One of the most difficult aspects of Christianity to explain to people is faith. For many unbelievers, faith just sounds like wishful thinking, an imaginary hope that makes you feel better but really does nothing. Since our faith is in a God who is spiritual, unseen and unheard despite His presence, this is an understandable reaction by outsiders. There is much we can do to present the reality of what we believe, but unless someone is being led by the Holy Spirit it is difficult to get them to acknowledge that reality.

This difficulty in believing can be true of Christians at times. We may know that God is real, that Jesus died for our sins, and that the Spirit is with us, but there are times when we find ourselves wondering if it really is true. The circumstances of life can be trying, and we are not spared from trials, testing, and tribulations just because we believe in Christ. In fact, we are told by no less an authority than Jesus that living for Him will increase our trials in life. When we face these trials, we need reminder of the truth of our faith.

The author of Hebrews deals with faith in Hebrews 11, perhaps the best-known passage on faith in the Bible. He calls faith “the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen” in verse 1. Notice he does not say that faith is just hope, but is the certainty and proof of our hope. Faith is not just what we might wish would be true, or a determined effort to make ourselves think things will turn out right; faith is itself makes our hope sure and serves as proof of what we do not see. It isn’t just the content of our faith that assures us of God’s truth, but the faith itself, which comes as a gift from God.

The roll call of the “heroes of faith” illustrates what the author is teaching. Those listed came from different eras in the history of God’s acts in history, from the days of creation through the early days of the world, to the time of the patriarchs and the founding of Israel, through the Exodus and the Conquest, to the time of the kings and prophets. Thousands of years of history were studded with these examples of people of faith, receiving God’s promises and believing them. They lived with an assurance that what the Lord promised He would do.

These heroes did not all receive what they were promised in their lifetimes. While some did see God act in their time, others continued to look forward to what God would do through those who followed them even as their own lives ended. The author even mentions that many suffered for their faith if God, with persecution, torture, and even death coming as they unflinchingly held onto their faith. Perhaps no tribute in Scripture is more meaningful that the comment that these were “people of whom the world was not worthy” (v. 38).

It may not be possible to convince those whose spiritual eyes are shielded from the truth of the reality of faith. All we can do is live according to the faith we have been granted and trust that in all circumstances God is with us. We may not experience lives of ease and comfort, and there may indeed be times we wonder what will happen to us, but our future is sure. Whatever happens in this world, we have a guarantee of what will be true in the next. Our faith is not mere wishful thinking, but a reality that carries us through our lives and reminds us of who we truly are in Jesus Christ.

Many Christians wonder why the Old Testament is so important in our New Testament world. It can be confusing for modern readers, dealing with a wide range of ancient cultures and practices with which we are unfamiliar today. From the time of Creation to the return of Israel from Exile, we read about wandering patriarchs, Egyptian slaves, loosely connected tribal states, monarchies, occupied territory, and a vassal nation of the Persian Empire. (You should remember some of this from our Old Testament readings.) Trying to piece this history together can be such a struggle that many are tempted to ignore much of the Old Testament and simply focus on the New.

The writer of Hebrews would not share this desire to minimize the Old Testament record. Throughout the book we find quotations from the Old Testament, mentions of events from the history recorded in it, and discussions of the role of the Law and its application to the time of Hebrews. For the writer, the Old Testament was the Bible, the written Word of God. The New Testament was just being written (including by this writer), with some yet future to the writer. It is to the Old Testament that the early Christian writers appealed to establish the identity and role of Jesus as the Messiah.

In today’s reading, we see the extensive use of Old Testament prophecies and images to make the case for Jesus. The writer focuses on how Jesus is superior to the priests of the Old Covenant and to the sacrifices they made. He calls Jesus a priest after the “order of Melchizedek” rather than of the line of Aaron. Melchizedek was an enigmatic figure in Genesis, mentioned only once but combining the role of priest and king in himself. The writer points out that Melchizedek has no known ancestry, and that he received the tithe from Abraham, the father of the Israelites and, ultimately, of the Aaronic line. These points are fleshed out into a portrait of Jesus as a priest superior to those in the Tabernacle and the Temple, and as a priest who also is a king.

