Acts 19:21-41: A Riot Over the Bottom Line

Money sets off the riot in Ephesus, when a silversmith realizes the gospel is bad for the idol business. He dresses up his profit motive in religious language, the crowd picks up the chant, and soon the whole city is roaring for two hours without most of them knowing why they came. Underneath the noise sits a real claim: the message about Jesus was actually changing how people lived and spent, and the gospel still disturbs the arrangements we have built our security on. This episode looks at what happens when the truth touches someone's bottom line.  The Rev. Dr. Adam Koontz, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Oakmont, PA, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 19:21-41.  To learn more about Redeemer Lutheran in Oakmont, visit redeemer-oakmont.org. The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts.  Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].