text-driven. In the absence of a text-driven, gospel-saturated, Christ-exalting teachings, the church will enter into decline after a while.

[13:33] It's only sound doctrine. I was teaching some people yesterday and I was telling them, Christianity means that we must be taught constantly. Can you imagine that Peter, in Matthew chapter 16, when Jesus said, Who do men say I am?

[13:48] Peter by the Holy Ghost. He said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And yet, he didn't even understand the gospel. He didn't understand the gospel.

[13:59] When people say, As for Christianity, it's all about following the teachings of Christ. The teachings of Christ. Sometimes I have to pause. What do they mean by that? Because some of them, they mean the Sermon on the Mount.

[14:12] Matthew chapter 5, chapter 6, chapter 5. When somebody slaps you on the side. That moral teaching. You can't follow that and understand Christianity. You can't stay in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and understand Christianity.

[14:26] How can you understand the purpose of the cross? Jesus didn't explain the purpose of the cross. So then you have to go to the epistles. To understand what happened in the time of Jesus. The significance and implication upon the church.

[14:39] Peter said, You are the Son of the living God. Christ, the Messiah. Then seven verses later, he began to fight the purpose of the gospel. He says, I'm going to die. He said, No, you can't die. See, he didn't understand the gospel.

[14:51] He didn't understand the gospel. Because comprehension, godly comprehension is progressive. Guess what?

[15:01] After Jesus died and, uh-oh. Their understanding was opened. As soon as Jesus resurrected from the dead, he didn't do miracles and all.

[15:11] He didn't have time for that. But there was something urgent to protect and preserve the revival. Let's get into the text. So Bible says that from Moses, he began to expound unto them.

[15:22] Look, chapter 24. From beginning at Moses, expounded unto them in all the scriptures. He did Bible studies on the road to Emmaus. He did Bible studies for the people to understand what this whole thing is about.

[15:36] And then he met the rest of the disciples in the verse 45. Look at chapter 24. In the verse 45, he met the rest of the disciples. And Bible says, he opened their understanding so that they can get the scripture.

[15:50] Because they didn't. The scripture was kind of not open. Because someone needs to break the seal and open the scrolls. So that's why they were reading Moses. They were reading Moses.

[16:00] They were reading. Look at last week or two weeks. I spoke about Apollos. Mighty. In scripture. And he was instructed. Yet he did not know that.

[16:12] Acts chapter 18 verse 24. Eloquent man. Mighty in scripture. Bible says that. Priestley and Quilla had to take him. And teach him. The way of the Lord. More of God.

[16:23] More accurately. Because he was a disciple of John the Baptist. John the Baptist didn't have the full gospel. So what am I trying to suppose?

[16:35] It is one line after the other. So permit me to use a word that. It's not more than the everyday English word that we use. But it's part of the terms.

[16:48] And the ways. You know. Every field has its ways. And you have to also get this. So don't worry if you don't get it. But it's called the economy of God.

[17:00] God planned his intention. From Genesis through to Revelation. What is this whole thing about? What is God up to? The unfolding of the economy of God.

[17:12] So the saints in the Old Testament. Didn't really capture fully. What this whole thing was about. Then John the Baptist comes to introduce Jesus. Then Jesus began to be teaching.

[17:23] And unfolding things for them. But because he had not resurrected from the dead. There are some things. I have yet more things to teach you. Then he rose from the dead. He opened the understanding. They might get the scripture.

[17:34] Then he met the disciples. Then after Jesus left. They went back to the upper room. And they were studying the scripture. They began to see things differently. Then Peter comes in the verses. He said the Holy Ghost spoke by David.

[17:46] Now he's beginning to understand. What was written in the psalm. It wasn't about David. It was about Christ. And Peter says it's about our times. Then the Holy Ghost comes.

[17:57] And Peter began to explain scripture. To his Jewish audience. That all these things that have been said by the fathers. And all that. This is what is happening. And it's for this purpose.

[18:09] And all through that when he was preaching. He still didn't have the full picture. Can you imagine? It had to take Paul. To explain to Peter.

[18:19] Peter. Don't separate yourself from the Gentiles. Because this Christian thing is not a racial thing. This Christian thing is God's economy.

[18:32] For humanity. It's at the heart of God's purpose for creation. That's right. So Peter began to play hypocrisy. Can you imagine? Can you imagine that?

[18:43] They were in Jerusalem. But they didn't really get a full gospel. So when Antioch was saved. They asked Peter. Why did you go to? And James.

[18:54] Didn't attack Peter. No, no. That's in colonial cells. And then Antioch was Paul and Barnabas. In Acts chapter 15. Peter didn't attack them.

[19:06] But it's kind of. They are all kind of. Where do we draw the line? How far can we go with this? Because it takes. The same way when you become a Christian.

[19:19] You need to be schooled. With a text driven. Gospel saturated. Christ exalting. Teaching. For you to understand. Do you know people are outside the church.

