by Prisca | 10 July 2023 08:46 am07
(Acts 19:24)
Acts 19:24 (NKJV):
“For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen.”
In the first-century city of Ephesus, a center of commerce and pagan religion, the worship of Artemis (also known as Diana in Roman mythology) was deeply embedded in the culture. The Temple of Artemis was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, a colossal structure dedicated to a fertility goddess believed to influence nature, childbirth, and prosperity.
According to Acts 19, a man named Demetrius, a silversmith by trade, made miniature silver shrines of Artemis. These portable idols were sold to both locals and pilgrims who visited Ephesus for religious festivals. These shrines represented not only the goddess but also served as talismans and symbols of allegiance.
The Bible clearly distinguishes between the worship of the true and living God and the worship of idols, which it equates with worshiping demons.
Deuteronomy 32:17 (NKJV):
“They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they did not know, to new gods, new arrivals that your fathers did not fear.”
Psalm 96:5 (NKJV):
“For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.”
The only temple ever sanctioned by God in the Old Testament was located in Jerusalem, where His name and presence dwelt (1 Kings 8:10–11). Any other “temple” outside of this, including that of Artemis, was considered pagan and blasphemous. Worship in these temples was directed toward false deities and, according to Paul, ultimately toward Satan (1 Corinthians 10:20).
When Paul the Apostle preached in Ephesus, he boldly declared that “gods made with hands are not gods at all” (Acts 19:26). This deeply challenged the religious and economic systems built around idol worship. As people turned to Jesus Christ, the one true God incarnate (John 1:14, Colossians 2:9), they abandoned their former religious practices, including sorcery and idolatry.
Acts 19:18–20 (NKJV):
“And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds.
Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.
So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.”
This mass repentance shows the power of the Gospel to confront and dismantle spiritual strongholds both religious and economic.
Paul was never intimidated by pagan culture, demonic power, or economic systems tied to sin. His confidence came from knowing the power of the Gospel of Christ.
Romans 1:16 (NKJV):
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
The Greek word for “power” here is dunamis, from which we get the word dynamite. The Gospel doesn’t merely inform it transforms.
Idol worship is not just a cultural issue but a spiritual warfare issue. Paul explains that behind idols are spiritual strongholds that must be torn down through the truth of the Word of God.
2 Corinthians 10:4–6 (NKJV):
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”
The Gospel not only saves the soul but renews the mind (Romans 12:2) and breaks the spiritual bondage caused by idolatry and deception.
Though Artemis is no longer worshiped today, modern forms of idolatry persist money, fame, materialism, and false spirituality. Yet the power of God in Christ still breaks chains.
As believers, we must never be ashamed of the Gospel or intimidated by the cultural norms around us. Christ is still calling His people to come out of Babylon (Revelation 18:4) to separate from false worship and walk in truth.
Let us continue proclaiming the Gospel with boldness, knowing it is God’s power to save and transform lives.
1 Thessalonians 1:9 (NKJV):
“For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.”
Maranatha “Our Lord comes!” (1 Corinthians 16:22)
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