In Acts 19, unbelievers in Ephesus stir up a riot over Paul’s teaching. And yet the catalyst for the riot isn’t really Paul’s teaching. He’d been in town for over two years, yet there was no riot during that time. Instead, what seems to be the catalyst for the riot is the extraordinary devotion ordinary believers who willingly pay a high price to turn from sin and follow Jesus. The new Christians realize that Christ is not compatible with their old lifestyle, and so they set their old lifestyle on fire for the sake of Christ. But the world is watching, and they see in the flames the evidence that friendship with the world is enmity with God. The power of the gospel is a clear and present danger to the power of the world’s idols. The quickest way to stir up outrage is to threaten someone’s idols.

But notice again where the threat comes from. It’s not just Paul’s words. It’s the actions of the church. It’s the demonstration that the power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead, is still at work in the world today. That same power drives some to rejoice, and others to riot. The question for us is, does the world see that power at work in our lives today? Do our lives show the attitudes and actions of those who have received mercy and grace? Do we willingly pay the price of repentance, the cost of discipleship? A church that transforms others, is a church that is being transformed.