LATE TO FAITH? by Dr. Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC

Introduction: Have you ever showed up late to a meeting because of traffic or some other unexpected interruption? You feel like you have to play catch up the whole time. Or have you ever showed up for a meeting, but the meeting had been cancelled? Sometime back I rushed to make it to a meeting, but when I got there, the parking lot was empty. They had the changed the meeting and sent the message to a wrong email. Nonetheless, now I was out of the loop. So also, as we dive into our new series on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we’re going to see how the Ephesians also came “late to faith.” Paul had to help them catch up. How about you? Have you come “late to faith?” Maybe it’s because of how you grew up. Maybe it’s through no fault of your own. Nonetheless, now you are playing catch up. The further our culture is getting from our biblical, Judeo-Christian, foundation, the later people are coming to faith in Christ. It is becoming more and more common to encounter people who were not raised in church, even in the South, even in the Bible belt.

Acts 19 (page #1713) 1 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Context: Acts 19:1 “…Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus.” When the Apostle Paul came to this city 2000 years ago, what would he have seen? Let’s go back in time to the city of Ephesus.

1. MELTING POT:

• Today Ephesus is found 4 miles inland from the Aegean Sea on the west coast of modern-day Turkey near the town of SELCUK (See Mark Wilson’s work for details.)
• He would have seen a city of about 250,000+ people – the 4^th largest city in the world at the time, behind Rome and Athens, maybe Antioch on the Orontes.
• Ephesus was the Roman capital of Asia Minor. Inscriptions have been found that refer to Ephesus as the “First and Greatest Metropolis of Asia.”
• Most of the milestones to other cities were measured from Ephesus. Major road connecting East to West, from Anatolia to Syria. 
• It was a very rich city with a large trading center. They had sanitation system, plumbing, heating system. It was a strategic seaport and hence a big traffic of different kinds of people, religious beliefs and ideas.
• But, there was one thing that set it apart from all others. Ephesus was a “neokoros.” It literally means “temple sweeper” (naos = temple; coros = sweeper) but really “temple keeper.” Thousands of people came every year for pilgrimage to Ephesus. Here was the temple to the goddess Artemis (Greek). It is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the largest temple of the Greek world! It was 3 times the size of the Parthenon in Athens, bigger than a football field. It was twice the height of the Parthenon, about the height of a 5-6 story building. This was not just a place of pilgrimage but also banking and museum. We will talk more about this in a minute.

Bottom Line: People were coming from the East and the West – from the East with their mystery religions and from the West with their philosophies. This was a MELTING POT. Ideas were floating. People were willing to try anything new. 

Application: Have you heard about this MELTING POT? America is called the MELTING POT. Ideas from all over the world are coming and have been coming for some time. Here is the problem with the MELTING POT – THE FINAL DISH THAT COMES OUT OF THE POT IS NO LONGER THE SAME. In a world like this, how do we know what is the truth?

2. MISSIONARY PAUL:

Paul had been trying to come to Ephesus. On the second missionary journey, the Holy Spirit had closed the door to Asia; but, on the way back, he stopped in Ephesus for a brief time. He left Aquila and Priscilla there, reasoned in the synagogue and left, promising to return. On his third missionary journey, he came to Ephesus:

• He would have come off the harbor and walked down the main street.
• He would have seen the City Market – on either side of the street. This is where he preached.
• He would have seen the large stadium or Hippodrome. This is where the races and gladiatorial games took place. 
• He would have seen the Prytaneion or the city hall. This is more than likely where the leaders met. Maybe, Paul went there as well to witness. 
• The road finally headed to the THEATRE – It was situated on the side of a hill. It could seat 24,000 people and more.
• Of course, he would’ve seen the Temple of Artemis (Roman counterpart Diana).

But Paul was not just a TOURIST. He was a man on a mission, a missionary. When Paul came to Ephesus, he found some people who only believed in the baptism of John. They still had not heard about Jesus. Paul witnesses to them and they get saved.

Application: Many Christians are walking through life like tourists. Paul was telling people about Jesus. What has God called us to do?

3. MISGUIDED DISCIPLES:

Acts 19 (page #1713) 1 “…And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” 

As I mentioned in the opening, more and more people in America are now unchurched. 

• They have an incomplete, and even distorted, understanding of the gospel. 
• When some do want to know about faith, they are being educated by social media and now even AI. I’m not against social media or AI. There’s some good out there. We’re out there. Having said, we have to be cautious.
• Not only that, if you grew up in a tumultuous setting where there was pain, and suffering, it will be extra difficult for you to understand biblical truth. You will be shaped by your experiences.

Illustration: My life hasn’t been pain-free. I’ve had to face some very difficult trials. Having acknowledged that, I’ve had the blessing of sitting under the preaching and teaching of one of the best pastors, my father. He was also an evangelist, revivalist, denominational leader, and Bible college principal. I am far from knowing everything that there is to know. I’m sure there are places that I will grow, mature, and have a more accurate biblical understanding. Nonetheless, I was able to have, by God’s grace, a good biblical foundation. If you haven’t had the same biblical foundation, be humble and open to learn and grow. Be willing to be corrected and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in the truth according to the Scriptures.

Acts 19 (page #1713) 4 Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Maybe they were baptized in the Cayster River.

Application: The name of our church is Clearview and the symbol that we have prayerfully chosen to represent our mission is a lighthouse. We are to keep shining the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ before lives are shipwrecked. We do that through the preaching and teaching here. We do that through discipleship and various ministries to all ages. We do that through stepping outside of the four walls of this church and getting involved in the community. We do that by making an impact through the radio ministry, podcasts, YouTube, now Clearview Press. We do that by equipping you to help others come to Christ or course correct before it’s too late. What if they reject? Keep shining.

4. MIGHTY AWAKENING:

Acts 19 (page #1713) 8 And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God. 9 But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. 10 And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. 11 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” 16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18 And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. 19 Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

Why the book burning? Ephesus was known for magic and spells. This was referred to as the “Ephesia Grammata” (Ephesian Letters). These were written and oral spells to ward off evil spirits. This was a very lucrative business connected to the Temple of Artemis. According to estimates, the number of scrolls burned equaled to the wages 50,000 days! Just going by minimum wage that is half a million dollars’ worth of books.

Application: Are you praying for an awakening in America? Are you praying that people will turn from their false gods and philosophies to the living true triune God? It is time that America had an awakening.

5. MAYHEM FOLLOWED:

Acts 19 (page #1714) 23 And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way. 24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen. 25 He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: “Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. 26 Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands. 27 So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship.” 28   Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” 29 So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s travel companions. 30 And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him. When I walked around Ephesus, I tried to imagine what that must have been like. It was scary to think about.

Acts 19:35   And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: “Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus? This image of the goddess which “fell from the sky.” It could very well be a meteorite. Just like the kabbah of the Muslims. The temple was also a bank where the priests were the bankers of enormous amounts of money. Not only that but this was also a museum where they had some great paintings of the time. Of course, Artemis was the goddess of fertility – the virgin huntress. The Greeks called her the Huntress of Souls.

Acts 20:1 After the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and departed to go to Macedonia. Timothy was the pastor there and later John the apostle was based there.

What is the application for us? Expect SPIRITUAL OPPOSITION – be prayed up and clean before the Lord:

• Spread of the occult, evil, Wicca, etc.
• Growth of Islam
• Spread of socialism and communism

What if we don’t keep the lighthouse going? Revelation 2 (page #1875) 1 “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write…2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil…4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.” Their coastline grew further and further away as silt was deposited by the shores; due to marshland there was malaria due to mosquitoes; Turks came and attacked the city a few hundred years later; the church died with the city – GOD HAD SAID “I WILL REMOVE YOUR LAMPSTAND.” He meant it and in time it was done. 

THERE IS NO PASSIVE LIVING WHEN IT COMES TO THE CHURCH. William Ramsay (Scottish Archaeologist and New Testament scholar), “The Letters to the Seven Churches in Asia” (1904): “An easy-going Christianity could never have survived; it could not have conquered and trained the world; only the most convinced, resolute, almost bigoted adherence to the most uncompromising interpretation of its own principles could have given the Christians the courage and self-reliance that were needed. For them to hesitate or to doubt was to be lost” (p. 300).

For e.g. Imagine we got into a TIME MACHINE and went back in time. The place is Ephesus and the time is the year AD 62. Paul has already brought the gospel to them and there is a church there. He has written a letter to them – the Epistle to the Ephesians. Timothy is the pastor of Ephesus Baptist Church. We walk in the church. It is a lively congregation – joyful singing, powerful yet humble prayer and then Pastor Timothy get’s up and preaches on our riches in Christ. The service ends and you see families leave the church. Young families with children. Then you go to one of them and say, “You must care about your children and their future.” Then we tell them that just a few generations later (4^th-6^th century AD) a people known as the Turks would migrate into Anatolia. By the 11^th century, there will be many more. There will be a shift in power where the minority will rule the majority and impose their religion (Islam) that they had picked up in Persia. In time, the local population will convert to Islam, most of the time because of oppressive policies. Where the church stood right now – just a few hundred years from then there will be a mosque. What would they say? I expect they would be shocked. I expect they would be heartbroken. I expect there would be tears. Let me ask you folks – what if I were to tell you today that unless we have a revival, that will be our future. What if it’s your descendants who will be Muslims? What if right here where stands Clearview Church there will one day stand a mosque? Or some other religion.

You may not care about the future generation, but I do.

What will be needed on our part?

RETURN TO OUR FIRST LOVE FOR CHRIST. THERE IS NO PASSIVE LIVING WHEN IT COMES TO THE CHURCH. William Ramsay, “The Letters to the Seven Churches in Asia” (1904): “An easy-going Christianity could never have survived; it could not have conquered and trained the world; only the most convinced, resolute, almost bigoted adherence to the most uncompromising interpretation of its own principles could have given the Christians the courage and self-reliance that were needed. For them to hesitate or to doubt was to be lost” (p. 300).

RETURN TO OUR LOVE FOR THE LOST

For e.g. Imagine we got into a TIME MACHINE and went back in time. The place is Ephesus and the time is the year AD 62. Paul has already brought the gospel to them and there is a church there. He has written a letter to them – the Epistle to the Ephesians. Timothy is the pastor of Ephesus Baptist Church. We walk in the church. It is a lively congregation – joyful singing, powerful yet humble prayer and then Pastor Timothy get’s up and preaches on our riches in Christ. The service ends and you see families leave the church. Young families with children. Then you go to one of them and say “You must care about your children and their future.” Then we tell them that just a few generations later their descendants will be run over by the Turks who will convert them to Islam. Where the church stood right now – just a few hundred years from then there will be a mosque. What would they say? I expect they would be shocked. I expect they would be heartbroken. I expect there would be tears. Let me ask you folks – what if I were to tell you today that unless we have a revival, that will be our future. What if it’s your descendants who will be Muslims? What if right here where stands Clearview Church there will one day stand a mosque? 

What will be needed on our part?

RETURN TO OUR FIRST LOVE FOR CHRIST

RETURN TO OUR LOVE FOR THE LOST