Financial Motives

The gospel interferes with local, powerful artisans -- idol makers who aren’t too thrilled that their business is threatened by the increasing number of Christians.

Read: Acts 19:21-41(NLT)

Explore the Theme: The gospel infringes on profitable business and things get ugly. What do you think made the people angrier: that Paul’s talk of God was contradicting their worship of their gods or that it was infringing on their business?

Ask God: Profitable business was a god in Macedonia and anyone who threatened the prosperity of their business was going to be dealt with. Ask God if you have any area in your life that you do not want him to intrude upon because it feels too beneficial to you personally. Where there is a place of idolatry in your heart, ask God to expose it and help you to replace it with him. Ask God to help you believe that there is nothing made that satisfies the depths of your soul's longing more than what he promises and provides in relationship to him.

Live it Out: The call for every Christian is, like Paul, to be sensitive to God’s Spirit and to be willing to turn things upside down when you see things that contradict God’s will. Use the platforms you have been given to share the love of God and the truths of God in ways that honor him.