Acts 19:8-41
A few years ago, we had our kitchen remodeled. If you’ve ever had that done, you know that it’s not for the faint of heart. It turns out, we use our kitchen a lot… like multiple times every day! I remember walking in during the middle of the project and seeing no cabinets on the walls, appliances pushed into the living room, and dust covering everything. It looked worse, way worse, before it looked better. And even though I knew the end goal was something good, the process was not easy. It was loud, inconvenient, and messy. There were moments when I wondered, Is this really worth it?
That’s the nature of renewal. Whether it’s a kitchen, a soul, or an entire city, transformation almost always looks chaotic in the middle. Things are being uprooted, old structures are being torn down, and the systems that benefited from the old setup push back hard.
That’s exactly what happened in Acts 19. God was moving powerfully in Ephesus. People were turning from old patterns, idols were being abandoned, and the gospel was reshaping the culture. Luke described it as “extraordinary” (v. 11) and said the word of the Lord was “prevailing mightily” (v. 20). But as revival spread, resistance also arose. The craftsmen who made their living selling idols to Artemis suddenly realized their profits were disappearing. The city’s economy started to shift, and those who benefited from the old ways felt threatened.
So what did they do? They started a riot. This shouldn’t surprise us. Renewal always disrupts something. When the kingdom advances, darkness always pushes back. When God works in people’s lives, spiritual forces of evil don’t quietly pack their bags. They resist. Sometimes loudly.
And yet, here’s the hope embedded in the passage: the resistance can’t stop the renewal. The chaos doesn’t derail God’s plans. The uproar becomes one more backdrop where the power of Jesus shines. “The word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.” The remodel may look messy, but the Divine Contractor is unfazed.
Where do you see this dynamic in your own life? Are there places where God is reshaping something, and the pushback feels real? Don’t lose heart. Resistance isn’t the sign that God has left; it’s often the sign that He’s deeply at work. The Spirit who moved in Ephesus is still moving today, right in the middle of the noise, the mess, and the renovation of your life.
Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor