The Word Increased and Prevailed Mightily
The Word Increased and Prevailed Mightily
The Andes mountain range, along the western side of South America, is well known for its earthquakes. More than once I remember feeling the the subtle vertigo of everything around me moving. Whole buildings swaying along with the light poles outside, and water sloshing in the toilets because the ground had moved. When an earthquake happens, everything held to it by earth's gravity feels the tremors. In the worst of scenarios, buildings collapse, infrastructure is destroyed or cut off, and people are hurt or even killed.
When Luke records that in the city of Ephesus, the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily (Acts 19:20). He is describing a shaking of beliefs, convictions, that lead to a shaking of practices, and even a city's culture, economy, and political realities. Unformed disciples become saved disciples under the preaching of the Word (1-7), the city and its surrounding province is impacted (8-10), spiritual people become Spirit-convicted people who renounce all to gain Jesus, the living Word (11-20), and the pagans of Ephesus notice their culture and economy shaking (21-41).
What seemed like loss to the pagans of Ephesus: their way of life, their economic gain from the worship of Artemis, their magic practices, even what the unformed disciples had received from Apollo was actually great eternal gain. In the eyes of the Word of God sin and rebellion against the Living God made for a place of spiritual rubble. As the Word of God moved through the city, a new reality emerged: a firm foundation of truth and the power of God beyond anything the city had previously known. It changed everything.
Here in Rome, a city with a deep history of spirituality, power, tourism, economic realities, and a culture that can seem impenetrable, the Word of God can work mightily to change hearts and minds of its residents.
May God's Word increase and prevail mightily here and shake the city's spiritual foundations.
Together for this city,
Pastor Loren
Pastor Loren
