Do you know why you're there?

I mentioned in this post that I have been going through the book of Acts with a friend. It's been very interesting to me because, although I've studied different verses and stories from Acts, I have never read the whole thing. I'm finding there was a lot of good stuff I was missing. God has spoken to me so much through this study!

Today, I was reading in Acts 19. This is one of those chapters that I had kind of heard people talk about, but hadn't ever really read for myself. I enjoyed the first section and pulled some good insight from it, but it was the second section that really spoke to me today. It really made me rethink some of the things I think and say. I want to share it with you.

Acts 19:23-34

The Riot in Ephesus

²³ About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. ²⁴ A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. ²⁵ He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. ²⁶ And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. ²⁷ There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”

²⁸ When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. ³⁰ Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. ³¹ Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.

³² The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. ³³ The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. ³⁴ But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

 

This whole story spoke to me but in particular verse 32, 

"The assembly was in confusion:Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there."

 

Isn't that how things work a lot of the time? Especially in politics or in the news, we get into that "mob mentality" and get up-in-arms about issues when we may not know all the facts.  All it takes is just a couple of key words thrown into a news story or a facebook post to incite mass arguments and people taking sides. 

Here's how it happens...someone writes a blog post about a current happening, voicing their opinion. They throw in a reference to race, religion, or politics that is strongly to one extreme. That post gets shared on facebook. People read it and have a strong reaction because of the extreme wording and either side for it or against it. Because it stirs their emotions so much, they share the post again and add a comment stating their opinion. Then their followers do the same and their followers do the same, until it's everywhere. People on each side, sharing their thoughts and arguing that they are right and the other side is wrong. 

But, here's something to remember...ANYONE can write up a post about ANYTHING they want, whether it is fact or not. 

By the time it has been posted and reposted and reposted, most people who are reposting do not have any relationship or connection with the original author. They don't know whether what they just reposted is the truth. In fact, I'd be willing to be that a lot of people who repost those inflammatory  articles don't even read them first, much less research the actual truth. 

Instead, they repost because a "friend" shared it and they trust their friend's judgement. 

 

But, in truth, they don't even really know what the argument is about in the first place. 

 

I encourage you, please, read and research before you repost. Don't be swayed by someone's clever use of hot-button words. Instead, ask God for wisdom and discernment to know the truth and to make a judgement based on His word. And then consider whether it's worth joining the masses and entering a riot where most people don't even know why they're there. Let's choose our battles wisely!