[19:31] They don't even know what the church is about. But they assume they do. Unfortunately. It's not only those who are outside the church. No, no, no. Not some. Sometimes the entire church doesn't even understand what.

[19:43] It's good. One great man of God said. Sometimes the world is not listening to us. When we are trying to preach to them. Because they see the world in the church.

[19:57] So the world is trying to preach to the world. But we are not actually different. And he said that. What is more worrying. Is not even the world seeing the world in the church.

[20:08] But God can also see the world in the church. That's what necessitates revival. And so for every move of God to be sustained.

[20:22] It can be triggered by a spirit driven. God giving move. Based on a Christ centered gospel saturated teaching.

[20:35] Or preaching. So Colossians 128. Him. We preach. But that is not the end of the story. You preach to get them saved.

[20:47] You preach to activate revival. But you teach. To sustain what God has started. Else people get excited. They come in. They don't actually know what they say. Some have been coming to church.

[20:58] Thinking they are coming to get a girlfriend. Oh yeah. Some have come to church. Because they are bored at home. Because they feel like church is fun.

[21:12] It's okay. It's okay. Some have come to church. Because they know. If I don't come. Satan will make mess of me. Because. I'm trying to draw your attention to something.

[21:26] Because sometimes. The main reason for our gathering. We can be gathered. And not even know why. You can be active in church. And actually not know.

[21:37] The purpose of church. Being born again is good. But it doesn't give you the tools. It doesn't tell you what this whole thing is about. It takes systematic teaching. And as we study in scripture.

[21:47] And we are taught. Listen. You cannot find it out just unilaterally. That's what I was saying. They continued. In the apostles doctrine. And even Paul had to be taught.

[21:57] On these things. Praise the Lord. So now talking about. Revival. There's personal revival. And corporate revival. Personal revival means that. Individually. We have to pursue revival.

[22:08] For our hearts. And our love. For Christ. To come alive again. On a personal level. And spiritual growth is necessary. One of the things that guarantee.

[22:18] Your spiritual growth. Is your Bible. Constant Bible studies. Constant personal prayers. Constant engagement. Engagement. In fellowship. I was glad. When they said to me.

[22:29] Let us go. I heard the psalmist said. In Psalm 73. He said. I envied the wicked. I envied the ungodly. Until. I went. Not I tune in.

[22:40] I went. Into the sanctuary. Every Christian must have. Times. Times. Where you leave your house. To go to where.

[22:51] Others have guarded. It's just called Christian life. Else your spiritual growth. Will be stunted. Every Christian must have. Times. Where you leave your house. And go to the sanctuary.

[23:03] He said. Until I entered the sanctuary. And I understood. The end of the wicked. So. Fellowship. End. Service.

[23:14] Servitude. Serving others. Help you to grow. So. When there is revival. Many come in. Then. Finally. Number nine. When there is revival.

[23:25] Revolts. Comes. Revolts. And. Opposition. Never assume. That because God is moving. Everybody will be happy. Sometimes.

[23:40] The move of God. Rather. Stare. Great animosity. Great. Opposition. And sometimes. Those who oppose. The move of God. Are the loudest.

[23:52] They may have. Even more. Access to. People to listen. This is where we are going. Demetrius. A service man. He's not even a journalist.

[24:03] No. Let's go to 21. There's a few things to unpack there. And then. So. Now he says that. When these things were accomplished. Which. Paul purposed. In.

[24:14] The spirit. When he had passed through. Macedonia. And Achaia. To go to Jerusalem. So he was. Purposed.

[24:24] In the spirit. So there is a spiritual. Thing going on. And his plan. To go. To Jerusalem. And. His. Final destination. Is not Jerusalem. You know. But it was purposed.

[24:35] To go to Jerusalem. Saying. After I have been there. I must. No. He wasn't going as a tourist. Because when you see. The sea room. Is not about tourism.

[24:46] By. I must be there. He purposed. In his spirit. There are times. Paul. Determined. To do something. And that was. In himself. But this. You can tell.

[24:57] It was part. Of the plan of God. For his life. And there was. In 2nd Timothy. Chapter 4. Verse 22. He said. The Lord. Be with your spirit. Or grace. Be with your spirit.

[25:08] God deals with us. From our spirit. So you. 2nd Timothy. Chapter 4. Verse 22. Please. He says that. The Lord. Jesus Christ. Be.

[25:19] Where? He didn't say. Be with the Holy Ghost. So. Your human spirit. Get it. Get it. Romans. Chapter 8. The spirit. Himself. Bears witness.

[25:30] With Allah. So we have spirits. Every human being. Have a human spirit. And he says that. The Lord. Jesus. Be with. Your spirit. The Lord. Works with you.

[25:41] More. That's why. To be effective. In your Christian life. You must be spiritual. Galatians 5. 16. Walk in the spirit. Because this whole thing. Is spiritual.

