Paul’s ministry in Ephesus was accompanied by great power. Not only did he give thorough instruction each day for two years; there were so many miraculous signs and wonders being done through him in the way of healing and deliverance that people got in the habit of taking handkerchiefs or aprons which had touched Paul to their afflicted friends, and they got well! God’s grace was on the apostle. The fertility god Artemis had a pretty hard time keeping up with Jesus, when it came to results! The sense of awe was only magnified when the seven sons of Sceva tried to horn in on the Gospel, and were publicly exposed (in every sense of the word) as frauds!

There were some key evidences of God’s work among the Ephesians. One was a huge bonfire, fueled by books of magic flipped onto the flames by recent converts from sorcery to Christianity. The value of the books would today have come to around six million dollars!

Another indicator that things were changing in Ephesus was the reaction of the local silversmith’s union. They were not pleased! They felt this preacher posed a threat to their livelihood, which principally consisted of making silver shrines of Artemis. Her popularity had taken a dive since the apostle hit town. Led by Demetrius, the silversmiths started a riot. Demetrius would have been better off to just start making silver handkerchiefs inscribed with “Jesus is Lord.”

They had a tremendous revival in Ephesus. Question: Would this have happened had Paul gone there years before, when he first intended?

I don’t think so. Apparently, the timing wasn’t yet right. Also, the Spirit directed the apostles to first encircle Asia with the Gospel, before coming back to it, and there is purpose to everything God does. There was a reason for the delay. The end result was a powerful ministry which reached both Jews and Gentiles. Paul had the time of his life! It may have been his most enjoyable ministry.

What can we learn from Paul’s Ephesian ministry? The pattern Paul used in Ephesus of letting people come to him, then teaching them, used to work in America. In most American ministries of today, the plan is to establish a nice facility, provide worship services and programs which people find attractive, and let them come to us so we can share with them about Jesus. Sometimes, this works. More often, not, particularly on the skeptical coasts, where it’s hard to get anyone but Christians to come to a church service. Are we stuck? God is never stuck! It’s again time to seek God’s power, timing and methods for our situation.

Dave Ness

The Bottom Line: God-powered, God-timed evangelism is always effective.