Close
Read a scripture and sing worship songs.
(Optional) Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. He wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator also between God and man, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all. (Philippians 2:11b; 1 Timothy 2:4-6a)
Minister to one another’s needs in prayer, biblical counsel and encouragement.
Encourage loving accountability to obey Jesus
Choose a way to cast vision for who they can become in Christ or what God can do through them by:
Share BIG vision “A church for every village and community, and the gospel for every person.”
23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there.25 He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business.26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”
28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together.30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him.31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.
32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there.33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people.34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven?36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash.37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess.38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges.39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly.40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.”41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
Additional questions you can use:
Hundreds of thousands of worshippers and tourist came to Ephesus every year to worship in the magnificent Temple of Artemis, considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. So many people were becoming followers of Jesus that those who made their living from selling idols to the worshippers were losing money. A silversmith named Demetrius stirred up the craftsmen, causing a riot against Paul and his message. The civil leaders Paul had befriended during his long stay in Ephesus, helped protect him from the angry crowd. The Lord used the mayor to calm the crowd and to warn them that they were in danger of causing problems for the city with the Emperor in Rome. From this story we learn an important leadership principal: Paul developed leaders by involving them in the ministry. Gaius and Aristarchus came from the harvest in Macedonia and were helping with the growing movement.
The second letter to the church in Corinth can be read here. (2 Corinthians)
Practice giving and communion here or in the Preparing for Mission section
Practice needed skills or previous topics to help prepare to minister to others:
|
|
|