Acts 19

Conversion of disciples of John to Christ verse 1- 7

And it came to pass – that – while Apollos was at Corinth

Paul having passed through the upper coasts

came to Ephesus

And finding certain disciples – he said to them

Have you received the Holy Ghost

since you have believed?

AND they said to him

We have not so much as heard whether

there be any Holy Ghost

AND he said to them

Unto what then were you baptized?

AND they said

Unto John’s baptism

THEN said Paul

John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance

saying to the people

That they should believe on HIM

which should come after him

that is – on Christ Jesus

When they heard this – they were baptized

in the name of the Lord Jesus

and when Paul had laid his hands on them

the Holy Ghost came on them

and they spoke with tongues – and prophesied

AND all the men were about twelve

Paul ministered in Ephesus for two years verse 8- 12

And he went into the synagogue

and spoke BOLDLY for the space of three months

disputing and persuading the things

concerning the kingdom of God

BUT when divers were hardened – and believed not

but spoke evil of that way before the multitude

he departed from them

And separated the disciples

disputing DAILY in the school of one Tyrannus

And this continued by the space of two years

so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the

word of the Lord Jesus

both Jews and Greeks

And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul

so that from his body were brought unto the

sick handkerchiefs or aprons

and the diseases departed from them

and the evil spirits went out of them

Vagabond Jewish exorcist and evil spirit verse 13- 16

Then certain of the vagabond Jews – exorcists

took upon them to call over them

which had evil spirits

the name of the Lord Jesus

saying

We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches

And there were seven sons of one Sceva – a Jew

and chief of the priests which did so

And the evil spirit answered and said

Jesus I know – and Paul I know

BUT who are you?

And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them

and overcame them and prevailed against them

so that they fled out of that house

naked and wounded

Reaction to evil spirits victory verse 17- 20

And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks

also dwelling at Ephesus

and fear fell on them all

and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified

And many that believed came – and confessed

and showed their deeds

many of them also which used curious arts

brought their books together

and burned them before all men

and they counted the price of them

and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver

SO mightily grew the word of God and prevailed

Paul ministered in Asia verse 21- 22

After these things were ended – Paul purposed in the spirit

when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia

to go to Jerusalem saying

After I have been there – I must also see Rome

So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered to him

Timothy – Erastus but he himself stayed in Asia for a season

Worshipers of false goddess Diana caused riot verse 23- 28

And the same time there arose no small stir about that WAY

for a certain man named Demetrius – a silversmith

which made silver shrines for Diana

brought no small gain unto the craftsmen

Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation

and said

Sirs – you know that by this craft we have our wealth

moreover you see and hear – that not alone at Ephesus

but almost throughout Asia

this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people

saying that they be not gods

which are made with hands

so that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought

but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana

should be despised

and her magnificence should be destroyed

whom all Asia and the world worship

And when they heard these sayings – they were full of wrath

and cried out – saying

Great is Diana of the Ephesians

Confusion in the city of Ephesus verse 29- 34

And the whole city was filled with confusion

and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus

men of Macedonia

Paul’s companions in travel

they rushed with one accord into the theater

AND when Paul would have entered in to the people

the disciples suffered him not

And certain of the chief of Asia – which were his friends

sent to him

desiring him that he would not adventure

himself into the theater

Some therefore cried one thing – and some another

for the assembly was confused

and the more part knew not wherefore they

were come together

And they drew Alexander out of the multitude

the Jews putting him forward

And Alexander beckoned with the hand

and would have made his defense unto the people

but when they knew that he was a Jew

all with one voice about the space of two hours

cried out

Great is Diana of the Ephesians

Town clerk speaks to the riot verse 35- 41

And when the town clerk had appeased the people

he said

You men of Ephesus

what man is there that knows not how that

the city of the Ephesians is

a worshiper of the great goddess Diana

and of the image which

fell down from Jupiter?

Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against

you ought to be quiet – and to do nothing rashly

FOR you have brought hither these men

which are neither robbers of churches

nor yet blasphemers of your goddess

WHEREFORE IF Demetrius and the craftsmen

which are with him

have a matter against any man

the law is open

and there are deputies

let them implead one another

BUT IF you inquire anything concerning other matters

it shall be determined in a lawful assembly

FOR we are in danger to be called in question

for this day’s uproar

there being no cause whereby we may

give an account of this concourse

And when he had thus spoken – he dismissed the assembly

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 2 He said unto them, Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. (191 “heard” [akouo] means give audience, hear, faculty of hearing, to understand, a thing comes to one’s ears, pay attention to, receive news, comprehend, or to believe and respond)

DEVOTION: The transition from Old Testament saints to New Testament saints was real. One of the differences was the indwelling of the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit in the individuals who became believers.

