If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. Acts 19:39 (Acts 19:12-41)
After Saul Paul decided ter gather gifts fer tha brothers and sisters in Judea, he passed through Ephesus. While thar ah great disturbance broke out agin tha Way.
Ah silversmith named Demetrius made silver shrines ter tha little god Artemis and that chap made ah good deal of money off’n his work. He called tergether all workers in tha idol-making trade and warned ’em that if they whar not careful, Saul Paul would put ’em out of business, fer he promoted only one god, Skipper. “Also the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited if this Paul fellow keeps this up,” he said, “and the goddess herself will be robbed of her divine majesty.”
Now as ya well know, thar be no divine dignity or magic power in little gods, fer all man-made gods simply be idols ter tha Devil himself. Ever god ever crafted by man come from tha mind of man and tha mind of man be perverted by tha thoughts from tha Devil.
When tha workers of tha idol trade heard Demetrius spreading such talk, they became furious and started shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon tha whole city be in an uproar. Folks rushed ter seize Gaius and Aristarchus, Saul Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia. Saul Paul himself wanted ter appear befer tha crowd but tha disciples forbade him. Even some of tha officials of the province, friends of Saul Paul, sent him a message begging him not ter venture near tha theater whar tha mob be gathered.
Inside tha theater tha rabble whar in great confusion. Some shouted one thing, some another. Most didn’ even know why they whar thar: they simply showed up due ter all tha commotion. All shouted in unison fer about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
Such be tha behavior of them led astray by tha lies of tha Devil. Thar blood boils hot, tongues flap, fists fly. They ‘ill make all manner of demands ter be heard and claim they be aggrieved by one party or ah nudder. Only most kin not cite evidence of why they hate and lash out. They kin only say other folks aggrieved ’em.
Tha city clerk, fearing Roman soldiers might take matters in ter thar own hands, quieted tha crowd with these words: “If Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.”
Now think on this a wee little bit: when tha man of lawlessness comes, rioting and shouting, looting and shooting, ‘ill be ah normal day fer most folks. All ‘ill live in fear of thar neighbor. All ‘ill be estranged from family and friends, fer tha power of tha Devil be great over folks when they give themselves over ter hate, lies, and wickedness.
Tha fruit of Skip’s Holy Ghost of Truth be love, joy, peace, tolerance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Agin this tha Devil stands no chance.
Tha end of tha rioting in Ephesus be this: Saul Paul sent fer tha disciples and after encouraging ’em, he bid ’em good-bye and set out fer Macedonia. He traveled through that area speaking many words of encouragement ter folks, finally arriving in Greece whar he stayed three months in Corinth.
Make it yer task ter avoid taking yer grievances ter tha street and becoming mixed up with rabble rousers whose only goal be ter cause mischief. Instead, seek ter offer kind words, restore relationships, and above all, listen intently ter folks while they pour out thar heart. Who knows but in doing so ya ‘ill draw others ter tha light of tha Son.