As he was converting people to the gospel, one of those disruptions was that Paul was calling them away from participating in anything that had to do with idols. In Acts 19:26, Paul is quoted as saying, “gods made with hands are not gods” (ESV). The silversmith, Demetrius, was highly upset because the sale of these idols brought in a lot of money. Both the loss of income and the discrediting of a god they were used to worshipping infuriated those people profiting from this religious system. So they rioted against Paul and drove him out of the city.
