Loud voices are irritating. They can also be misleading.
Yell “Fire!” in a crowded building, and even if there’s no smoke, people will run for their lives. It’s the same in the stock market, a Black Friday sale, or a child’s birthday party. It takes one person yelling loudly enough, and everyone else gets on board.
What’s our world yelling now? Are we hearing “Christ lives!” or “We want our own way!”?
In Acts 19:32, we read that a crowd had gathered, and:
“…some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.”
They were lost, had no idea what was going on, and were grasping for spiritual truth, just like the world is today.
Acts 19:33 tells us the Jews called on Alexander, who:
“…motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd.”
Alexander had the answer: Christ! Yet, read what happened next. Acts 19:34 reveals the results:
“But when [the worshippers of Artemis] recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ ”
It’s the same as today. When we offer Christ to the world, someone stands up and yells, “Fire!” and the world can no longer hear the message of the Savior. History tells us that despite the clamor over the supremacy of Artemis vs. Christ, the church in Ephesus continued to flourish. If we hold to the message of Christ, those who seek him will find him, because our lives will shine with his glory.
Christ is the message. We are the voice. Salvation is the answer.
Copyright © 2017 MyChurchNotes.net
Code: FGO.B.24.17b.vp.esv