In the Old Testament it seems that the Holy Spirit would come on an individual for a time period and leave the same person after a special event was over.

In the New Testament the Holy Spirit, who is the third person of the Godhead, would come on an individual and stay with them until the end of time. The Holy Spirit was called an “engagement ring” by book of Ephesians in chapter one.

This chapter gives us an introduction of the Godhead with their individual responsibilities. God the Father is covered in verses three through six. God the Son is covered from verse seven through verse twelve.

Finally, the introduction to the Holy Spirit is that HE is the one who seals our redemption. The sealing is given only to those who are genuine believers in Jesus Christ.

Now the message of John the Baptist was an Old Testament message of repentance and look forward to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Once the individuals understand the change the Holy Spirit indwells them. Paul gave the message that relayed the fact that Jesus Christ had died, been buried and resurrected. Belief in the gospel was essential to salvation.

We are no longer looking forward to the coming of Jesus Christ the first time but to HIS coming for a second time in the future. Paul gives this message to these twelve disciples of John the Baptist.

Once they understand the message they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and a sign gift was given of speaking in a known language. They also had a message of what was going to happen in the future. They started preaching of the coming of Christ in the future in glory.

Can God still use sign gifts today? The answer is YES. The only purpose for sign gifts was for communicating the truth of the Word of God in an known language, so that those who were hearing the truth could make a commitment to the LORD or know that someone had made a commitment to the LORD.

Are the sign gifts necessary for salvation? NO. Many people have wondered if they didn’t speak in tongues when they accepted Christ if they were really saved. The answer is if there was repentance and a commitment to Christ their salvation is genuine.

CHALLENGE: Find out all you can know about the doctrine of salvation from the Word of God and good theological studies. We are commanded to study to understand what is being taught and teach others.

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you? (4190 “evil” [poneros] means hurtful, lewd, malicious, wicked, guilty, sinful, morally bad or wrong or bad)

DEVOTION: Paul traveled to Ephesus to preach the Gospel. He first met individuals who had been baptized by John the Baptist. He asked them about their relationship to the Holy Ghost. They didn’t know anything about HIM.

He instructed them in the WAY of Jesus Christ. They were baptized and the Holy Spirit came on them as at other times during the beginning of the church. They spoke in known tongues and prophesied. The Jews spoke in tongues on the day of Pentecost. The Samarians spoke in tongues. The Gentiles spoke in tongues. Now here we find twelve disciples of John spoke in tongues. This showed Paul and other believers that their relationship with the LORD was real at the beginning of the church. As we read later in Paul’s writings, not everyone had the gift of tongues. In fact, he wished all have the gift of preaching. Whether tongues has ended with the first century or not we know that it was a sign given to the early church to prove that all nations were going to be saved. Do we need such a proof today? Can God still use tongues today? YES! Does HE have too? NO!!

Paul preached and taught in Ephesus for two years. They were well grounded in the word of God.

Now along comes the sons of Sceva, one of the chief priests, trying to get in on the movement in Ephesus. They approach a man possessed of evil spirits.

This evil spirit is an angel that fell with Satan before the world began. The angels were the first created beings. They were all good. One day Satan stood up against God and wanted to be God. He took with him about a third of the angels. These evil angels live in the second heaven. We find from the book of Job that Satan walks to and fro on the earth. He is the adversary to all those who are trying to serve the LORD. The LORD allows him to tempt us to do evil.

His army of angels or demons sometimes inhabits humans to fulfill Satan’s purpose. Satan can only be in one place at one time but because of his army of angels it seems like he is in more places than one. These evil angels can only indwell those who have not accepted Christ as their personal Savior. They can oppress us externally. The Holy Spirit and demons cannot live in the same body.

We need to remember that we are tempted in three ways: the world, the flesh and the devil. He is only one way that we are tempted to sin. There is still an army of good angels that serve the LORD. They minister to those who are going to be heirs of salvation or all those who are followers of Christ.

The evil angels have knowledge of what is going on in our world, as this verse tells us. They know who these followers of the LORD are. They knew Paul. They knew Jesus. But these men were not followers of the LORD and the demon knew it and caused the man to jump on these fakes and they ran away naked.