[25:51] It says. I thank my God. Romans chapter 1. Whom I serve. With my spirit. Paul said. For I thank my God. Through Jesus Christ. Our Lord.

[26:02] Romans 1. For God. Is my witness. Whom I serve. With my spirit. In the gospel of his son. I serve. With my spirit.

[26:13] I was. In the spirit. On the lost day. Revelation chapter 1. Verse 10. This thing is a. Spiritual thing. So. Paul. Purpose in his spirit. To.

[26:24] Go. Acts chapter 19. Paul. Purpose in his spirit. To go to. Jerusalem. Purpose in the spirit. When he had. Passed through. Macedonia.

[26:35] Achaia. To go to Jerusalem. Why? Why does he want to go to Jerusalem? And why does he want to go to Rome? But he had. At the time he was talking. He was in Ephesus. Because Ephesians chapter 19.

[26:45] Verse 1. Tells you he was in Ephesus. And. He stayed there. For about three years. So. 19. Verse 1. Paul came to Ephesus. So he was. Writing from Ephesus.

[26:56] And we understand. That he spent. Three years in Ephesus. Ephesus. According to the theologians. It was one place. Paul spends more time. In his missionary journeys. Than any other place. He had a unique heart.

[27:07] For Ephesus. And. Look at verse 26. Chapter 19. Verse 26. This. This Dimitri. He says that. You see a year. That not only in Ephesus. When this revolt. Paul was in Ephesus.

[27:18] And. He was really troubling. The people in Ephesus. Through his. Gospel saturated preaching. Text driven. Hallelujah. So. He.

[27:30] Christ exalted. He was. In Ephesus. And he had a heart for Ephesus. Ephesus. In Acts chapter. 20. Verse 16. He was purposed to go to Jerusalem.

[27:40] To spend. Pentecost. Paul had decided to sail. Past Ephesus. So that he would not. Have to spend time in Asia. For he was. Hiring to be at Jerusalem. If possible.

[27:51] On the day of Pentecost. Then when he got to Melitus. He just didn't go. Look at what he did. From Melitus. He sent. To Ephesus. And called for the elders.

[28:03] Of the church. Guys can't. Paul can't just give up on Ephesus. Some of his greatest challenges. Was in Ephesus. In first Corinthians. Chapter. 16.

[28:14] Verse 8 and 9. He wrote. The book of Corinthians. From Ephesus. He says that. But. If. I will tarry in Ephesus. Also. You see. He wanted to stay in Ephesus. The next verse.

[28:24] Verse 9. For a great and effectual door. Is open. To me. But. Ephesus. There's so many adversaries. In 2nd Corinthians. Chapter 1. Verse 8. He says that.

[28:35] You know what happened to us in Asia. Talking mainly about Ephesus. Therefore. We do not want you to be ignorant. Brethren. Of our troubles. We came to us in Asia. That we were burdened beyond measure.

[28:45] Above strength. So that we even despaired of life. Ephesus. Acts chapter 20. When you call for the elders of the church. Verse 18. Look at what he told them. He said. They are. He said.

[28:56] When they had come to him. He said to them. You know from the first day that I came to Asia. In what manner I always lived amongst you. So. He was talking to the Ephesian church. He was telling them. You know how I came.

[29:07] The life I lived. How I was with you. For three. Look at the next verse. The next verse. Serving the Lord with all humility. And with many tears and trials. Which happened to me.

[29:17] By the plotting of the Jews. Verse 20. And he was telling this. And I. It's a testifier of the. Verse 20. Hi. I care about nothing which was helpful. And proclaim to you.

[29:28] And taught publicly. And from house to house. So. He really spent time in Ephesus. He was there for a long time. And then. In. Look at first Corinthians. This is quite strong. First Corinthians chapter 15.

[29:39] Verse 32. Yes. Look at verse 32. Said. If. If. In the manner of men. I have fought with beasts. At Ephesus.

[29:51] I mean. Ephesus. Was a very. Important place for him. But he also had his. Greatest challenges. In Ephesus. And.

[30:03] This opposition. That started rising. It started. Through the revival. Wow. So. They got. Holy ghost baptism. In Ephesus. And then there was. They spoke evil of the way.

[30:13] In the verse 9. He separated the disciples. Into one school of Tyrannus. And for. A space of two years. He taught them daily. Daily. So that. All Asia. Heard the word.

[30:24] Spread from Ephesus. Into all Asia. And then God. Wrote special miracles. By the hands of Paul. And then verse 13. Vagabond Jews. Began to copy. And they were whipped. And fear came upon everybody.

[30:36] And people. Many people. Turned to the Lord. And confessed their sins. And those who were practicing magic. And had been coming to church. Suddenly. Now realized. I know what. I'm going to abdicate everything. I'm going to give up everything.

[30:46] So they gave everything up. And then. After all this had happened. Paul. Purpose in his heart. To go to Jerusalem. Now one of the reasons. Why I wanted to go to Jerusalem.