The key to Jesus’ role as a priest and mediator of the new covenant is the sacrifice he offered. The Aaronic priests brought the prescribed sacrifices and offerings to the altar, but these sacrifices were needed for themselves as well. The offerings had to be made day after day, covering the sins of the past but never enough for all the sins of the people. It took a sacrifice that was both perfect and infinite to pay the price for the sins of the world, and as the incarnate Son of God Jesus was able to fulfill both of these conditions. Thus, Jesus is both the priest offering the sacrifice and the sacrifice itself. His willing death on the cross made Him the final sacrifice, paying the price for the sin of humanity once for all.

In Jesus, we find the fulfillment of the Old Testament Law and sacrificial system. Understanding the sheer number of sacrifices that had to be made day by day and year by year, we can appreciate the extent of His sacrifice for us. Only a perfect sacrifice offered by a perfect priest can atone for all of our sins, and only Jesus was both. The lessons of the Old Testament pave the way for the New, and when we see just how much was required to cover our sins we gain a deeper appreciation for our Savior. The Old Testament was a shadow, a picture that gave us a glimpse of the mercy and grace of God, but in Christ we have the full reality, the One who extends that mercy and grace to us through His own work.

Once we come to Jesus Christ for salvation, we begin a lifelong process of following Him and growing in our faith. This raises a question that has troubled many believers throughout history: is it possible for us to reject our faith and lose our salvation? For those in many denominations, church teaching states that our eternal state depends on a combination of faith and works. This makes salvation dependent on us as well as on the Lord. Others teach that no matter how you live or what you believe, once you come to Christ you are eternally secure and there is no reason to ever doubt your status before God.

In Hebrews, the author (who is anonymous, but generally accepted as having a connection to the apostles) deals with this complex issue. The central verses on this issue are found in Hebrews 6:4-8. In this passage, the author describes people in the church who have appeared to be a part of the church but who “fall away” from their belief and practice. Rejecting Christ, these people become separated from God and have no recourse to return to their faith. That such a fate awaits them becomes a clear warning to the rest of the church, who are told to continue to progress in their faith and to keep on following the Lord.

The debate over these verses involves the identification of those who have “fallen away.” Are these genuine believers who had been led by the Spirit into salvation, or are they pretenders who have taken on the outward signs and practices of Christianity but have never truly placed their faith in Jesus? You can find Christian theologians, Bible teachers, preachers, and leaders on both sides of this issue. The Biblical teaching on this subject goes beyond five verses in Hebrews, though, and requires a long, systematic look at Biblical teaching.

During my seminary days, I did a Bible study on Hebrews 6:4-8, and noted how taking this passage in isolation may lead to a different conclusion than taking it in the broader context of Scripture. In fact, if we just go back two chapters in Hebrews, chapter 4 describes this same issue using the illustration of Israel’s rejection of God’s call to enter the Promised Land. They knew what He said, but chose to go their own way. They missed out on the promise not because they had believed in God’s promise then walked away from Him, but because they never had a real faith in the Lord and preferred to seek their own desires.

I believe this is what the author warns us about in chapter 6. There are many in the church who appear to be genuine believers, who say all the right things and participate in all our services and rituals, but who have not actually trusted in Christ as Savior and Lord. The experience of many churches during and after the recent pandemic showed us that many in our congregations were not committed to Christ and His people, but were ready to walk away once any trial came into their religious life. When challenged, those who place their faith in their own works and in their own ways will not have the spiritual endurance to continue to follow Jesus.

We need a faith rooted in Christ, and a reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit to persevere in that faith. We cannot do it on our own, but we do not have to. When we trust in the Spirit to guide us, we will be led on a path that keeps us following Jesus. Our security is not dependent on what we do, but on what Jesus has done for us. It is the Spirit who enables us to continue in our faith and who keeps us secure in Christ throughout our life.

Suffering is a fact of life for humanity. This has raised serious questions for people who believe in an all-powerful and loving God. Why would a God who loves His creation and has the power to prevent pain allow people to undergo suffering? The answer to this question has created its own area of theological study called theodicy, the vindication of God in light of human suffering. This is a deep and sometimes complex field, which has spawned thousands of works by Christian throughout the history of the church.

While there are many issues to tackle in studying the role suffering plays in the world, there is one are that is often overlooked by critics of Christianity. The implication of many questioners is that God stands above the world, allowing, if not actively inflicting, pain on humanity as His revenge for our rebellion against Him. Little attention is paid to the reality of that rebellion, of humankind’s choice to serve self over their Creator. Yet even in this, there is a key truth that brings the role of God in human suffering into a sharper focus.