This caused many to become followers of Christ. Their actions showed that it was real. They confessed and showed it by burning books that dealt with curious arts.

CHALLENGE: Watch what kind of material you let into your house. Make sure your actions manifest Christ especially at home.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 19 Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. (4021 “curious arts” [periergos] means busybody, magic acts, meddlesome, activities that one should not delve into, witchcraft, black magical arts or sorcery)

DEVOTION: The change that is to take place once someone becomes a believer should be manifested in their actions. Before these individuals were believers in Jesus they would worship at the local temple of Diana. They were been involved in magic. They bought books that honored the worship of demons. They thought this was all a part of life in their culture.

Things were different now. They couldn’t practice the same things they did before. They were going to stay true to the LORD alone. The only way this could happen is for them to empty their homes of all the books of charms and potions that helped them worship their false god.

Today we have many things in the homes of Christians that they can worship more than Christ. These things can preoccupy their time so that they don’t take time to study the Word of God. They could be games that they play on the television set. They could have handheld games that keep them from doing their part to help the home look clean. Children can get into television, games and other things instead of helping around the house and getting their homework done for school and church. Many children wait until the last minute to get their verses learned for AWANA or other church programs.

Parents need to set examples that their children can follow. They should make sure they do their work at home and at work and for church on a regular basis to show their children that these areas are important to their testimony for the LORD.

Church leaders need to be known for their good use of their time. Too many people think that pastors only work one hour a week. They should see their pastor doing everything he asked them to do during a week and even more. Deacons should be good examples. Sunday School teachers should be good example. Choir members should be good examples.

CHALLENGE: The people in Ephesus burned what stood between what would hinder their service to the LORD. There needs to be some burning today or at least less activities that don’t profit spiritual growth each day.

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: 25 Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, you know that by this craft we have our wealth. (2142 “wealth” [euporia] means riches, prosperity, plenty, a means of gaining abundant, personal wealth, especially that promotes a comfortable state, or a prosperous income)

DEVOTION: Money is made by businesses that don’t honor the LORD. We don’t have many businesses that sell idols. At least we do not have the idols that we put on a god shelf in our homes.

Our money need to be spent wisely each time we are paid. We need to evaluate what we spend our money on. If our home is the most important aspect of our life then it will be our own shrine to our priorities. If our belly is our god we can talk about all the places we go to eat. If our car is our pride and joy then we want people to admire what we drive.

These individuals who earned their money through the sale of false gods were very concerned that they would not have enough to provide for their families. Their major concern was themselves and not the people they were selling their items to each paycheck.

One of our false gods can be the lottery or gambling with our money to hope to win the big one and never have to work again in our life. This is wrong motive. We need to make sure that we want to honor God with our work. God teaches that if a man will not work he should not eat. We have to work at honest trades. Selling idols was not one of those trades.

CHALLENGE: We need to honor the LORD with our occupation. If our occupation doesn’t honor the LORD then we should seek another occupation.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

Synagogue verse 8

Spoke boldly verse 8

Name of the Lord Jesus was magnified verse 17

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

Word of the Lord Jesus verse 10

Word of God verse 20

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

God verse 8, 11, 20

Kingdom of God verse 8

Word of God verse 20

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

Christ verse 4

Jesus verse 4, 5, 10, 13, 15, 17

Christ Jesus verse 4

Lord verse 5, 10, 13, 17

Name of the Lord Jesus verse 5, 13, 17

Lord Jesus magnified verse 17

Word of the Lord Jesus verse 10

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Holy Ghost verse 2, 6

Received Holy Ghost verse 2

Gifts of Holy Ghost

Laying on of hands verse 6

Speaking in known tongues verse 6

Prophesy verse 6

Special miracles verse 11

Purposed in Spirit verse 21

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Evil spirits (fallen angels) verse 12, 13- 16

Leaped

Overcame

Prevailed

Caused sons of Sceva to flee away

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Ephesus verse 1, 17, 26, 34, 35