[30:57] Is. What I was alluding to. In the early part. Of my submission. About revival. Peter. He didn't have the full. Because. The church in Jerusalem.

[31:08] Still needed some. Depths. Because. Paul. According to Galatians. Chapter. Two verse eight. And nine. His special assignment.

[31:18] Was to the Gentiles. For he was. That's. For God. For God. Who worked effectively. In Peter. For the apostleship. To the circumcised. Also worked effectively. Towards the Gentiles. Look at verse nine.

[31:29] So. When James. Cephas. And John. Who seemed to be. Peelous. Perceived the grace of God. That had been given to me. They gave me. And Barnabas. The right hand of fellowship. That we should go. To the Gentiles.

[31:40] You remember today's reading. In the verse twenty one. Twenty one. He. They listened to him. Until he said. That God has told me. That. Leave Jerusalem. They will receive you. And go. I will use you.

[31:50] I'm sending you to the Gentiles. So. He had. A assignment. For the Gentiles. But this is the point. I want you to understand. He still had. A hat for the Jews. Because.

[32:02] He shouldn't have. In fact. Acts chapter. Twenty two. Verse seventeen. God came to. Paul. In the vision. And he said. Hurry up. Leave Jerusalem. God said. It happened.

[32:13] I went to Jerusalem. And in a trance. I saw. And he said. Make haste. And get out of Jerusalem. Quickly. That's God. The Lord came to him. In a vision. He said. Oh. Why should I. I want to preach. And he said.

[32:23] God you don't know. They know my stand. My previous stand. They won't doubt it. And when I. They will listen to me. Say listen. They. When it comes to. Opposition to the gospel. Reason jumps out.

[32:34] Of the window. So you have. Legitimate. And reasonable point. But they won't listen. God don't think people. Listen to the gospel. Because it's reasonable. Opposition to the gospel.

[32:45] Is primarily demonic. Satan stays. The hearts of people. Stays. The hearts of opposers. Stays. The hearts of journalists. Stays. The hearts of politicians. Stays.

[32:56] The hearts of neighbors. And sometimes. You are wondering. What have you done wrong? And. They have a way. Of twisting things. I mean.

[33:08] For two hours. That's where we are. We will be ending on it. In the. For two hours. They didn't say anything. They were just chanting. Great is. Artemis. Of the Ephesians. Ephesians.

[33:18] Of. Acts chapter. Today's reading. Sorry. Chapter 19. Verse 34. The same. Artemis. Artemis. Give us. New American version. Or new. English. English.

[33:30] Artemis. Artemis. The same as Diana. Artemis. Is Greek. Diana. Is Roman. Is Latin. So those. Who are called Diana. Is a Latin name. For the Greek goddess.

[33:41] Artemis. So it's a goddess. It's a goddess name. For.

[33:53] Two hours. They were just. Two hours is a long time. You know. Great is. And. Many of them. Don't even know. Why they were there. It's called.

[34:03] Mob action. Sometimes. You're reading this. And you're thinking. Am I reading CNN? Because it sounds like. What has been happening. It feels.

[34:14] So current. The animosity. The enmity. The hatred. Towards the gospel. Christianophobia. Has become. The mainstream.

[34:25] Direction. Of the west. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But they don't have anything. Like Christianophobia. No. It's. Every other phobia. But not Christianophobia. Because if you're Christian.

[34:37] It don't really matter. Second class. Anyway. I don't want to. Share opinion. I want to teach the word. Yes. To go to Rome.

[34:48] Sorry. Jerusalem. Sorry. In the spirit. To go to Jerusalem. Because. Two reasons. Number one. When he got. You know he got there. He actually got there.

[34:58] He got there eventually. In chapter. 21. Verse 17. Shall we read it? I think it will be of interest. To read it. So 17 says that. And when. We will come to.

[35:09] Oh okay. So they got there. All right. When we will come to Jerusalem. The brethren received us gladly. And the day following. Paul went. In with us. Unto James. And all the elders.

[35:21] Were present. And when. He had saluted them. He declared. Particularly. What things God had. Wrote amongst the Gentiles. By his ministry. And when they heard it.

[35:32] They glorified the Lord. And said unto him. Thus he had. Brother. How many. Thousands of Jews. There are. Which believe. And. They are all.

[35:44] Zealous. Of the law. So we have. Thousands of. Christians. But they are Jews. But. They will not leave the law. They are Christians. Watch this. He said.

[35:55] They have now. Believed Jesus. But. They are adding. The law. But the law. Was given. To the Jews. So Paul. Takes time. In Romans. To explain.

[36:05] This law thing. It takes time. In Galatians. To explain. This law thing. But he realized. That in Jerusalem. This law thing. Is too strong. In the church. To the extent. That when he met.

[36:16] The elders. The elders. Advised him. Can you. Do something. That obeys the law. You would have. Thought that the elders. Said. Come on. Let's. I think we need to. Educate the people more.