Paul deals with this key truth in his epistle to Titus. In Titus 3:15, Paul says this about Jesus: “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all time, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit…” What many critics of God in relations to human suffering is the reality that God Himself, in Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity, endured suffering Himself. In allowing sinful humanity to walk a path of suffering, God also ensured that Jesus would also have to endure suffering.

In enduring the pain of all the events of His life, particularly the final week, Jesus gained an experience of what His creation suffered in their own earthly lives. Unlike other people, Jesus did not deserve to suffer, since He did not rebel against God nor did He sin. What He did do is take on our sin, and His pains, physical, emotional, and spiritual, were the result of what we have done. In the end, Jesus gained victory over sin and death, and has been exalted to the right hand of God, the place of honor and authority. Those triumphs do not erase His experience of suffering, so that Jesus is able to fully relate to what we endure in this life.

Since we have a Savior who has experienced human pain, and who has given Himself as a sacrifice to pay for our sin, we can find strength to go through our own challenges in life. If we suffer, even for doing what is right, we are only following the path of our own Savior. When we approach Jesus with what we are facing, He can respond by reminding us He too has had to face those situations His own earthly life. If Jesus as a human being had to endure suffering, pain, and loss, we should not expect that we will avoid those things ourselves. What we do have is a loving and powerful Savior who goes with us through our hard times and supports us through our lives.

While some Christians teach that you can avoid all suffering if you just have enough faith, the example of Jesus shows us that even One who is perfect faces the results of a fallen world and endures suffering. When we do meet the hardships of life, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, we can lean on Jesus for comfort. We can also look forward to our future, when we will be with our exalted Savior and enjoy eternity in a place where pain and sorrow have ceased as we are comforted by the One who made the way for us to arrive there.

The importance of good doctrine for the Christian is emphasized many times in the pages of the Bible. For many in the church, the word “doctrine” causes a nervous reaction, a fear that they need to understand deep and obscure truths in order to have a genuine faith. They shy away from preaching, writing, and programs that ask them to think about Christianity as more than a faith that feels comfortable in knowing Jesus. Such a faith is shallow, and does not have the foundation it needs to weather the storms of life. For every Christian, it is important to have a good theology, at whatever level you have currently reached in your walk with the Lord.

When we read the passages about the necessity of proper doctrine, many Christians think in terms of correct belief. That is certainly one aspect of holding to true doctrine, what we call “orthodoxy,” or right belief. But simply knowing what is true is not enough. The reason we want to know what is true and right is so that we can live in a way that honors Jesus and that aligns us with God’s purpose for our lives. This is called “orthopraxy,” or right conduct. A correct belief tells us how we ought to live, and a correct conduct lives out the truths that we know.

In Titus, Paul encourages Titus to proclaim sound doctrine to those in his church. In our modern context, we might expect that he would follow this encouragement with an outline of just what sound doctrine was. Instead, Paul addresses the way people live and how they should act and work in the light of the truth they know. Titus had been trained by Paul, and I am sure he knew the truth of the gospel and the teaching about Jesus. What Paul wanted him to pass on to the members of his church was not only those truths, but what those truths meant to them in their daily lives.

Paul provides instruction for people by age group, by gender, and by social status, which served as a reminder to Titus that the people live out the gospel is not the same for every person. As we go through the stages of life, we will find that the Lord calls us to serve in different roles and even to take on different functions. We will have family relationships that change over time, work duties that vary as we move from job to job, and functions in the church that change as we grow in our faith and in our ability to serve.

All of our true beliefs and practice should point us toward living in a way that reflects our position in the family of God. We have passed from people who do not know the truth, and who consequently do not and cannot obey it, to those who understand our place before the Lord and in our world. We are to live in a way that is faithful to Christ while at the same time giving those around us no cause to complain about our conduct, unless we must stand for Jesus against the demands of an ungodly world. Our lives should be exemplary not because our salvation depends on it but because by living that way we become a daily testimony to the grace of the Lord and to the change He has made in our lives.

It is imperative that we hold on to good doctrine, to correct beliefs tat are in line with the teaching of the Bible. At the same time, we must take those truths and turn them into action, living according to the teachings of God’s Word. The combination of right belief and right conduct is a powerful witness to the Lord, not only to show unbelievers the changes He has made in our lives but to demonstrate to our brothers and sisters in Christ how we ought to live in the light of our salvation.