Asia verse 10, 22, 26, 27

Greeks verse 10, 17

Human spirit verse 21

Macedonia verse 21, 22, 29

Achaia verse 21

Rome verse 21

Demetrius verse 24, 38

Silver smith

Shrines for Diana

Wealth

Talked to others of same craft

Temple of great goddess Diana verse 27

World worships Diana verse 27

Great is Diana of the Ephesians verse 28, 34, 35

Theatre verse 29, 31

Certain chief of Asia verse 31

Townclerk verse 35- 41

Jupiter verse 35

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Hardened verse 9

Believed not verse 9

Spoke evil verse 9

Use curious arts verse 19

Wealth in false gods verse 25

False gods verse 26

Worshiping goddess Diana verse 27, 35

Full of wrath verse 28

Confusion verse 29, 32

Robbers of churches verse 37

Blasphemers verse 37

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Believe verse 4, 18

Baptized verse 5

Speak boldly verse 8

Disputing daily verse 8, 9

Persuading verse 8

Healing verse 12

Preach verse 13

Fear of the LORD verse 17

Confessed verse 18

Showed their deeds verse 18

Burned books of magic or idols verse 19

Word of God prevailed verse 20

Minister verse 22

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

John’s baptism verse 3, 4

Baptism of repentance verse 4

Jews verse 10, 17, 33, 34

Vagabond Jews verse 13

Seven sons of one Sceva verse 14- 16

Jew

Chief of the priests

Fled out of house

Naked and wounded

Jerusalem verse 21

Church (New Testament people of God)

Apollos verse 1

Paul verse 1, 4, 11, 13, 21, 26, 29, 30

Baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus verse 5

Laying on of hands verse 6

Tongues verse 6

Prophesy verse 6

Twelve men verse 7

Disputing daily verse 8, 9

Persuading verse 8

Special miracles verse 11, 12

Magnify the LORD verse 17

Burned books of curious arts verse 19

Mightily grew the word of God verse 20

Timotheus verse 22

Erastus verse 22

Gaius verse 29

Aristarchus verse 29

Disciples verse 30

Alexander verse 33

Last Things (Future Events)

Kingdom of God verse 8

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QUOTES regarding passage

19:15–16 Whoever these would-be exorcists were, their attempt to invoke Jesus’ name failed. It is interesting that the targeted demon, not Paul, was responsible for their undoing. Luke must have enjoyed writing this episode. It is filled with humor. Upon their abjuration, the demon responded: “Jesus I know [ginōskō], and Paul I respect [epistamai], but who are you?” (author’s translation). As so often with the exorcisms performed by Jesus, the demon confessed Jesus and even acknowledged that the power of Jesus worked through Paul. He was, however, not about to yield any turf to these seven. They had no power over him whatever. He turned on them with a vengeance, overpowered them, and sent them running naked from the house. With the extreme sense of modesty characteristic of Judaism, the nakedness of the Jewish exorcists was almost symbolic of their total humiliation in the incident.

Two lessons emerge from the story. For one, Christianity has nothing to do with magic. The name of Jesus is no magical incantation. The power of Jesus drives out the demonic, and his Spirit only works through those who, like Paul, confess him and are committed to him. Second, the demon did confess the power of Jesus over him, “Jesus I know.” Compare Jas 2:19, “Even the demons believe and shudder.” The people of Ephesus recognized this and extolled the powerful name of Jesus as a result (v. 17). What was true for them is still true. In the name of Jesus is all the power needed to drive out the demonic forces in every age. (Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, pp. 404–405). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

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The use of magical names in incantations to exorcise evil spirits was common in the ancient world, and it seems to have been especially prominent at Ephesus. In addition, Jewish practitioners of magic were highly esteemed in antiquity, for they were believed to have command of particularly effective spells. The great reluctance of the Jews to pronounce the divine name was known among the ancients and often misinterpreted according to magical principles. Moreover, those connected with the Jewish priesthood would have enjoyed great prestige in magical circles since they were the most likely ones to know the true pronunciation of the Ineffable Name and therefore most able to release its power (cf. Bruce M. Metzger, “St. Paul and the Magicians,” Princeton Seminary Bulletin, 38 [1944], 27–30).

Some Jewish exorcists, on coming into contact with Paul and his preaching about Jesus, attempted to make magical use of this new name they had heard. Luke identifies them as “seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest” (Skeua Ioudaiou archiereōs hepta huioi). Perhaps they did belong to one of the high priestly families of Jerusalem (even the best families have their deviants), though undoubtedly the title “Jewish chief priest” was a self-designation manufactured to impress their clients and is reported by Luke without evaluation. Perhaps they even professed to accept Paul’s message and to be committed to Jesus personally themselves, much as Simon of Samaria did (cf. 8:9–24). But if they thought of themselves as in some sense Jewish Christians, it was primarily for the benefits they could derive for their magical arts from the power of the name of Jesus, and so they simply continued in their old ways with a new twist.

