Anthem Podcast: My Witnesses // Acts 16:16-40

Anthem Podcast: My Witnesses // Acts 19:21-41

From before Roman times, Ephesus was home to a local false goddess who became known as Artemis (known to the Romans as Diana). In this week’s passage a group of Ephesian craftsmen who fashioned idols of this false deity began a riot against the believers who were threatening their culture, religion, and livelihood. Soon a massive crowd formed as numerous other Ephesians joined in the tumult, even though most of them weren't clear on why they were upset and rioting. Fascinatingly, God used a representative of the local government to protect the believers, talk sense into the people, and quell the riot.

Anthem Podcast: My Witnesses // Acts 19:8-20

During Paul’s time in Ephesus, God poured out His Spirit in numerous exciting ways: people heard the Gospel, God performed extraordinary miracles, the sick were healed, those under spiritual oppression were liberated through the power of Christ, the fear of the Lord fell upon all, the name of Jesus was extolled, people confessed their sins and renounced their sinful behavior, and the Word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily! We all desire to experience such powerful movements of the Lord... but what are we willing to do to see God move in similar ways?

Anthem Podcast: My Witnesses // Acts 19:1-7

This week’s passage finds Paul returning to Ephesus at the beginning of his third missionary journey. Upon arrival, he encounters 12 men who claim to be disciples, but who have only heard the message of John the Baptist. Paul then shares the Gospel with them, and they gladly respond in faith to Jesus Christ. They are then baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. Although there are clear differences, these 12 Ephesians represent a tragic reality in today’s church. Many believers still fail to effectively connect with the Holy Spirit in a regular and/or powerful way, even though they are already saved and filled with Him. Such people identify themselves as disciples of Christ and yet miss out on the Spirit’s transformative power which raised Christ from the dead.

Anthem Podcast: My Witnesses // Acts 18:24-28

This week’s passage focuses on an Egyptian Jew named Apollos. He was highly educated, passionate, and articulate. He was the poster child for religion, and he boldly proclaimed his message in Ephesus. The only problem with Apollos was that he was lacking in one critical area: a complete understanding of the Gospel of Jesus. He was well-versed in the Old Testament and instructed in John the Baptist’s message, but he was missing critical information about Jesus, His resurrection, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Thankfully Priscilla and Aquilla gently discipled him, and he went on to be a powerful disciple of Christ.

Anthem Podcast: My Witnesses // Acts 18:1-23

In this week's lesson there are several areas that we examined. We first looked at Priscilla and Aquila and what it means to use our everyday lives for the Kingdom. We also pondered what it means to trust God in the midst of uncertain trials, and finally the importance of Paul's passion for the church.