In the early days of the church, people were drawn to the message of the gospel, coming to faith in Jesus and gathering for worship, fellowship, and discipleship. When the church was located in Jerusalem, the apostles could take direct oversight of the ministry, but they soon saw the need for more leaders. Then the church began to spread through the Roman empire, beyond the area where a small group of leaders could effectively serve the growing number of congregations. Each local church had to find their own qualified leadership, although many times the missionaries who planted these churches arranged to have leaders in place before they moved on.

As the church grew worldwide, there came further pressure to find a way to have effective leaders for the congregations. While the apostles still met, as at the Jerusalem Council, they were unable to go about and appoint leaders for all the churches. Each local church was going to need to find men to lead them, but they required guidance to ensure that the leaders they chose were able to do what was needed for their roles.

In the Pastoral Epistles- 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus- we find Paul laying out guideline for the organization and ministry of the local church. He particularly provides instruction in the qualifications for church leaders. We see in these epistles, particularly here in 1 Timothy, the qualifications for the two main offices of the local church, elders and deacons. Elders, called “overseers” in 1 Timothy, are equivalent to what we call “pastors” today. Deacons were servants of the congregation, working to care for the congregation and to assist the elders.

It is important to notice that as Paul lays out the qualifications for elders and deacons he is less concerned with their functional abilities than with their character. The qualifications for overseers and deacons do not even mention the duties these roles entail, or any training that might be needed for them before they begin their service. What Paul is concerned about is that the leaders of the church are men of godly character, living lives that follow a way of life consistent with what Scripture teaches and with what Jesus taught His disciples during His ministry. Much of the influence of these leaders would be through the example they set for the people, both inside and outside the church.

Paul also reminds Timothy to teach the people that those who serve the congregation are worthy of respect and support. The church should not listen to unsubstantiated accusations leveled at their elders and deacons. They should also provide support for those who spend their time ministering to the people, whether this was through money or provisions. While an unworthy leader should be removed from is position, Paul wanted to stress to the church that they should respect and honor the leaders the Lord had provided for them.

1 Timothy provides us with key insights into the relationship between church leaders and church members. Leaders need to maintain a consistent Christian life, living in such a way as to provide their people with an example to follow. They should be faithful in their service to their congregants and live in a way that showed those outside the church what Jesus could do with someone. For their part, the church members should respect and honor their leaders, providing for them so they can devote themselves to service. When leaders and members work together in a relationship that honors Christ, the work of the church can move forward for Christ.

It can be frustrating for Christians to hear some of the stories that are told by those outside the church about the beliefs and practices of our faith. There are certainly areas where the message of the Bible is opposed to the thinking of the world, and our religious practices look quite different from the way those who are not Christians live their lives. At the same time, we may find when speaking with our unbelieving friends that what they tell us we believe has no connection to genuine Christianity, or that what they have heard happens in church doesn’t actually take place. Our apologetic efforts may have to begin with correcting misconceptions about Jesus and His church before we can begin to share the truth of the gospel with people.

When Paul arrived in Rome for his anticipated trial before Caesar, he called together the Jewish leaders from the area. He was prepared to make a defense of himself and his work before them, correcting the biased views of his accusers and demonstrating that he had done nothing that violated either Jewish or Roman law. He expected that these leaders would have received some word about the charges against Paul and the way he was viewed by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. Paul had months to prepare, thanks to the length of his journey to Rome, especially his time in Malta.

I imagine that it was something of a shock to Paul when those he had assembled informed him they knew nothing of the case against him and had heard no evil report about him. Perhaps they were as puzzled as about this as King Agrippa had been when asked by Governor Festus to help him prepare the charges to send to Rome. Here was a prisoner of the Romans, held due to accusations by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, yet no one knew why he was under arrest or why he came to Rome for trial.

What the assembled Jews had heard, however, was that the sect of the Christians was “spoken against everywhere.” The church in Rome may have been more Gentile than Jewish, but there would still have been a substantial proportion of Jews in the church. These particular Jewish leaders may not have found their synagogues affected as much as in some other parts of the empire, and they do not seem to have much of an awareness of the teachings of the church. This led to some curiosity about what the followers of Jesus believed and the way the practiced their religion.

