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Acts | 1-8: | 9:1-19 | 9:20-31 | 9:32-43 | 10:1-23 | 10:24-48 | 11 | 12 | 13:1-12 | 13:13-41 | 13:42-52 | 14:1-18 | 14:19-28 | 15:1-21 | 15:22-41 | 16:1-15 | 16:16-40 | 17:1-15 | 17:16-34 |  18:1-17 | 18:18-28 | 19:1-20 | 19:21-41 | 20:1-16 | 20:17-38 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23:12-35 | 24 | More Coming Soon |

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These small group Bible studies of Acts 19:21-41 contain commentary, discussion questions, and practical application.  Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.

Acts 3:1-10 Bible Study Guide – Walking and Leaping and Praising God

Outline

I. A riot in Ephesus (21-34)
II. A town clerk quells the riot (35-41)

I. A riot in Ephesus (21-34)

Discussion Questions

• How did Paul make his decisions?
• How can you make decisions “in the Spirit?”
• What does “the Way” refer to?
• Why was Christianity called “the Way?”
• What was Demetrius’ complaint?
• How had the Way affected the city and economy of Ephesus?
• How do we see the work of God in this passage?
• What was the fallen condition of the people in Ephesus?
• How is their same fallen condition reflected in people and our culture today?
• Why were they so attached to Artemis?
• What was the temple of Artemis?
• What is your city famous for? What does that reveal about the nature of the people in your city?
• What does this sudden riot reveal about the nature of people?
• Why is peer pressure so powerful?
• What are several ways peer pressure influences people toward sin today?
• Why did the disciples not want Paul to go out and talk to the crowds? Do you think they were right?
• Since Paul was the leader, why should he listen to other believers? What spiritual principle does this interaction point to? What verses support it?

Cross-References

Revelation 3:17-18 – For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

Proverbs 1:10 – My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

Proverbs 13:20 – Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Proverbs 11:14 – Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Making decisions in the Spirit –

“Paul resolved in the Spirit.” He didn’t make plans on a whim. He wasn’t rash. Neither did he rely on his own intelligence or desires. Instead, he made decisions in the Spirit.

Much prayer was certainly involved.

Application – Rather than making a decision and asking God to bless it, fully seek him before making the decision (James 4:13-15).

2. The allure of idols –

The Temple of Artemis was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was the religious heart of Ephesus. About the size of an American football field, it was supported by 127 massive marble columns. Pilgrims traveled from far distances to see its splendor and worship.

Silversmiths made idols, shrines, and souvenirs which they sold to these travelers. Many people’s livelihood was attached to maintaining the status quo of the temple.

Let’s dive deeper into what God has to say about idolatry as well as its allure.

The first four of the ten commandments all deal with the correct worship of God. Idol worship was strictly forbidden (Exodus 20:1-6). Israel struggled with this sin throughout much of the Old Testament. It was disobedience in this area that led God to send judgment upon His people.

Worship of idols is a sin that leads to many more sins. When a person rejects the true God and turns to idols, he has cast aside authority. He has spurned truth and righteousness. Idols don’t judge people for sin. Therefore, a person who worships idols feels free to sin. That is why idol worship quickly leads to immorality, pride, greed, violence, and every other form of sin.

Worship of physical idols is less prevalent now than it was in the past. But Satan is cunning. He uses different methods of attack for various time periods and cultures. Idolatry is just as common as in the past. It simply comes in different forms.

Reflect – What are some forms of idolatry that are common today?

When we are willing to sin to get something, that thing is an idol. An idol is anything that takes God’s rightful place as number one in our hearts. Sports, movies, entertainment, money, power, or sex could become idols if we are not careful.

Application – Ask yourself if anything has become an idol in your life. If something comes to mind, take it to God in prayer. Ask Him to help you gain the right perspective and submit that to Him.

Romans 1 shows us the progression of sin and shows us that one of the first steps is substituting something else for the worship of the true God. I believe the reason for this substitution is that people want a “little god” they can control. By making an idol, they can also make up the standards of the idol. In other words, they are the boss and can still do whatever they want.

Because the idol has no real authority and will never judge anyone, the people who have created it then feel free to sin without guilt or fear of reprisal.

An idol is easy to create and easy to control. It is a master with exactly the same mind as its creator. For these reasons, idolatry in the Old Testament was almost always followed by gross immorality.

