2024-10-27

Violent Opposition Continues to Find Paul

  • Welcome | Announcements
    • Tue @ 6:45am – Men’s Bible Study
    • Sun @ 9am – Sunday School (Adults and Kids)
    • Nov 7 @ 5pm – Community Supper
    • Nov 11 @ 11am – Veterans Day Luncheon
    • Nov 30 – Hanging of the Greens
  • Welcoming the Light of Christ
  • Opening Prayer
  • Call To Worship – OGRP 880 – The Nicene Creed
    • We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, visible and invisible.
    • We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father; through him all things were made.
    • For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man.
    • For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered death and was buried.
    • On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
    • He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
    • We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
    • We believe in the one holy catholic and apostolic church.
    • We acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
    • We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
    • Amen.
  • Worship Hymns
    • TFWS 2270 – He Has Made Me Glad x2
    • TFWS 2032 – My Life Is in You, Lord
    • Blessed Be Your Name – © 2002 Thankyou Music
  • Offering
  • Prayer Hymn
    • TFWS 2143 – O Lord, Your Tenderness
  • Intercessory Prayer
  • Sermon – “Violent Opposition Continues to Find Paul” [Acts 19:21-41 ESV]
    • 21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”
    • 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
    • 23 About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way.
    • 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen.
    • 25 These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth.
    • 26 And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.
    • 27 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”
    • 28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
    • 29 So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel.
    • 30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him.
    • 31 And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater.
    • 32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.
    • 33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd.
    • 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
    • 35 And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?
    • 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash.
    • 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess.
    • 38 If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another.
    • 39 But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly.
    • 40 For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.”
    • 41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
  • Communion
  • Closing Hymn
    • TFWS 2226 – Bind Us Together
  • Benediction
  • Postlude