Many people gathered to hear Paul when he spoke about himself and his mission. For an evangelist like Paul, this was an occasion to share the gospel with a whole new audience. As he spoke for the entire day, going to the Jewish Scriptures and showing how Jesus’ message and ministry were found there, many in the crowd became convinced. Others heard the same message, but refused to believe it. Paul delivered one final message from the prophet Isaiah, warning them that since they would not listen the good news would be open to the Gentiles. This caused many to leave, and started a controversy that continued well after Paul’s preaching was over.

Paul’s experience in Rome shows us some ways to respond to our own world. They may not have heard much about the Lord, so we need to teach them about Jesus and His work. They may have misunderstandings about the Christian faith, which we need to correct. We also need to lay the choice to follow Christ before them clearly, and call them to respond in faith, so each one is able to make the decision with their head and heart fully informed.

As Christians confront those who do not believe in Jesus or the Bible, they are assailed with many objections and questions. After some time, you will start to hear the same few objections raised over and over. In dealing with these questions, it is often the case that those raising them have really not studied the issues they want to use as a challenge very closely. Perhaps they saw someone make a claim on the Internet, or they read a quick blurb in a social media post. When they are confronted, they may not even be able to agree with one another what the most salient points of their argument are.

The Jews who confronted Paul in Jerusalem in Acts 23 had rushed to judgment against Paul. They were now confronted with trying to make a charge against him that would be sufficient for the Roman tribune to hand Paul over to them so they could kill him and silence his preaching. They agreed that Paul was a threat to their religious position, which also brought their financial dealings into question. At the same time, there were notable breaks between various Jewish factions over major theological issues.

Paul took advantage of this by stating his own history as a Pharisee and his belief in the resurrection of the dead. The other Pharisees present rallied to his side on this issue, to the point that they were ready to let him go. The Sadducees, conversely, did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, and they were the party with the most to lose from an earthly standpoint if Paul’s message were widely accepted. This led to an interparty fight among the Jewish accusers of Paul, which moved attention from him onto the parties involved.

All the tribune knew was that the meeting had gotten out of control, and his prisoner was at risk. Knowing that Paul was a Roman citizen, and that if anything happened to him while in Roman custody he would have to answer for it, the tribune commanded soldiers to remove Paul from the fray and get him safely back into the barracks. The tribune had no interest in the religious squabbles of a nation under Roman rule, only in carrying out his duty without creating more difficulties for himself.

Some of those present in that confrontation did not want to face the prospect of a risen Jesus, who would show they were wrong about a truly significant belief and, by extension, could be questioned on their other beliefs and practices. Others were fine with allowing certain theological beliefs to go unchallenged, even if they did not want to draw out the full ramifications of those beliefs. Paul, although himself born and raised a Jew, brought much of what the religious leaders in Jerusalem believed out in the open, challenging them with arguments from their own Scriptures that pointed to the Messiah, which Paul connected with Jesus.

When we are faced with challenges to our faith, it may be worthwhile to see the starting point of our opponents. Their beliefs may be contradictory, or they may be subject to questioning as to their truth or the way they work out in life. Sometimes those who oppose Christ may end up turning their fire on each other, forgetting their objections to Jesus. At these times, we may be able to use their questions to each other as a place to start proclaiming the gospel. Sometimes the Lord will use the confusion of His enemies to start to turn their attention to His truth, and to give His people the opportunity for continued witness in the world.

Many people are good listeners, as long as you tell them what they want to hear. They will happily agree with what you say when it matches what they already believe. They may even be willing to listen to your own story, as long as it doesn’t clash with what they think is true. The minute you challenge their beliefs and suggest they have been mistaken in the way they live, however, you will face powerful opposition. Particularly in our culture today, everyone feels entitled to living their “own truth,” and anything that opposes what they want to think or how they want to live needs to be silenced.

This is no new phenomenon. In today’s reading, we find Paul returning to Jerusalem after another successful missionary journey. One of his goals was to meet with James and the leadership of the Jerusalem church. The outreach to the Gentiles had unsettled many in the church, and some who came out of Judaism were concerned that this work among the Gentiles was compromising the teaching of the Scriptures. Without asking Paul to backtrack in any way, James suggested a gesture that would reassure the Jewish Christians that Paul was still respected the teachings of the Law.