People are created in the image of God. He made us spiritual beings. He designed us to be spiritual so that we would seek Him. That spiritual side would push us to find something more. Idolatry is a fake and cheap substitute for the real thing.

Application – Make sure that you are not creating a God to worship in your own image. Rather than assigning our own qualities to the Lord, we need to study the Word to see what He is like. We should adjust to Him instead of the other way around.

3. The ruins of the temple –

Reflect – What is the temple like today and what does that teach us?

The Temple of Artemis is in ruins today. Yet Christianity is still going strong. The church is alive and well. Bibles are translated and read worldwide. Artemis is (and always has been) dead. But God is not.

Matthew 24:35 – Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

The kingdom of God will outlive every culture, religion, and manmade architecture and philosophy, no matter how splendid (Daniel 2:34). These will all one day fade into total oblivion.

Application – Let’s spend our lives investing in God’s eternal kingdom.

4. The love of money –

Demetrius was upset about the transformation that the Way was bringing to the culture. Christians don’t buy idols. Every new believer was a lost customer. Note his motivation. Demetrius was not concerned for the well-being of his city’s residents. He wasn’t afraid that they were being misled. Nor did the fate of their souls concern him. The only thing that seemed to motivate him was profit.

All the silversmiths were getting rich by exploiting the people through this false religion. They used religion to enslave the people and keep them in chains, all to keep the money flowing.

It was a clever scheme, a win-win partnership between Satan and the influential Ephesians, like the silversmiths. Satan was happy to keep people chained and in the dark spiritually. The silversmiths were happy to keep taking money from gullible fools.

Reflect – What religions or industries are like this today?

The first industry that came to mind was big tech. Many companies operate a similar scheme today. TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and many more do this. Teams of researchers have dedicated their entire careers to making these platforms as addictive as possible. Shorts especially follow this model. They are designed with the sole purpose of keeping people on the platform as long as possible. They enslave people, keeping them in the chains of dopamine addiction, all to keep the money flowing.

There is no end to shorts, no bottom. It is endless scrolling. The algorithm is designed to keep your eyeballs as long as possible. Very little of the content is helpful or edifying. Even though huge amounts of research show that it is harmful to our brains, especially young brains, they target children as young as possible to get them hooked. Greed for money is destroying society, communities, culture, brains, and cognitive development. You can see it everywhere. Even at restaurants, people at the same table often don’t talk, instead staring mindlessly at their devices.

It is a partnership between the devil and greedy businessmen. Satan is more than happy to keep unbelievers occupied with mindless entertainment instead of thinking about meaningful questions of life, such as “What is my purpose?” He is more than happy to keep believers consuming worldly drivel instead of building God’s kingdom.

Video shorts are one modern-day example of love of money enslaving people. There are many more. Pornography is another example. It is a big business. Some states in the US enacted laws to make it more difficult for minors to access this by requiring an ID. This is a moral thing to do and a step (albeit a small one) in the right direction. But there was a big outcry and lawsuits against these efforts. Why? Money.

The love of money is alluring. Let’s consider our own attitude toward money.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 – But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.

You cannot take your fancy cars, electronics, golf clubs, or mansion with you when you die. You cannot even take the clothing off your back. Your soul goes and leaves everything on earth behind.

Therefore, we need to have a long-term perspective, asking ourselves the question, “Is what I am doing now going to make a difference one hundred years from now?” Jesus said we should not store up treasure on earth. Moth and rust destroy, stock markets go down, and thieves scam and steal. Even if you manage to keep your money safe, you cannot send it ahead of you to eternity.

Application – We can invest in God’s kingdom with our time and money now. In this way, we can build up treasures in heaven. Instead of using our money for ourselves, let us consider how to build God’s kingdom with it. We can support missionaries, give toward church planting and discipleship, and spend more time ministering to our families and serving God in or out of church instead of racking up hours of overtime.

The basic needs of life are far less than what most people would consider a need. So many things at a shopping mall are extraneous. Most will end up in the landfill in ten years. How many of the things in our homes do we really need?

The world is so convenient now. Most people rarely even stop to consider and appreciate basic things that are available to us, like running water and electricity. Instead, a charged cell phone and super-fast internet are considered to be top priorities!

Application – We should be grateful for (and parents should teach their kids to be grateful for) all of the many blessings in our lives. Rather than setting our hopes on the latest and greatest thing, let us spend more time to thank God for what we already have. In your prayers, spend some time to thank God for some of the many things you have that you don’t need. Then also consider the many people in the world who still struggle with the basics.