[36:27] But the elders. Say. You know what. You let's. Work with the law. Maybe some law. Let's. Let's. Let's. Bring it to our system. Maybe it will work.

[36:37] So. Paul. Paul. He knew. That. Jerusalem. Was still not safe. Because. Judaizers. Have hijacked. The church.

[36:48] And some have become. Leaders. Not Peter and John. And Peter and James and John. Were actually. Also. They were not. Definitive. About the gospel. So we really need to go.

[36:59] And have deliberations. And I need to go. And bring them to speed. About this whole thing. About the gospel. That is why. Whilst Paul. Was going to the Gentiles. He felt. I love my people. I need to go.

[37:10] There. And make sure. That they also get it right. So see. Look. Look. I didn't finish the text. Am I explaining something. To somebody. Look at the text again. Verse. 19.

[37:21] And when they are. Verse 20. And when they heard it. They glorified the Lord. And said unto him. Okay brother. You know how many Paul. Verse 21. And. They are informed of thee. These people.

[37:31] Who are. Adherents. Of the law. But in the church. Have been told that. You have been. They have been informed of thee. That thou teachest. All the Jews. Which are among the Gentiles.

[37:42] To forsake Moses. Saying that. They ought not. To circumcise their children. Neither walk. After circumcision. Is it not right? Yes. That is the gospel. You don't need that.

[37:53] To be a Christian. But I say. You have been teaching people. So the people. Are not happy with you. Thousands of them. They have heard about you. Look at the next verse. What is it there for?

[38:05] The multitude. Must need come together. For they will hear. That you are here. They will hear. You have come. So we have to do something. So the next verse. Says that. Do therefore this.

[38:16] That we say to thee. We have four men. Who have made a vow. They are about to go through. Some processes. Religious rituals. Said. You too. Take them. And purify thyself with them.

[38:27] And be at charges with them. That they may shave their heads. And all may know. That those things. Whereof they were. Informed concerning thee.

[38:37] Are nothing. But that. So they say. Okay. You should just. Get involved. Do the law thing. Do you understand. Why he had to go to Jerusalem. And these are the leaders. Of the church. They've been so.

[38:49] Influenced. They didn't see anything wrong. And you see. Whatever is. Society. Has accepted. Let's add it to the church. Let's not divide. Jesus message was love.

[39:04] The teaching of Jesus. Love your neighbor. That's the most important. Hey. Who told you that's the most important. How do you tell you. That's the most important. The teaching of Jesus. The teaching of Jesus.

[39:16] It's all about love. It's all about. We love one another. No. If it's about love. It's about love for God. We place ourselves. In the way you treat people. The way you treat your husband. Treat your wife.

[39:27] You treat your children. You treat your dogs. You treat your cats. You treat your pets. You treat your employers and employees. You treat your subordinates. When you love God. You can't claim to look up to God.

[39:37] And look down on a man. So. This whole thing. When we talk about. Christian love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Let's. Put the love where it belongs.

[39:49] Our love is to God. God. And when you love God. You struggle to accept people. And help people. And be dead by people. And it plays out in your life. You bear the fruits. Your spiritual maturity.

[40:01] Is at the level of your weakest fruit. That's for another time. So. So. It says that. Now the leaders of the church say. You see.

[40:12] These people. Don't believe in this. And they are practicing things. That are not necessary. For the scriptures. But so. We can all have love. Just allow them. Come. And when they come. You to go and do it.

[40:24] So. Paul really needed. To go and help the church there. So that's one of the reasons. Why. He had to go to Jerusalem. And the other reason. Also. Is. He wanted to go and fellowship.

[40:34] With this. The big guys in Jerusalem. He's traveled. And traveled. And traveled. Sometimes. It's good to have people. You hang out with. Not only in church. Not only during church service. If you are in church.

[40:46] And all your interactions. Is. When we come to church. On Sunday. And throughout the week. There's no interaction. Communicate. You are not a solid Christian. How can you say that?

[40:57] Think. Just think about it. All right. Just think about it. You can disagree. But think about it. Think about it. And you know. The reason why. I am the preacher. Yes. It doesn't mean.

[41:11] I know everything. But when it comes. To a Christian living. Some of us have been living. The Christian life. It's not strong. Just based on moral. But. The reason why some of us. Are still strong.

[41:22] For 35 years. And you keep. Backsliding. And falling. To struggling. With all the things. Is because there are things. We've been doing. We stay in fellowship. We stay in fellowship.

[41:33] Not only when we've come to fellowship. But outside. All my allies. And friends. Are Christians. Christians. You know. You mean. You don't have other people. Oh.

[41:43] I have people. I know. They are not Christians. We get on. Everything. But my main guys. Are Christians. So. This week.

[41:54] The past week. I've met different people. Besides pastoral work. There are other people. I've just. Hanged. Out with. And Christians. So what I'm trying to say. And it has helped me.

