After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.” He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer. About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.” When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together.

–Parallel verses:
‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭AMP‬‬
This is the judgment [that is, the cause for indictment, the test by which people are judged, the basis for the sentence]: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. [Is 5:20] For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and does not come to the Light [but shrinks from it] for fear that his [sinful, worthless] activities will be exposed and condemned. But whoever practices truth [and does what is right—morally, ethically, spiritually] comes to the Light, so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are—accomplished in God [divinely prompted, done with God’s help, in dependence on Him].

Evil should not surprise us, rather it should be expected. People who are controlled by the dark lord of this world, Satan, are going to gravitate toward darkness. And when these dark activities are exposed, it infuriates them.

Paul preached about God, who loves us and calls us to live a life of righteousness and love. The worship of other gods promotes sinful behavior and immorality. So he was calling out the truth, to set people free from the oppressive force sin brings into people’s lives.

But a whole trade and money-making scheme was centered around making idols and selling the accompaniments of idol worship. This income was dropping. So these evil men, instead of repenting of their sins, caused a riot to try to make Paul pay for ruining their business.

This reminds me of the evil behind the abortion centers around the country. These centers not only kill the unborn children God designed and made, they have made large sums of money by selling these body parts for “science” or transplants. How horrible, and it happens right here in the United States. But try to come against this evil practice, and you will find that massive government forces and powerful people will try to stop you. Why? Because evil loves the darkness.

So you and I, like Paul, have a choice to make as Christ-followers: will we stand for the truth and stand up to evil and risk real trials and persecution, or will we shrink back and cower under the oppression of evil forces. Let us be bold, my friends! We serve a mighty and powerful God. He is on our side!

Lord, thank you that we can be confident in serving you in the dark places of this world. You will walk with us and help us as we share the truth of the gospel of Jesus to an oppressed world of souls.