Culture represents the values, traditions, and behaviors of a society. Though culture can be improved, it is not perfectible. Even when positive change occurs, it is difficult to sustain, largely because those needed to uphold it are few, flawed, and temporary. A society’s culture is only as good as its leaders and the citizenry who support them; and at the heart of every problem is the problem of the heart. Apart from regeneration and a transformed mind and will, people naturally default to selfishness and sin, ensuring the persistence of social problems. Furthermore, even if great improvements are made, there is no guarantee that succeeding generations will follow the good pattern set for them. A New Testament example of cultural transformation from the bottom up is found in Acts 19, where the city of Ephesus was significantly impacted through the apostle Paul’s preaching of the gospel and biblical teaching over several years.

The apostle Paul came to Ephesus and, as was his custom, “entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8). His typical ministry pattern was to preach to the Jews first, then to the Gentiles (Rom. 1:16; cf. Acts 13:46; 17:2; 18:4, 19). However, some Jews with negative volition rejected his teaching and “were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people” (Acts 19:9a). Rather than argue or force his teaching upon them, Paul “withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus” (Acts 19:9b). It is likely that Paul rented a room at this school to hold daily Bible classes. Luke records, “This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:10). During this time, Paul continued to work with his hands to support himself and his traveling companions (Acts 20:34), and it is possible that the seven churches of Asia were established as a result of his ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19:10; Rev. 2–3).

In addition to Paul’s teaching, “God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out” (Acts 19:11–12). These miracles authenticated Paul’s apostolic authority and validated him as a true servant of the Lord. Ephesus was a city steeped in occult practices, and some unbelievers attempted to exploit the name of Jesus for personal gain. Among them were certain “Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, [and] attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, ‘I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches’” (Acts 19:13). These men were identified as “seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest” (Acts 19:14). However, their attempt backfired when “the evil spirit answered and said to them, ‘I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?’” (Acts 19:15). Lacking true authority, “the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded” (Acts 19:16). These exorcists had treated the name of Jesus as a mere verbal incantation, but instead of gaining control over the demonic, they suffered humiliation and harm.

This event became widely known, striking fear in the hearts of the people, and “the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified” (Acts 19:17). As a result, many who had already believed in Christ “kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices” (Acts 19:18). These were Christians who had not yet fully abandoned their pagan practices, but now they were ready. Luke records, “And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver” (Acts 19:19). Though nearly two years had passed, these believers finally renounced their past by publicly burning their magic books. The financial loss was significant, as each piece of silver likely represented a day’s wage. Ryrie states, “Ephesus was known for its magic, and apparently the Christians had not yet put away all such evil practices. So they brought their books and scrolls of magic and burned them as an open repudiation. Then—after the believers made their relationships with the Lord right—the Word of God grew and prevailed.”^[1] The result was a transformation from the inside out, impacting Ephesian culture for Christ. Luke concludes, “So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing” (Acts 19:20). Here we see that cultural improvement came through those who responded positively to gospel preaching and biblical teaching.

These events marked the high point of Paul’s ministry in Asia. However, some pagan craftsmen who made their living selling statuettes of Artemis felt threatened by the cultural changes taking place (Acts 19:23-27). Acting out of rage and economic self-interest, they formed a mob and stormed the city theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, two of Paul’s traveling companions, who undoubtedly felt endangered by the uproar (Acts 19:28-29). Paganism offers no real answers to society, and when threatened, many resort to violence to suppress the advance of truth. Though Paul wanted to address the mob, his friends, concerned for his safety, prevented him from doing so (Acts 19:30-31). The riot lasted for several hours with great intensity (Acts 19:32-34) until the crowd eventually tired out. At that point, a city official reasoned with them, urging them to bring their complaints to the courts, where matters could be handled lawfully and peacefully (Acts 19:35-41). These events likely occurred between A.D. 52 and 55. Paul was deeply affected by these experiences (2 Cor 1:8-9), and by the end of his ministry, around A.D. 62-64, everyone who had once supported him in Ephesus had turned away from him (2 Tim 1:15). By A.D. 95, the church in Ephesus had grown cold and lost its “first love” (Rev 2:4).

In Acts 19:8-41, we observe that gospel preaching and biblical teaching can, over time, bring about positive cultural change. However, we must remain focused on evangelism and biblical teaching rather than reducing Christianity to a methodological system aimed merely at effecting social change (i.e., a social gospel). Additionally, Acts 19 demonstrates that when Christianity does bring about positive cultural transformation, it threatens those who love and depend on their paganism. When this happens, people may resort to violence to suppress biblical teaching.

Furthermore, gospel preaching and biblical teaching do not always yield large or lasting results. Remember that Noah preached for 120 years, yet only seven persons besides himself were saved (2 Pet 2:5). Jeremiah preached for 23 years to the same group of leaders in Israel, but they refused to listen (Jer 25:3). Jesus came as the Light into the world, yet the majority of those who heard and saw Him rejected His message because they “loved the darkness rather than the Light” (John 3:19). Jesus also warned that “the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it” (Matt 7:13), whereas “the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt 7:14). As a result, believers and unbelievers will continue to coexist in the world, with the wheat and tares growing side by side until Jesus returns and establishes His millennial kingdom (Matt 13:36-42). Even Paul did not always see the same results in every city where he preached. While he had many disciples in Iconium, Lycaonia, Lystra, and Derbe (Acts 14), there were only two recorded positive responses in Philippi: Lydia (Acts 16:14-15) and the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:27-34). As Christians, we should be more concerned with our godly output rather than the responsive outcomes of those we interact with. While we can control our own godly life and faithful message, we cannot control how others will respond to it.

Lastly, we live in the reality that there will always be resistance to God’s work in every Christian ministry because the world is fallen, and Satan desperately seeks to keep both the saved and the lost thinking and acting according to his world system. New Christians inevitably face many obstacles, for at the moment of salvation, their minds are not automatically filled with Scripture, nor are their characters instantly conformed to the likeness of Christ. The process of being transformed into Christ’s character and learning to think biblically involves thousands of decisions over a lifetime, as worldly viewpoints are expunged from the mind and the believer’s thinking is renewed and brought into conformity with Scripture.

Without regeneration and positive volition toward God and His Word, biblical discussion is hindered, and the infusion of Christian values into culture is not possible. However, Christians who are learning God’s Word and growing spiritually serve as the moral fabric of any community, manifesting the highest and best virtues within society, not the lowest and worst. The Bible is our sword by which we demolish spiritual and intellectual strongholds, both within ourselves and in others (2 Cor 10:3-6), recognizing that true cultural change occurs through preaching the gospel and consistent biblical teaching.

As Christians, we should always pray for our leaders (1 Tim 2:1-2), strive to be upstanding citizens (Rom 13:1-7; Tit 3:1; 1 Pet 2:13-14), help the needy in our communities (Acts 20:35; 1 Th 5:14), and above all, share the gospel and teach God’s Word (1 Cor 15:3-4; 2 Tim 4:1-2). As we grow spiritually and walk with God, we stand in opposition to Satan’s world system, sowing the seeds of spiritual insurrection in the lives of those who remain under his kingdom of darkness. We disrupt Satan’s domain when we share the gospel (1 Cor 15:3-4) and influence the thoughts and lives of others through biblical teaching and discipleship (Matt 28:18-20). Yet, we do this in love and grace (Eph 4:14-15; Col 4:6), not through quarrelsome argumentation (2 Tim 2:24-26).

Dr. Steven R. Cook

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^[1] Charles C. Ryrie, Acts of the Apostles, Everyman’s Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1961), 102.