When, however, they tried to use this more powerful name in their exorcisms, Sceva’s sons found they were dealing with realities far beyond their ability to cope. The demon they were trying to exorcise turned violently on them, and they fled from the house naked and bleeding. The name of Jesus, like an unfamiliar weapon misused, exploded in their hands; and they were taught a lesson about the danger of using the name of Jesus in their dabbling in the supernatural.

17–19 News of what happened spread quickly throughout Ephesus. All who heard were overcome by reverential fear (phobos) and held the name of Jesus in high honor. Negatively, they learned not to misuse the name of Jesus or treat it lightly, for it is a powerful name. Positively, many Christians renounced their secret acts of magic and several magicians were converted. Openly demonstrating the change in their lives, they brought their magical scrolls together and burned them in the presence of the gathered congregation (enōpion pantōn, or “publicly”). The value of the papyrus scrolls, Luke adds, was estimated at fifty thousand pieces of silver (argyriou myriadas pente; NIV, “fifty thousand drachmas”). (Longenecker, R. N. (1981). The Acts of the Apostles. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: John and Acts (Vol. 9, p. 498). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House)

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19:15. Some significance may be attached to the variation in the verbs for “know” used here by the evil spirit (i.e., the demon). He said, Jesus I know (ginōsko, “to know by interaction and experience”), and he added, Paul I know about (epistamai, “to know about, to understand”). But the demon did not know Sceva’s sons. (Toussaint, S. D. (1985). Acts. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 410). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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In Bible history, you will find three special periods of miracles: (1) the time of Moses; (2) the time of Elijah and Elisha; and (3) the time of Jesus and His Apostles. Each period was less than 100 years. Depending on how some of these events are classified, the total number of miracles for all three periods is less than 100. Of course, not all the miracles were recorded (see John 20:30–31).

When our Lord performed miracles, He usually had at least three purposes in mind: (1) to show His compassion and meet human needs; (2) to teach a spiritual truth; and (3) to present His credentials as the Messiah. The Apostles followed this same pattern in their miracles. In fact, the ability to do miracles was one of the proofs of apostolic authority (Mark 16:20; Rom. 15:18–19; 2 Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:1–4). Miracles of themselves do not save lost sinners (Luke 16:27–31; John 2:23–25). Miracles must be tied to the message of the Word of God.

God enabled Paul to perform “special miracles” because Ephesus was a center for the occult (Acts 19:18–19), and Paul was demonstrating God’s power right in Satan’s territory. But keep in mind that wherever God’s people minister the truth, Satan sends a counterfeit to oppose the work. Jesus taught this truth in His Parable of the Tares (Matt. 13:24–30, 36–43); Peter experienced it in Samaria (Acts 8:9ff); and Paul experienced it at Paphos (Acts 13:4–12). Satan imitates whatever God’s people are doing, because he knows that the unsaved world cannot tell the difference (2 Cor. 11:13–15).

It was not unusual for Jewish priests to seek to cast out demons (Luke 11:19), but it was unusual for them to use the name of Jesus Christ. Since these men had no personal relationship with the Saviour, they had to invoke the name of Paul as well; but their scheme did not work. The demon said, “Jesus I recognize, and Paul I am acquainted with; but who are you?” (literal translation) The demonized man then attacked the seven priests and drove them from the house.

Had this exorcism succeeded, it would have discredited the name of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the church in Ephesus. (Paul faced a similar situation in Philippi. See Acts 16:16ff.) However, God used the scheme to defeat Satan and to bring conviction to the believers who were still involved in magical arts. Instead of disgracing the name of Jesus, the event magnified His name and caused the Word of God to spread even more rapidly.

The tense of the verbs in Acts 19:18 indicates that the people “kept coming … kept confessing … kept showing.” These believers apparently had not made a clean break with sin and were still practicing their magic, but the Lord had dealt with them. The total value of the magical books and spells that they burned was equivalent to the total salaries of 150 men working for a whole year! These people did not count the cost but repented and turned from their sins. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 481–482). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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19:15 recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul. Recognizing that the exorcists had no authority over him (unlike Jesus and Paul), the demon rejected their attempt to expel him from his victim. This confirms that the power to cast out demons belonged to Jesus and the apostles and no one else. Even the demons give testimony to that. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ac 19:15). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

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“And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.” Now we are not told exactly that God commanded this, but it is very evident that the people in their enthusiasm, in their recognition of the fact that God was working in a mighty way through him, came to him and said, “Let us just press this handkerchief against your body in order that it may carry healing to our sick friends.” I have known people who have tried to do that today, but they were very poor imitations. But here in this special way God authenticated the message of His servant.

