Paul’s missionary journey continues on to Ephesus. God is on the move in some powerful ways. We read of men being filled with the Holy Spirit (v1-7), extraordinary miracles (v11-12), and a great number of people were leaving idols and following Jesus (v17-20). God was on the move in Ephesus, so much so, that it was having a financial impact. And where the Gospel has a financial impact, trouble will be just around the corner. This sets the stage for a great riot in the city of Ephesus. Demetrius, an artisan and a businessman, clearly sees the ramifications of the Gospel Paul is preaching. It will not be good for business, in fact, if taken seriously it will destroy their source of livelihood. A mob of fellow disgruntled Ephesians rise up and seize Gaius and Aristarchus who are fellow travelling companions of Paul. The mob continues shouting “Great is Artemis of Ephesus” for over two hours. It is only when the City Clerk addresses the crowd do we see the mob transformed. The City Clerk appeals to the mob to respect the rule of law and the court systems. Yet his ultimate success in disbanding the mob is through reminding them that the Roman Empire responds harshly to civic riots, even ones in important cities like Ephesus. The mob should not invoke the wrath of Rome. The rioting crowd is then dismissed formally as a civil “assembly” (ekklēsia; v. 40). As we consider what it means for the church to be on mission, we should not be surprised when the Gospel of peace upsets and challenges the social economic structures. The Gospel cannot be compartmentalized into “personal faith” that has no impact on the broader implications of economics or politics. Like Paul and companions, we need to be definite in our witness to Jesus’s Kingdom so that people will find their vested interests challenged —and yet in our behaviour we must be innocent so that we cannot be accused in the courts.