Tag: mobs

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Demetrius – riot starter.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“At this their anger boiled, and they began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon the whole city was filled with confusion. Everyone rushed to the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, who were Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.” Acts 19‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“At this their anger boiled!” Riots and angry mobs are very much a human response to what is perceived as something or someone is unfair, unjust or touching an issue close to one’s heart. This disturbance was about the loss of money, but one man decided to make his case public, making it about a supposed personal offense made towards the city’s most beloved icon.

Attaching people’s income to a deeply held religious practices is certainly a recipe for explosive behavior. One Greek merchant is specifically mentioned in the Bible for doing so. Demetrius sparked a wickedly successful uprising by tying money to city pride! He blamed Paul for his loss of idol sales.

First he starts with the truth – the gospel causes people to rethink their beliefs. Ephesus was filled with an extraordinary amount of idol worship attributed to the belief that Diana/Artemis was the god of fertility and the reason for the city’s success. It was world renowned for its citizens flourishing in love, family and wealth. Paul’s message of hope and truth were twisted into a personal vendetta against their way of life. There in Ephesus a 9 foot marble statue of Artemis stood in her massive temple – this temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Paul doesn’t attack their deity, he didn’t demean their little idols or sacrifices to a cold, useless statue. Even the mayor of Ephesus admitted, “You have brought these men here, but they have stolen nothing from the temple and have not spoken against our goddess.” In other words, you got all worked up about nothing. And then the mayor flat out told Demetrius, “If you’ve got an issue, take it to the courts where evidence can be presented!” A calm sensible leader in a highly volatile situation. Don’t ya wish we had such mayors, governors and leaders today? There are so many better ways to solve things rather than useless protests and riots.

Besides, the best thing Paul did – he just told them the truth. But when facts clash with preferences, opinions and personal truths, there is bound to be high emotions mixed with lawlessness and incivility.

Prayer

​Dad,
It seems like over the past couple of years there has been a tremendous rise in both lawlessness and incivility. Folks in cars running over pedestrians, flying through red lights, and darting in and out of traffic at high speed. That along with brazen smash and grab break-ins on small businesses already struggling to make a living. It’s like we are living another cycle of last days. We ache, we cry and wait for justice Oh Lord. Come and make things right in our city, our state and our nation. May Your Kingdom come and Your will be done!

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Lizard brain conversations.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive.” Proverbs‬ ‭16:23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Several axioms pop into my head when I read these passages about WORDS.

One: “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Two: “Better to be silent and thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.” Three, incorrectly attributed to St. Francis Assisi: “Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.” The Franciscans are hopping mad about that wonky phrase being stuck to their founder. The closest quote Francis wrote is, “All the Friars… should preach by their deeds.”

These wisdom words out of Proverbs seem to be positive about speaking words. Words shape people’s thoughts! The cousin to this proverb is “The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive,” Proverbs‬ ‭16:21‬, adding the word “pleasant.” The Hebrew word is metheq: sweetness. And in verse 23, the key word is sakal: consider. Both verses, in Hebrew, are for the purpose of learning. These wise, sweet, considerate words are good for folks who want to learn. Their minds and hearts are open and ready to receive, like eager students who love understanding new concepts in school.

You know what’s sad? Humans are oftentimes to impatient to learn. Do you know what kind of words get quicker results, in terms of action? You guessed it – angry words! Accusations, angry, hateful words move MOBS! Crowds love angry words. No thought, no learning, no homework necessary. Just throw out the vile, trashy rap and it triggers the ol’ amygdala, the “lizard” brain.

Oh man, God’s ways are NOT our ways, His thoughts are NOT our thoughts – wisdom uses a different methodology. You notice how much of our country is filled with angry words and not sweet, persuasive words? Yeah, because we’ve stopped listening, stopped learning. And the results are clear, we’re just behaving like a bunch of raw emotional, darwinian neanderthals looking for a war!

Wisdom itself is a slower path, definitely one less traveled. Followers of Jesus must, must, must believe and behave differently! We must continue to use sweet, considerate words – wisdom words to persuade. Here’s the prefect contrarian picture out of the gospels. The crowd is screaming crucify and Jesus is saying, Father forgive them. Which words sound like wisdom?

Prayer

Dad,
Ouch, those proverbs sting a little. I have a lot of angry thoughts and want to let them fly out of my mouth! Your word challenges me to not only think through my words but choose them carefully to teach and persuade rather than just rile up a crowd and send them off, moshing into the world. I am so thankful for the tools of wisdom to help navigate our angry world.