CVBC Acts 19:21-42

This sermon on Acts 19 takes us into the heart of what it means to live as followers of Christ in a world filled with competing loyalties and false worship. We journey to ancient Ephesus, home to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world—the magnificent Temple of Artemis—where a small community of believers faced tremendous pressure to conform. The central question emerges powerfully: does the gospel merely affect what we do on Sunday mornings, or does it transform every aspect of our existence? We discover that authentic faith impacts both our worship and our daily lives in profound ways. The Christians in Ephesus stopped buying silver shrines to false gods, not out of rebellion, but because they understood a fundamental truth—when Jesus is Lord, everything changes. Their quiet faithfulness created such a ripple effect that it threatened an entire economic system built on idolatry. This narrative challenges us to examine our own lives: Are we living as if the gospel truly matters? Have we allowed the fear of disapproval to become an idol that silences our witness? The ruins of Artemis's temple stand today as a powerful reminder that earthly powers fade, but God's temple—built of living stones, you and I—continues to rise. We're called to be faithful in our moment, to live with integrity that brings clarity rather than confusion about what we believe, and to remember that even small groups of believers living authentically can impact entire cultures for Christ.