"And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him." (Acts 19:30). While Paul was in Ephesus, there arose a great disturbance over Christianity. The gospel was turning the Ephesians away from idol worship, causing the manufacture of silver shrines of Artemis to fall into disrepute. In an attempt to protect their trade, Demetrius, a silversmith, and a number of craftsmen stirred up the entire city against Paul and the disciples. A mob rushed into the theater, having taken prisoner Crispus and Gaius, two of Paul's traveling companions. There was great discord and danger of rioting, and the lives of Paul and the disciples were in great danger. Paul's inclination was to go into the theater to address the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. From this restraint of Paul by the disciples, let us learn several lessons.

Regarding providence: that the heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps (Prov 16:9). God's sovereignty rules over all, including every circumstance in the affairs of men. He determines the end from the beginning (Is 46:10), and His decrees answer to none but Himself. "He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?'" (Dan 4:35). Our own lives manifest this truth. Have not a multitude of our pursuits been thwarted? Have we not often carefully planned the day only to find it unfold far from our expectations? Why? --Because there is a God who determines outcomes. It is only by His grace that anything goes as we expect. It is only His faithfulness that gives rise to such a concept as predictability, and it is only because of His goodness that we can have any expectations. But He will always prove Himself to be God in our affairs, and Paul here, as many times in his ministry, experienced God's overruling providence. The Holy Spirit had earlier denied Paul access to Asia (Acts 16:6), and even now, having sent him there, restrained his actions. In this instance, God used the direct intervention of the disciples to keep Paul from his purpose. God is not constrained to use human agency to accomplish His plans, but He most often chooses to do so. He has not ordinarily set aside the laws by which He governs the universe, nor does He frequently perform His will by direct intervention, but He often uses the decisions and actions of men to bring His decrees to pass. How many times have we sought to go in a certain direction only to find that "the plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD" (Prov 16:1)? And even when the actions of man are not the means used by God to accomplish His will, we will find that "many are the plans in a man's heart, but the counsel of the LORD, it will stand" (Prov 19:21).

Regarding inclinations: that even the most eminent of God's people are fallible, and they sometimes know not what is best. It is likely that Paul thought this to be an unprecedented opportunity to proclaim Jesus Christ to the people of Ephesus; but Paul's inclinations in this instance were wrong and could have led him and many others to a premature demise. The Apostle Peter also failed in judgment. When certain men from Jerusalem had come to Antioch, he had to be corrected for holding himself aloof from the Gentiles and not being straightforward about the gospel (Gal 2:11 ff.). Even the best and most sincere of men can error! We would do well to learn this lesson and not regard any man more highly than we should. We must also learn to not put faith in our own feelings and desires. Many believe that the Holy Spirit inspires every inclination of their hearts, as if somehow their feelings are the main instrument of the Spirit's guidance. Much like those who search for water use divining rods, they seek some sort of desire, feeling, or inner assurance to direct them. Such thinking is contrary to scripture and extremely damaging to the lives of people. Even the Apostles, who were the subjects of inspiration in writing the scriptures, could not use their inclinations as an infallible guide. Paul, here, would have made a mistake apart from the intervention of the disciples. Let us learn from him to put our inclinations to the test, especially the test of scriptural command and principle, lest we bring the consequences of our fallibility upon ourselves.

It must be noted that some would use these very truths to argue against the inspiration of scripture. They contend that those who wrote scripture were men, and men, as Paul in this passage, can error. The fallacy of this argument lies in assuming that if Paul were inspired to write scripture, then he must have been inspired at all times. But even scripture itself makes no such claims, and such thinking denies the supernatural ability of the Holy Spirit to direct men at His will. We need not have a perpetually inspired Apostle to have an Apostle who was inspired in writing scripture. In fact, this passage proves all the more that scripture must be a supernatural revelation of the Holy Spirit, for how else could mere men have written such infallible truth?

Regarding counsel: that in a multitude of counselors, there is safety (Prov 11:14). We sometimes know little of what is best for us, but to the eyes of the discerning it is often clear. A man may be inclined to unwittingly go into a pit, but his friend will warn him and show him the way to safety. Here, Paul was restrained by the disciples who knew that it would be unwise for him to venture into the theater. It may be that Paul's estimation of the danger was in agreement with theirs and that his actions were motivated by his willingness to give his life for the gospel (cf. Acts 21:13). But even this, though noble, was unwise. Paul had much work to do, including his ministry in Rome, to which he would go because of the wisdom of these disciples; and Paul's decision, if unchecked, could have begun another great persecution much like the one connected with Stephen (Acts 8:1 ff.). Are we better than Paul? So let us be wise to seek the counsel of others in our decisions, and let our primary counselors, as these disciples, be those of wisdom and integrity who are guided by the scriptures. "Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed" (Prov 15:22).

Regarding evangelism: that there is a time to keep silent and a time to speak (Eccl 3:7). We are called to proclaim the gospel, expecting the world to sometimes respond in hostility. If they hated the master, they will also hate His servants. But we are not called to speak in every circumstance, especially those in which our hearers are antagonized and hostile. There are times to let wisdom rule in silence, and Christians are called to discern the moment. Christ tells us not to give what is holy to the dogs and not to cast our pearls before swine (Matt 7:6). We are not to answer a fool according to his folly, lest we become like him (Prov 26:4). Correcting a scoffer will bring shame to you, and rebuking a wicked man will bring harm to you (Prov 9:7). "Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you" (Prov 9:8).

Regarding authority: that we do not have right over ourselves; none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. We belong to the God who made us and to those with whom we share this life. Authority among even the greatest of men, therefore, is never absolute. The Apostle Paul, who was the leader of the church in Ephesus at this time, was, in this instance, subject to the will of his followers. He had no right to end his life prematurely or to put others at risk, and this gave the disciples the authority to restrain him. We are each required to submit to God and to submit to each other in fearing Him (Eph 5:21). We must consider God and others before ourselves. We must learn to submit to proper authority and to be humble when our decisions are overruled.

Here we must make special application to young people. God has established parental, civil, and church authority for your good. Do not, then, despise the restrictions that they place upon you, for to the degree that you learn to humbly submit you will be blessed. Remember that it is good to bear the yoke in your youth (Lam 3:27) and to learn to submit to God. "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives" (Heb 12:5-6).

If you would like to receive further information concerning these matters, please contact Joseph Montalto.