January 8, 2023
Morning Service

As we begin a new year, we also begin a new study and the Lord has led me to the letter from Paul to the church at Ephesus.  Ephesus was a strategic commercial center in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey).  It was also a religious center as it was where the magnificent temple to Dianna (or Artemis in Greek) was located.  At the time is it was considered one of the 7 wonders of world as it was double the size of other Greek temples including the Parthenon.  Much of the activity in the city and the economy revolved around the temple.  Paul passed through the city briefly on his 2^nd missionary journey around the year 53 AD founding the church there (Acts 18:19-21).  The congregation begged him to stay longer, but Paul was determined to travel on to Jerusalem.  He did return to the city on his 3^rd missionary journey and stayed with them ministering to them for three years (Acts 19).  This long stay was very unusual for Paul as he was always on the move.  In these three years, Paul lived with, ministered to, and worked with his brothers that made of the church at Ephesus.  He began by teaching in the synagogue there as was his practice, but when the Jews’ hearts were hardened, he moved on to the school of Tyrannus where he “reasoned daily with them.”  He did life together with the people of the church much like what we do here at the Bride.  He laughed with them during the good times and cried with them in the bad building some strong relationships.  The Lord was with Paul here and worked many signs and wonders to prove that he indeed was speaking in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Luke explains some them to us is in his writings in Acts.

Act 19:11-20Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, (12) so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.  (13)  Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches."  (14)  Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.  (15)  And the evil spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?"  (16)  Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.  (17)  This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.  (18)  And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds.  (19)  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.  (20)  So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

            God, through the Holy Spirit, moved here using Paul as the chosen tool to bring the Word of Truth alive to this church.  Sicknesses were healed and evil spirits were cast out even by just a handkerchief that he had touched.  After the Jewish exorcists incident, “fear fell on them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.”  All of these things that God orchestrated here had a purpose.  These events including the miracles were done for the purpose that the “name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.”  Paul was the tool God had chosen to turn their eyes to Jesus our Lord and Savior.

            Many times I have been asked “why we don’t see these miraculous signs and wonders like this in our churches today?”  I have three personal thoughts on that point.  First, this time when Paul was establishing the church God was using the miracles as proof of what Paul did, things they saw with their own eyes, gave them faith to believe his words.  His actions proved the power in his words also to be true creating faith in those who both saw and heard.  It was a very unique time in the history of the church that really ended with the Apostles.  Secondly, I don’t believe as a whole the church today has the same level of faith or commitment to the Lord to allow Him to word so freely.  Jesus Himself mourned at one time; “will there be any faith when I return?” (Luke 18:8)  He also did no miracles in some towns because of their unbelief (Matt. 13:58). God has become for many a convenient tool that we only use when we need Him; as long as things are good we go about our own business, but when things have a turn for the worse here we come running to Him.  We choose to only serve Him when we need Him; He becomes Someone we only call on when it is convenient for us.  This lifestyle will not be blessed; He desires to be first in our lives not a God of convenience.

            Finally, I want to say if you don’t believe God is doing miracles around us today, then you have your spiritual eyes closed.  God is still on the throne and is doing miracles for His children.  He may not do it every single time, as His Will must prevail, but there are times that He says “Yes” to our prayer requests and performs miracles among us.  We don’t have to look very far to see that this is true.  We mentioned Kim this morning being here without an oxygen tank.  That is only one of many miracles in her story over the last year and a half.  It was December of last year that the doctors told Jon and Victoria that she had a 5% chance of ever leaving the ICU bed.  Little did they know that God was listening and had a plan for Kim’s journey through Covid.  She now, as Paul, is a tool God is using to have “the name of the Lord Jesus magnified!”  Kim has been very adamant to all who will listen that her healing came only through the love, grace and power of Jesus Christ!  He used Kim’s situation to take something awful and ugly and makes it beautiful!  Miracles are still happening among us!

 Last year at this time we invited many whom God has changed from running down a path that leads to destruction to a new direction of following Him to share their testimonies with us.  Each one of them proclaimed that is was only by the grace of God that they were able to be alive to tell their testimony causing “the name of the Lord Jesus to be glorified!”   Just last Sunday, I believe three people testified that they were now cancer free being touched by God.  Miracles are still happening among us and we are witnesses to them!  I want stop right now and ask each one of you to look into your own life and think of a time that God moved there and did a miracle to cause “the name of the Lord to be glorified!”  When you come up with it, I would like you to raise your hand.  Look around this Fellowship this morning, God is not dead, He is alive and working among us!  Each of us are a tool in God’s hand and we should be sharing our personal testimony with others of how God moved in our life and He can move in theirs! 

The result of God’s moving in the city of Ephesus was that “the Word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.”  A change occurred in their lives and many of them who “practiced magic” burned their books in a public display of that change.  We too need to display that type of total commitment to Christ as we “put off the old man and put on the new.”  The difficult path we often face is not a punishment from God, but it is an opportunity for us to display our faith to others through it.  James tells us to rejoice in our trials and tribulations for that reason!  I want to close with the words Paul shared with his brothers at Ephesus the last time he saw them as he headed to Jerusalem knowing chains awaited him there.  This should be our goal to be able to say these things as well at the end of our journey.

 

 Act 20:17-38From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.  (18)  And when they had come to him, he said to them: "You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you,  (19)  serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews;  (20)  how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,  (21)  testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.  (22)  And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, (23) except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me.  (24)  But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.  (25)  "And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more.

            Paul tried to seize every opportunity available to him to be faithful to the Lord and share the gospel message.  Each of us this morning need to look into our own spiritual mirror and be sure God is first in our lives.  He is moving among us and we need to share that with this world that needs to hear it.

 

Heavenly Father, open our eyes and hearts to see and understand the Holy Spirit’s moving among us.  Let see and feel Your presence in our lives as You work daily among us.  Thank You for loving us!