[42:05] Not that I'm stronger than you. Now. One of these great guys. Of old. Probably think. It's C.S. Lewis. He said that. Christians. Are not nicer people.

[42:17] Than others. Or better. People than others. But they know something better. So you see. What you know. Influences. How you behave. Alright.

[42:28] So. He went. To go and. Have fellowship. You know. Because then. They gave us. The right hand of fellowship. So he went there. To go and have. Fellowship. With. The seniors.

[42:39] But quickly. Let me just. Round up. And give you the last point. Because it's important. About this revolt thing. So. He purposed. Let's go up to verse 21. He purposed in his spirit. To go to Jerusalem. And then from there.

[42:50] He wanted to go to Rome. And he did go. Remember in Romans chapter 1. Verse 30. He said. I long to see you. So from this chapter. The particular text. We are on. Acts chapter 19. Verse 21.

[43:01] From chapter 21. It looks like. The focus of Acts. Acts. It's a game changer. In the book of Acts. Why? Because now. Paul has set. His heart.

[43:11] To go to Rome. To Jerusalem. So now. His entire agenda. And he got there. In Acts chapter. 28. Verse 16. His drive. I'm going to Rome. I'm going to Rome.

[43:22] I'm going to. And he told the Romans. I have desired to see you. In Romans chapter 15. Verse 24. 25. 26. He told them. How I wanted to come. I've been meaning to come. I've been meaning to come. So that I can also go to Spain.

[43:34] So he had an agenda. So now. The whole missionary. Trust. Has changed. And his focus. Was all roads. Lead to Rome. So that's why.

[43:45] I've drilled on that text. A little bit. Because it changed. The trajectory. Of the book of Acts. Now. In the verse 22. The Bible says. That. So. He sent.

[43:56] His companions. He sent. Into Macedonia. Two of. His ministers. Those who ministered to him. Timothy. And Erastus. By himself. Stayed.

[44:06] In Asia. A little bit. Then the next verse. Says. About that. This is where the whole thing. That's the revolt. About that time. Shall we all read it out from the screen. Is that okay? Please.

[44:17] Let's go. Now. The way there is Christian. Christianity. The Christians. Of Christianity. A great commotion.

[44:29] In Ephesus. What was the commotion? Because we read it through the text. I just want to just. Mention it. It's Demetrius. Said there was no.

[44:39] Some more disturbance. It was a major problem. That's why he said that. I fought beasts at Ephesus. It was a major problem. And what was the problem?

[44:50] People's personal interest. Their pockets were being touched. By their. When I was in secondary school. Some guys. Got upset with us. Some boys. I won't forget that.

[45:02] But they did not come to us. Because we'll preach the devil out of them. And we had them talking about. This David M. Cheney guys. They have preached all the girls. And some of our girlfriends. Have broken up with us. Now they are going to Eschews. And going to fellowship.

[45:16] Yeah. The girls have become born again. And have broken up with the boys. So get me scared. Every time the gospel gets somewhere. People change.

[45:28] If. I said this some time ago. About. Four months or five months. Some time ago. If you are. Who you've always been. You are probably not a Christian. If you are still.

[45:38] Who you have always been. You are probably not a Christian. Because if any man be in Christ. Something changes. One of the clearest signs. That someone has.

[45:49] Genuinely embraced Jesus Christ. Is you see a change. In their lives. You definitely see a change. In their lives. So if you are still. Who you've always been. You are actually.

[46:01] Improper. The probability is very high. You are not a Christian. That's my motive. Is to help people understand. What Christianity is about. If you are still.

[46:11] Who you've always been. Bro. Sis. You are probably. Not a Christian. Because being a Christian. Is not a political persuasion.

[46:24] Praise God. So. When. Gospel comes. And revival comes. People change. They break up. With their boyfriends. People break up. With their girlfriends. People move out.

[46:35] From cohabitation. Listen. Brothers and sisters. If you are. Genuinely born again. You will definitely.

[46:45] Have the statement. Somewhere in your life. I'm done with this place. I'm done with this place. You change. You. Unfriend. Some people.

[46:56] Potentially on social media. You will. Exist some group chats. And there are. Demetrius. Who come after you. So. Demetrius. Who call for a meeting. Yeah. It's not.

[47:07] That what you are preaching. Is wrong. But the thing. Is affecting. Their livelihood. They are affecting. Their prosperity. They are. They are affecting. They are. He said. We. Through this thing.

[47:17] We have our great wealth. That's what he said. To the people. So. You guys. He called. It's like. Guild. Or. The. The. Association. Of.

[47:29] Silbersmiths. Of. Sculptures. He called them. He said. Guys. It looks like he was the leader. So. He called them. When the president of the guild. Called them. He says that. You know guys. Our prosperity is a stake.

[47:40] Why? Because there's this guy called Paul. Verse 26. Not only. In Ephesus. But throughout Asia. He has been preaching a message. Right. And we are losing profit.

