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Acts 19:8–10
“When some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, [Paul] withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (vv. 9–10).
God loves to bring good out of evil. Scripture testifies repeatedly that the Lord delights to turn the wicked plans of human beings to the advantage of His kingdom and His people. The story of Joseph and his brothers gives us one of the best examples of this. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, hoping to be rid of him forever, but their actions were the first in a series of events that resulted in Joseph’s becoming second only to Pharaoh in leadership over Egypt. From there, Joseph orchestrated a massive famine-relief program that saved the lives of many people, including the brothers who had sold him into slavery. At the end of the story, Joseph could admit to his brothers, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Gen. 50:20).
During Paul’s extended ministry in Ephesus on his second visit, the evil plans of men were again used to the advantage of the kingdom of God. We read in today’s passage that Paul began his ministry in Ephesus by reasoning with the Jews in the synagogue, persuading many of them of the truth of Jesus (Acts 19:8). Yet not all Jews believed. Some of them resisted Paul’s message stubbornly and “[spoke] evil of the Way before the congregation” (v. 9). In other words, they sought to undermine the gospel, opposing it at every turn. This made it untenable for Paul to continue ministering in the synagogue. So he left the synagogue to teach in the “hall of Tyrannus” (v. 9).
We do not know who Tyrannus was. Either he was a lecturer who did his teaching in a certain hall in Ephesus, or he was the owner of the hall who rented it out to different teachers for their use. We do know that Paul taught daily in the hall of Tyrannus. That expanded the amount of time that the Apostle could preach and teach the gospel, for he would have largely been limited to one day a week—Saturday—as long as his ministry remained tied to the synagogue. Furthermore, only Jews and God-fearing gentiles could hear him in the synagogue. In the more public setting of the hall of Tyrannus, Paul could reach a larger audience that could include Jews and God-fearers as well as gentiles who might never step foot in a synagogue. The result was that “all . . . Asia” heard Paul’s message (v. 10). The Jews in Ephesus tried to limit the number of people who could hear from Paul by pushing him out of the synagogue, but their actions resulted in the gospel’s going forth to many more people.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
God’s turning of great evil into an opportunity to accomplish great good should comfort and encourage us when we see the church suffer and wicked men seem to be ascendant. The Lord can and will turn even these things for the good of His kingdom, and we can trust that what might look like a defeat for the kingdom of God will actually contribute to its final victory.
For further study
- Nehemiah 4
- Jeremiah 29:11
- Romans 8:28
- Philippians 1:12–26
The bible in a year
- Psalms 116:1–119:48
- 1 Corinthians 3