Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area
This General Chat area started off as a place for people to talk about things that are off topic, however it has quickly evolved into a community and has become an integral part of the GAW experience for many of us.
Based on its evolving needs and plenty of user feedback, we are trying to bring some order and institute some rules. Please make sure you read these rules and participate in the spirit of this community.
Rules for General Chat
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Be respectful to each other. This is of utmost importance, and comments may be removed if deemed not respectful.
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Avoid long drawn out arguments. This should be a place to relax, not to waste your time needlessly.
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Personal anecdotes, puzzles, cute pics/clips - everything welcome
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Please do not spam at the top level. If you have a lot to post each day, try and post them all together in one top level comment
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Try keep things light. If you are bringing in deep stuff, try not to go overboard.
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Things that are clearly on-topic for this board should be posted as a separate post and not here (except if you are new and still getting the feel of this place)
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If you find people violating these rules, deport them rather than start a argument here.
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Feel free to give feedback as these rules are expected to keep evolving
In short, imagine this thread to be a local community hall where we all gather and chat daily. Please be respectful to others in the same way
Check this out 👉👉👉What does Acts 19:32 mean? It is universally acknowledged that people tend to oppose other's freedoms when it costs them money or power. Paul has been in Ephesus for three years (Acts 20:31). The city is saturated with demons and witchcraft and defined by worship to Artemis. The Holy Spirit has given Paul power over sickness and demons, and people from all over the province of Asia have come to hear how to find the kingdom of God. Many have burned their magical spells and abandoned Artemis (Acts 19:8–12, 17–20).
The craftsmen of the city watch as their financial prospects dissolve. With fewer people worshiping the Greek gods, fewer people will buy their idols and shrines. They start a campaign to reaffirm Artemis's place in Ephesian culture. What starts as a chant, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" (Acts 19:28), becomes a protest march and then a mob that fills the theater. They can't find Paul—and Paul's friends hold him back from entering the fray—so they grab two of Paul's companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, and yell for two hours (Acts 19:23–31, 34).
It's worth noting that most of the people don't know what's going on. The theater is also used as a forum where people meet three times a month to work out issues that threaten the peace of the city. This is not a forum, it's a mob that has been worked into a frenzy.
This is a very applicable warning for the church. God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). We cannot let our guards down when people start yelling that some force or another is threatening our rights and our identity. We need to be like the Bereans and carefully investigate what is really at stake and how instigators profit by causing disturbances and fear. The craftsmen in Ephesus know that fear mongering only leads us farther from the truth of the kingdom of God.
I love this, thank you
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