[47:51] We can't. We can't. Afford. Our. Lifestyle anymore. Guys. We got to do something. Guys. Don't sit down. For our trade to go in the drain.

[48:03] Have to do something. As soon as he finished talking. Look at what he said. When he finished talking. So. Not only. In our trade is in danger. But. Let's go. Verse 28. Quickly. Now.

[48:13] When they heard this. They were. Full of wrath. You see. You see what he has done. A lot of anger. So. When. You have not met Paul. You meet these people. You will easily take sides with them.

[48:23] Against Paul. And that's what is happening to a lot of Christians. So. This. The revolt. The people were full of wrath. And cried down. Saying. Great is Diana. Or Atavos.

[48:34] Of the Ephesians. They were started. So. It started with the leaders. And then. What happened? Look at the next verse. So. The whole city was filled with confusion. You see. Demetrius.

[48:45] One man. One man. One. One broadcast. One Instagram. Post. Yeah. One TikTok live.

[49:00] Yeah. On something that was not true. And the whole city was filled with confusion. And rushed into the theater. With one accord. Having seen Gaius and Aristarchus.

[49:12] Macedonians. Paul's travel companions. They said. Let's go. Took them to a theater. That's huge theater. Look at the next verse. And when Paul wanted to go in. Paul. When you see Pope Gadda. He's not afraid. I don't have anything to hide. Let me talk to them. Let me talk.

[49:23] Sometimes you don't have to add your voice. Don't go online. To go and defend yourself. Hey. Hey. Hey. Just stay on the gospel. Just stay on the gospel. Wow. So Paul wanted to go and make a case with them. Listen.

[49:34] I can talk to him. He. Because his heart was so genuine and pure. He underestimated the risk. The people were more angry with that reason than he could imagine. And so the disciples said.

[49:46] No sir. We won't let you go. We know this area. The guys are wild. The whole city is in an approach. You want to go and talk to them? When Paul wanted to go in. The disciples said. No.

[49:57] Now I want to submit to you. Because my time. I want to submit to you. Not everybody was against Paul. Yeah. They were leaders. In the city. They were called. Those times they were called Asiacs.

[50:08] Yeah. Asiacs. Like oligarchs. Yeah. Monarchs. Yeah. Ak. Ak. So Asiacs. Yeah. Chief of the. So he said. Some of the Asiacs.

[50:18] Yeah. Is there. Who were friends. Of Paul. Come on. They didn't have a problem with Paul. Yeah. There are people who believe in Paul. Paul was doing. They could tell. Carriage was really changing these boys.

[50:32] They can tell. Since our sons started going to Carriage. This guy has changed. Has gone back to uni. He's doing well. Since my husband started going to church. He has become a real man. There are people who are into.

[50:46] Paul had friends. And some of his friends were top guys. So they sent. In high place. They sent me to Paul. Don't go. If you go in. It's not good. Don't go.

[50:56] So the friends. Sent to him. And were urging him. Not to venture into the theater. Because they understood. What was at stake. Because they had intelligence. They had intelligence.

[51:07] Don't go on that news. Channel to go and talk. Paul. Don't go. Don't say. Don't go. Leave them. Leave them. Leave them. Leave them. Leave them. Don't make a press conference.

[51:18] Leave them. Don't go online. And revert. And speak back. To that guy. Who's attacking. Don't leave them. Paul. There's no point. Because when there's revival. There'll be revolt.

[51:31] There's never any revival. Without opposition. So he said. Paul. Don't leave them alone. And so. Let's see what happened. Did Paul go. So then what happened. Was that they started crying out.

[51:42] So. Some of them cried out. One thing. And some. Another. And the assembly was confused. Most of them. Did not even know. Why they come together. It's called.

[51:54] Mob action. Just gather the people. Give them placards. Let's mobilize. Let's get buses for them. Let's bash them. Don't be impressed.

[52:04] And move back. Thousands are gathering. And chanting. Chanting. Most of it is empty. They are. They are. They are controlled. They are controlled. Some are hide and paid.

[52:17] So. So there was such a great commotion. In Ephesus. That's why he said. I fought a beast. And. Let's go to the text. Let's finish on that.

[52:28] Verse 33. Alexander. The. The Jews. When you read. In the. Other versions. Let's. New living translation. It might be easier. Let's look at new living translation.

[52:38] The Jews in the crowd. Pushed Alexander forward. And told him to explain the situation. Because these people didn't know. They thought it was this Jewish. Jews. Zionists. So.

[52:49] The Jews were not. Originally. Already. Already. Popular. And then. Because Paul was Jewish. The people. Who have come. And chanting. They thought this way. About these Jews. These Jews.

[53:01] So. When. Some of the Jews say. Alexander. You are. You can speak better. Go. Go and speak to them. So they push. Alexander forward. To go and speak. So when Alexander. Tried to come.