Then we find in verses 13 to 16 an effort to imitate the work of the Lord. If Satan can not hinder that work by direct opposition, he will try to spoil it by patronage or imitation. You remember how in Philippi he used this method. He got that poor, demon-possessed woman to go out into the streets to follow Paul and the others, and cry out, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation.” Paul had to rebuke the demon that was in that woman, for he would not have the patronage of the devil in the work of the Lord. Here we have the enemy working by direct imitation.

“Then certain of the vagabond Jews”—they were untrue to their own religion, for God’s holy law sternly forbade communication with evil spirits of any kind. God condemns spiritism in no uncertain way in the writings of Moses and of the Prophet Isaiah; but these vagabond Jews, these renegades, had given themselves over to this evil thing. They professed to cast out evil spirits by some system of incantation, and they even attempted to use the name of the Lord Jesus in order to exorcise these demons.

“Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.” They sought to use the name of Jesus as a kind of charm, in order to deliver these people from their wretched condition. Well, they tried it once too often. “There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said [that is, a voice came from within the man who was raving in the characteristic manner of one who was demon-controlled], Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye?” And energized by Satanic power the possessed man leaped upon them and would have torn them to pieces if they had not run out of the house in dismay. It was the false confronted with the true. They dared to use the true, the holy name of Jesus in this wicked way to authenticate their own pretensions to power, and God would not permit it. “The man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them and overcame them, so that they fled out of that house.”

Since this was known throughout the whole country, the people began to realize that there was power in the name of Jesus. Oh, that lovely name! What does it mean? “Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.” Jehovah, the Saviour! That is the meaning of the name, and oh, how precious that name is to every believer! “And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.”

Even unsaved people recognized the fact that there was something marvelous, something stupendous about the name of Jesus, something well worth their attention in the gospel message, which is the story of the Lord Jesus. The result of this preaching of the Word and the miracles accompanying it was that many believed.

Their belief was not simply an intellectual acceptance of certain truths, but they truly and definitely opened their hearts to Christ; they trusted Him as their own personal Saviour, and they stepped out boldly before the world, and, as we read, “confessed.” What did they confess? Well, of course, they confessed the name of the Lord Jesus for one thing; but they also confessed their sins, and openly repudiated them. It is written: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” And the Lord Himself has said: “Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father and His holy angels.” They confessed that wonderful name, but that was not all. There was another confession they made. “And many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds.”

These people had been linked with the evil one. Their lives had been marked by sins of the vilest character. Many of them were what were called magicians and witches. They probably had been actually indwelt and controlled by evil spirits, who wrought lying wonders in order to deceive the people. Such charlatans as these were found all over the ancient world of that time. We have many among us even today.

I was in Los Angeles recently. There, is a certain spiritist medium, Helen Templeton by name. She sent me a long communication which she declared D. L. Moody had given through her. She goes into a cataleptic condition and her hand begins to move. What she writes is supposed to be a direct message from some disembodied spirit. The letter she sent me was of five or six pages, professedly from D. L. Moody. He had come to her and wanted to give a message to the pastor of his old church. I was interested in reading this message, which went something like this: He said he was so sorry that when he was here on earth he did not understand. He had preached as well as he knew, but he did not know the glorious truth of spiritism; but now that he is dead, he has found out he was all wrong. Now he knew the blessedness of spiritism, but he was far behind others, and it will take him centuries to make up what he missed by wrong instruction on earth. In the letter he says this: “You know, the whole trouble was my father. He followed in the old paths, and he brought me up in the old ideas. Of course, when I became of age I was responsible and I should have refused, and accepted the truths of spiritism, but not knowing any better I followed his teaching.”

I wrote her and said, “Evidently the spirit that controlled you was not very well up on his history. He did not know that D. L. Moody had no father after he grew up. His father died when Moody was a little baby; and certainly his mother never taught him the old truths, because she was a Unitarian, and was converted through Moody himself years afterward.” Evidently some impersonating demon put one over on Helen! He made her think it was Moody, but it was not him at all!