Reflect – What can you do to help people who are truly in need?

The Bible never says it is wrong to be rich or make money. But we are warned about the dangers of riches and reminded to check our heart motives. A person who sets his heart on worldly riches will fall into temptations. His greed will cause him to sin in many potential ways.

The lure of riches will seduce him into doing things he would not otherwise have done if he weren’t setting his heart on money. For example, a person who desires most of all to honor God would not consider telling a lie to save money, whereas a person who wants to get rich would. A person who seeks God first will not consider altering paperwork illegally in order to make more money. A greedy person will.

We live in a world that is obsessed with money. How can you avoid falling into this trap? How can you be sure that your heart is in the right place? How can you decide whether or not you should work so much overtime in pursuit of a promotion or in order to keep your job?

5. The danger of peer pressure –

Demetrius started complaining and stirring people up. Before long, a mob formed. The whole city was filled with confusion. You can imagine many people dropping their work or errand and rushing to join in the rush toward the theater, screaming with the mob, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.” It shows how easily people are influenced by peer pressure. Before they knew it, they were part of a mob screaming mindlessly without even understanding why. They made a fool of themselves in front of the town clerk.

Part of the human condition is to fit in and be well-liked. Even babies practice social referencing. That is the process by which infants look to their parents or other caregivers for clues about how to respond to various situations. If the mom smiles, the baby knows it is safe and also smiles. If the dad reacts with fear, the baby does too.

But people do not grow out of it. Many studies have been done that prove people will often knowingly give the wrong answer to a question to fit in with the group.

The Milgram crowd behavior study in 1969 showed that when one person in a crowd looked up, 40% of passersby looked up. When 15 people looked up, 80% of passersby also did.

During emergencies, many people will wait and look around to see how others react. While they may know there is a disaster, their desire to blend in and not attract attention may still cause inaction.

When one person yawns, many others in the group do as well. When one family gets up to leave from an event, often an Exodus follows.

Do you follow the route of the person in front of you or evaluate the best route on your own?

Many people went along with transgender ideology because it was the trendy thing to do and they were afraid of standing out or going against the current. Some people did start speaking out and then many who were silent joined in.

The Bible rightly calls us sheep because we have strong herding tendencies!

Application – Think through what you do and why you do it. Don’t blindly copy other people. Instead, prayerfully evaluate what Jesus is calling you to do.

6. The importance of receiving wise counsel, even for leaders –

Paul normally wants to take problems head-on. He never showed fear when speaking up in front of large crowds. This situation was no exception. But the other disciples prevented him from going out there. Their counsel prevailed over Paul’s. It is a good thing because the mob was in no state of mind to listen to sound reasoning. If Paul had gone to reason with them, they might have torn him apart.

Solomon said there is a “time to keep silence, and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:7). In this case, it was likely best to be silent and wait for the rage to dissipate.

The lesson to take from this is that even leaders need to listen to counsel. No man is above listening to advice. Some Christian pastors have fallen because they were unwilling to be accountable to anyone and no one was willing to keep them accountable. They viewed themselves as “the man,” and their little minions were there only to follow orders. This type of culture is very dangerous.

Accountability is important. God often protects His servants through wise voices around them. Accountability is not a weakness. Rather, it is a safeguard. Leaders who do not welcome advice put themselves into spiritual danger. Every one of us needs others to help us see blind spots, give feedback, and graciously pull us back from poor decisions.

Reflect – Do you welcome feedback and counsel? Have you placed yourself under appropriate accountability? Do the important people in your life feel welcome to share feedback or even corrections with you?

II. A town clerk quells the riot (35-41)

Discussion Questions

• What is your opinion of the town clerk’s advice?
• How do you see God’s sovereignty even though he is not mentioned?
• Who established the government originally? Why?

Cross-References

Romans 13:1-3 – Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. God established the government to govern –

The town clerk quickly quieted the crowd. He pointed out the absurdity of their situation and told them to make proper charges in the court of law instead of rioting.

God established governments to keep law and order. He is a God of order and not of chaos. That is the role of leaders and that is what this clerk did.

2. God was not visible, but He was still sovereign –

In this passage, God did not supernaturally intervene. He is not named directly. Bue was still at work. Sometimes He uses miracles. More often, He uses natural things to accomplish His will. That includes nature or people.

Proverbs 21:1 – The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.