Why do we need to be humble as well as adaptable in teaching others? What is the primary method of preaching the good news? How can we show that the doing of God’s will is more important than our own personal pursuits? The thrilling record of Paul’s third and final missionary journey can help us to answer these vital questions.

1, 2. (a) Paul and his companions face what danger in Ephesus? (b) What will we discuss in this chapter?

THE streets of Ephesus resound with shouts, cries, and the thunder of crowds running. A mob has formed, and a full-blown riot is underway! Two of the apostle Paul’s traveling companions are seized and dragged along. The wide, colonnaded street where the shops are located empties quickly as the rabid crowd swells and storms into the city’s huge amphitheater, which could accommodate 25,000 spectators. Most of the people do not even know what has caused the uproar, but they have a faint idea that their temple and their beloved goddess Artemis are being threatened. So they begin to chant frantically: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”​—Acts 19:34.

² Once again, we see Satan trying to use mob violence to stop the spread of the good news of God’s Kingdom. Of course, the threat of violence is not Satan’s only tactic. In this chapter, we will discuss a number of Satan’s schemes to undermine the work and unity of those first-century Christians. More important, we will see that all his tactics failed, for “in a mighty way, the word of Jehovah kept growing and prevailing.” (Acts 19:20)