But, oh, how people can be deceived by these things; how they will follow all these wretched efforts to talk with the dead, and work signs and wonders! In all our cities we have clairvoyants, astrologists, dream interpreters, spiritist mediums, and all the rest of them!

Well, many of these Ephesians had been taken up with this kind of wickedness. But see what happened. They believed, and confessed, and showed their deeds. “Many of them also which used curious arts [that is, magicians’ arts] brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.”

Here was real repentance! Those books cost a lot of money. Magical books—books that would teach them magical charms—they brought them all and had a great public bonfire. My, if you could get all the dream books and magicians’ books today, what a bonfire you would have! How readily people are taken up with every kind of superstition! People can believe the most outlandish fables yet tell you they cannot believe the glorious truths of the gospel.

But the gospel did its work there in Ephesus. The light of the truth delivered them from the darkness of error. They were set free. And they said, “We do not want our books any more.” Someone might suggest that they should have taken them down to the second-hand book store and realized a little profit on them, but they would have replied: “If they are not good for us, they are not good for anybody else. We are not going to pass poison on to other people. We are not going to make money on them.” “They burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.” These people were so much in earnest, that they wanted to be right with God at whatever cost.

Today we would like to see revival; we would like to see marked blessing; we would like to see a great awakening. It will come when the people of God put eternal things above all else. How many of God’s beloved saints are trifling with things that hinder their spiritual lives! How many tampering with unholy things! How many giving their time to reading and pondering over books of a wicked character! (The presses of our day are literally teeming with the filthiest literature that one could possibly see.) What a cleaning out there would be in many Christian homes if they brought out these vile books and periodicals, and burned them up, and said, “By the grace of God, from now on we will read only what is pure and upbuilding.” Give God’s own Word the first place in your life and then surround it with the books that help you to enjoy that Word more, books that are of a character tending to give you a deeper understanding of the ways of God with men, and you will find real edification.

Those old-time magicians and exorcists had received Christ, and they said, “We do not want the books that we used to have.” They burned them up, and they counted everything loss for Christ’s sake. So we read, “Mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed.” (Ironside, H. A. (1943). Lectures on the Book of Acts. (pp. 446–453). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)

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Ver. 15. And the evil spirit answered and said, &c.] The Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions, add, to them; to the seven sons of Sceva: Jesus I know; to be the son of God and Messiah, and own that he has power of dispossessing spirits, of which there were many instances in the days of his flesh: and Paul I know; and own to be a servant of the most high God, by whom miracles of this kind have been wrought: but who are ye? you are not the disciples of Jesus, nor the servants of God, but the children of the devil, and have no power over us, but on the other hand are subject to us. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 2, p. 326). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

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And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

The evil spirits knew Jesus all right. They knew Him and trembled at His name. He had waged victorious war against them during His life on earth. Time and again He had defeated Satan, their master. Demons could not stand against Him singly or by the legion. They knew Him as the Holy One of God. They knew Him as God manifest in flesh—knew all about His virgin birth, His immaculate life, His magnificent person, His omnipotent power, His atoning death, His triumphant resurrection, His glorious ascension, His high priestly enthronement at the right hand of the majesty on high, and His certain coming again. They knew Jesus.

When the demon said, “Jesus I know,” he used ginōskō, meaning to know by experience, or by knowledge acquired. The vast experience demons had acquired of the human race was of no use to them when confronted with Jesus. He was man as God always intended man to be—man in the full image and likeness of God. He was holy and harmless and separate from sinners. He did not give in to temptation, because he was encased in an impenetrable armor of personal holiness. No such man had ever crossed their path before. Their experience of obsessing, influencing, and possessing men was of no use to them when in contact with Jesus. They learned by experience they were no match for Him.

They knew Paul, too. They had known him for some time. The word used when the demon said “Paul I know” is epistamai, meaning to know by reason of proximity, or as the result of prolonged attention. This evil spirit had been hanging around Paul, watching and studying him. He was not going to tamper with Paul. He was almost as much afraid of Paul as he was of Paul’s Master.

ii. The Terror of the Exorcists (19:16)

And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

The spirit that possessed the wretched demoniac and that the sons of Sceva sought to oppose was a terrible one. It gave the man the strength of seven men. The demon, enraged at the clumsy attempt to exorcise him by the two names he feared the most—but not when invoked by these unbelievers—was so filled with fury that he attacked all seven men, with frightening results. Wounded and scared to death, they ran naked out of the house and fled for their very lives. “Who are you?” screamed the demon as he chased the pretenders out of the house.

