"And the Crowd Goes Wild!" - a Message from Acts 19:21-41

Hello Friends!

How is the church suppose to react to the dialog about moral issues when the world bases its arguments primarily on emotion, not facts?

I love Acts 19.  Paul spends two years in Ephesus ministering in one of the most pagan cities of his day.  The Gospel is being heard. People's lives are changing, and this sets the scene for a riot rooted in greed, lies, and defensiveness.  How was Paul and his teammates suppose to effectively dialog when the majority have no intellectual integrity, reverting to name calling, emotionalism, and lies.

I don't want to give it all away, but this message may be one of the most relevant I've preached in the recent few weeks. I hope you will hear the connection between Paul's context and our experience, today. If you like this, please share it with others.  And let me know what you think.

May God bless you and his church as we stand for Truth in our world of chaos and confusion.  - Kirk McCormick

 “The Crowd Goes Wild”

** I want to speak with you today about Ochlocracy…

…you may know it better as Mob Rule.

Point: The problem with the Mob is that it is usually empowered by emotion, not fact…

…to the point that many in the mob do not even know why they are there.

…such was the situation in Ephesus…

Acts 19:32b - “Most of the people did not even know why they were there.”

General Tactics of Satan to Confuse… 

1. Deceive

Revelation 12:9 - “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil

"Powerful Signs" - A Message from Acts 19:8-20

Hello Friends,

It's nice to share this message with you today as I believe that God has more of himself and his kingdom to give than we often receive.

In Acts 19, God has directed Paul to Ephesus, one of the most "sophisticated" cities of Biblical times.  There were many who dabbled in one form of spirituality or another. There was a thriving Jewish synagogue, too. But God had plans to bless those who would listen and respond to the Gospel.

In order to get their attention, though, God ratcheted up his witness through Paul by increasing His power.  You will hear how God does this and the results...but they are wonderful.

My wish and prayer for the church, today, is that we would believe God for this kind of transformative power. Especially in the mainline denominations, we have lots of "power loss" because we do not believe.

So may God bless you as you respond to Holy Spirit's moving in your heart.  He is able to do so much more than we ask!  God bless, Kirk McCormick

 “Powerful Signs”

Acts 19:8-20

2 Premises about God’s Power:

Premise 1 - Power is a means to the end called evangelism = Sharing the Gospel of Jesus.

Premise 2 - Power is given in proportion to the task at hand.

Acts 1:8 - “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the