 Even as Paul made this good-faith gesture toward the Jewish Christians, he found himself falling afoul of some Jews when he was suspected of bringing Gentiles into the Temple. This was a misidentification of Paul’s companions, but it quickly escalated into a riot. Paul’s life was in danger, and the Roman soldiers from the nearby fortress came and arrested him. As he was led off, Paul asked permission to address the crowd. Once the tribune had determined who Paul was (or perhaps more importantly, who he wasn’t!), he allowed Paul to make an address.

Paul begins his speech by describing his own past as a Jewish student, studying with the prominent rabbi Gamaliel. He became a zealous persecutor of the early church, something that would have impressed his opponents. He then told the story of his conversion, how he met the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. He spoke of his return to Jerusalem, and how those in the city would have known his reputation, even of his role in the stoning of Stephen. Paul tells of the way the Lord had warned him to leave the city, since his life was in danger.

Up to this point, the crowd listening to Paul listened attentively to his story. He shared a cultural background with them, and even after he accepted that Jesus was Lord he kept ministering within Jewish circles. As he continued his story, Paul mentioned his call to take the message of Jesus to the Gentiles. It was this that finally turned the mob against him. They may have disagreed with Paul, but as long as he kept his work among acceptable groups like other Jews they could tolerate him. Giving the promise of salvation to the Gentiles, who ignored the Mosaic Law and engaged in practices that were outside the bounds of Judaism, was beyond any possible acceptance.

Their violent response led to the tribune taking Paul into private custody, and starting the process of interrogating Paul via flogging. This was not legal to do to a Roman citizen, which Paul was, and led to Paul getting a much more preferential treatment. The continued story of Paul’s conflict with the Jewish leaders will occupy much of the rest of the book of Acts. Paul would continue to have a desire to share the good news with his fellow Jews, but their unwillingness to listen would make this conversation difficult. The message of Jesus Christ is offensive to many people, but we must continue to preach it even when others try to shut us down.

In places where Christianity has had a strong influence, we often see people not only come to Jesus but leave behind the false gods and ungodly practices of their past lives. Believers look at this as a positive change, bringing people more in line with what God created them to be. Jesus lifts people out of despair and into hope, moves them from pursuing worthless gods, and gives them a hope that goes beyond the limits of this life. To those who have experienced Christ themselves, this is a blessing and a positive change even for this earthly life.

For those outside the church, however, the change brought by the influence of Christians on society can be seen as a challenge to their way of life, and even as an evil influence that goes against the beliefs they believe everyone should hold. Criticism of the sins of individuals and societies, along with direct confrontations with what the world holds to be valuable, brings Christians into battles that the world does not want to lose. Those who have not experienced the grace and mercy of the Lord are not prepared to accept His standards as theirs.

When Paul brought the gospel to Ephesus, many came to faith in Christ and gave up their old ways, including their old religious practices. This led to a loss of income to those who made their living selling shrines and images of the gods to those who visited their temples. As the number of Christians grew, the number of sales fell, until it was causing the craftsmen involved to notice the drop in their income. One silversmith, Demetrius, rallied the other craftsmen to protest this loss. While he couched his argument in terms of honor to the goddess Artemis, the root of his complaint was the loss of his living.

This led to a riot in which the enraged craftsmen came together to create a disturbance that lasted two hours. During their protest, they dragged two of Paul’s companions along with them, posing an imminent threat to them. They shouted down Alexander, a Jew, when he tried to speak, and caused such a commotion that it came to the attention of the authorities. In this case, the town clerk recognized the disturbance for what it was, and reminded them that Rome did not look kindly on such outbursts in its cities. He separated the religious issues from the practical ones, and pointed out that there was a legal recourse. What he did not allow was for the mob to take their vengeance into their own hands.

This calm, reasonable action by the town official would not continue to be the practice among Roman civil leaders in the future, but it did calm the crowd in this instance. Those who were enraged by the way Christian beliefs and practices affected pagan society may have been able to cause a disturbance, but they could not stop the Christian message. Paul was able to continue his mission work, the church in Ephesus was able to continue to meet and worship, and believers were protected from the worst the crowd could do.

This episode reminds us of two truths. First, the message of the gospel will be opposed by many, who see it as a threat to their way of life. They will stop at nothing to try to silence the message of Jesus Christ. Second, God is able to bring His people through turmoil and trial and deliver them. This may not always be through an earthly deliverance, but even when we face grave peril Christians know that our lives will find fulfillment and peace in Jesus, and the end result of our life of trial and testing is eternal life in the presence of our Lord.