Beyond The Status Quo

Acts 19:23-41

About that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way. (Acts 19:23)

AFTER MORE THAN TWO YEARS OF Paul’s preaching and teaching and performing unusual miracles, Ephesus experienced a spiritual breakthrough. Many new believers burned their old books and articles of magic—the merchandise that supported the economy of this religiously diverse city—to demonstrate their turning to the true God. As the narrative in Acts 19 makes clear, this caused “serious trouble.” The manufacturers of these religious artifacts—protectors of the temple of Artemis and, more urgently, their own bottom lines—met to discuss their declining sales. Anger boiled. A riot ensued.

This pivotal scene captures a common tension between God’s Kingdom and the world’s cultures and systems. When Kingdom values subvert the economic structures and social dynamics already set in place, people get rattled. We can understand that; the status quo supports family incomes and certain ways of life. Big changes create insecurity—especially if those changes point to an invisible deity with an unfamiliar track record. When beliefs are fully integrated with a social system, those beliefs are slow to change.

Your mission as salt and light in this world may involve deconstructing false ways of life and social structures—a mission requiring thick skin and enough endurance to last a lifetime. But the goal is really bigger than that. It involves offering solutions in place of whatever was there. However dysfunctional the status quo may have been, it was working for some. They need a viable alternative. Your lifestyle, your words, and your assistance need to provide one.

Make no mistake: The gospel is more than words. The Good News of the Kingdom includes a demonstration of Kingdom ways and intervention into the world’s systems. Paul left Ephesus in the midst of controversy, but the newly established church was there to help restructure the city’s economy. We don’t know if they did, or to what degree. But we do know God offered a better way for Ephesus through his people. Your world needs a better way too. Live it, talk it, and most importantly, help establish it.

{Lord, make me a messenger of the better way. Give your people visions for restructuring society with Kingdom solutions. May our influence in this world become a testimony to your wisdom and goodness. Amen.