[53:11] Oh. Oh. Guys. Guys. Guys. Guys. Oh. Calm. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. They realize. Ah. That's a Jew. Ah. So. But when they found out.

[53:23] That he was a Jew. Oh. With one voice. Gradually. Chow. For about two hours. Can you imagine? Alexander. That's speaking. Through. Fuel in the flame.

[53:33] Yeah. Blew it out of proportion. By trying to reason with them. Yeah. Sometimes. When some things happen. You have to quit. Yeah. Don't explain yourself to your friends. They love you anyway. And don't explain yourself to your enemy.

[53:45] They still hate you. And so. Alexander. Was unsuccessful. Radha. Fueled the whole thing. Great is. Artemis.

[53:57] Ah. They're a fish. For two hours. That's what they were doing. And some of them don't even know. They left. Where go? Artemis. Ah. The fish.

[54:08] Great is. Artemis. Of. The. And then. Verse 34. So then. When the city clerk. Well. This thing is not getting.

[54:18] It's a man of Ephesus. You know what? No one can dispute that. Ephesus. Is a guardian. City. For. The great goddess. Who fell from.

[54:29] Zeus. So. All young ladies. Used to pay obeisance to. If they want to be. Fertile. She was a god of fertility. And.

[54:40] So. What the. Craftsmen were doing is. Is like when you go to Westminster. Or anywhere. You go to. France. There are memorabilia. And they've done. They've carved small, small ones.

[54:51] People now take it to their house. To go and worship. Also collectors. Of Diana. So it was. Their business was prospering. So everybody. Worship this strange god. And they believe that.

[55:02] It was. A maturite. That. A rock. Like a maturite. That fell. From the skies. And it landed in Ephesus. And it looked like. An image with a lot of breasts.

[55:13] So they said. The gods have visited us. And that's why. Ephesus. Became the. Center. Of the worship of Diana. They had this Diana. Temple of Diana.

[55:23] Which was one of the seven wonders. Of the ancient world. It was in Ephesus. And it's also about Diana. Huge temple. About two football stadiums. With huge pillars.

[55:35] 127 pillars. Hi. Google it. Or chat. So that. That is. Diana. And Paul has not said anything. About Diana.

[55:46] He was just preaching. About Jesus. But when people come to Jesus. Their eyes are open. They realize. I don't need. Diana. Who also is Diana.

[55:56] Who is Diana. Now it's interesting. Even heaven. He didn't want her. And threw her down. But who wants this. Who wants this in the house.

[56:08] She fell from heaven. Because she was thrown out of heaven. Look at the text again. He said. We all know. Look at the text. He said. For. He says.

[56:18] And when. He asked. The men of Ephesus. What man is it. That does not know. That the city of Ephesus. Is the temple guardian. Of the great goddess Diana. Of the image. Which fell. From Zeus.

[56:29] When you translate. Some of the words. They fell from heaven. Others say. For from Jupiter. But actually. It's an image that fell. From heaven. It fell from heaven. What do you want? An image that. What. Everyone like.

[56:40] This kind of image. So if I'm bringing. Heaven into your life. Definitely. You get rid of. Some images. And that will be. The first to go. But it means.

[56:51] That somebody's business. Somebody's daily bread. They can't make. Ernst meat. Praise the Lord. So that's why Ephesus.

[57:02] Was such an important place. And so he. He managed to come. He said. If Dimitrius. Has something against them. There's. The legal process. Let them follow. The legal process. This mob action. Against.

[57:13] Law enforcement. Officers. It's no point. Don't we have. Legal process. To deal with these things. Suddenly it's okay. So the town clerk. Said. If Dimitrius. And the craftsmen. Have something.

[57:23] Let us go through. The proper channel. But I say. When it's against Christianity. And it's against. The established. Christian norms. The demonic. In nature. So people.

[57:34] Stop reasoning. How can. You can be standing. On the street. Preaching. And then you can be arrested. Without. You can be arrested. You know. But. But it's okay. We have a message.

[57:45] Just stay on the message. So. He calmed them down. And he said. You see. In the Roman times. If any city. There's an april. There's commotion. The Roman authority.

[57:55] Don't like that. That they'll come and kill people. And arrest people. And beat them. It's. They'll punish them. So the town clerk. Please. We don't want. They knew it. So when he told them that. Else. We stand in danger of.

[58:08] Said. But if. We have. In the next verse. Verse 40. Says that. For we are in danger of being called in question for today's april. There be no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering.

[58:21] So after saying that. What happened? He calmed them. Dismissed them. God. There was no point. When revival comes. Revolts will also come. Did you receive something?

[58:32] Amen. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. We're so glad you joined us for this message by David Entry.

[58:44] We pray the word has inspired and strengthened you. You can connect with David Entry. On Instagram. LinkedIn. And other social platforms. And. You can listen to more messages.

[58:55] On all major streaming platforms. And the Karish Church app. Remember to like. Share. And spread the blessing. On Instagram.

[59:12] Thank you.