iii. The Triumph of the Gospel (19:17)

And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

This was the climate in which Paul preached the gospel at Ephesus. People were awed at what was happening. There was power—soul-saving, demon-conquering, life-transforming power—in the name of Jesus. But it was no name to take lightly on one’s lips. The same kind of fear fell on Ephesus as fell on Jerusalem following the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira. Then people “magnified” the Lord’s people (Acts 5:13); now they magnified the glorious name of Jesus. It was a name to be treated with awe and respect. (Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring Acts: An Expository Commentary (Ac 19:15–17). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.)

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FROM MY READING:

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

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Delayed Marriage Fallout: More Unwed Births, Report Says by Kim Painter (RNS) — First comes baby, then comes marriage? That is the new norm for many middle-class young Americans — and they and their children are paying a price, says a new report. With 48 percent of first births now outside of marriage, “today’s unmarried twentysomething moms are the new teen mothers,” says the report, released today by the National Marriage Project, the Relate Institute and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. The report says reviving cultural support for earlier marriage may be part of the solution, but some experts question that approach. The National Marriage Project, based at the University of Virginia, has been sounding alarms about the growing disconnect between marriage and parenthood for a while. But the report is the first to make clear that a “tipping point” has been reached for many Americans in the middle class — those who have at least a high school educations but no college degree, says Bradford Wilcox, the sociologist who directs the project. Among young women with high school diplomas, 58 percent of first births are now outside marriage, the report says. For high-school dropouts it’s 83 percent; for college-educated women it’s 12 percent. The report notes that 54 percent of young women are high school graduates; 37 percent are college graduates. Overall, the median marriage age is now 27 for women, 29 for men. But the median age at which a woman has her first baby is 26, the report says. Young people delay marriage to finish their educations, launch their careers and try to achieve economic security. Marriage is “something they do after they have all their other ducks in a row,” according to the report. In general, the delay works out well for college-educated young people who also delay having children, it adds. The benefits of delayed marriage can include higher incomes for women and lower divorce rates, it notes. But there also are costs for young people, says Wilcox: “The ones who are married have more life satisfaction.” For children, the cost of having unmarried parents can be instability. According to the report: 39 percent of young unmarried parents who start out living together break up before their child is 5 years old; just 13 percent of married parents split so soon. Such upheaval hurts children, many studies have found. The report suggests several remedies, including economic and education policy shifts that will make financial stability attainable for more young people. But it also says some who might otherwise marry are now being discouraged by parents, friends and popular culture. “The broader culture should respect the choice of twentysomethings to marry, especially those who have reached their mid-twenties, provided that they are in a good relationship,” the report says. But marriage “may not be such a good deal” for less-educated couples, says Susan Brown, co-director of the National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University.

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Prepared for You
“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 25:34)
In context, this wonderful promise may apply specifically to those living believers recognized as “sheep” by Christ when He returns to judge the nations (or “Gentiles”) at the end of the age. For them He has prepared a wonderful kingdom in which they can fully serve their great King here on Earth. The “goats,” on the other hand, will be sent away into “everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).
But we remember also that the Lord Jesus Christ has also prepared a mansion in heaven for His faithful disciples. “In my Father’s house are many mansions . . . I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).
He is, even now, preparing for us that glorious place. One day, it will be fully prepared, and we shall see it when He brings it down from heaven, as John did in his great vision. “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2).
It will, indeed, be a wonderful place of “many mansions,” and John describes some of its beauties in the Bible’s last two chapters. But that is not all. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Therefore, we can say with Paul: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). He has indeed prepared a great eternal future for His redeemed children. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)

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THE DOCTRINE OF REGENERATION

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Psalm 51:10
Nothing, it seems to me, is quite so strange as the way in which man by nature always objects to the doctrine of regeneration. There is nothing also, I sometimes think, that so demonstrates the depth of sin in the human heart as this objection to the doctrine of the rebirth or being born again. Read the New Testament Scriptures, and you will find that men objected to it in those days. When our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ spoke about it, He was always persecuted. People disliked Him for mentioning it. When He began to expose the depth of iniquity in the human heart and to talk about a rebirth, they invariably misunderstood Him. They disliked it then, and it has always been the same ever since.
When John Wesley was truly converted, he went back to his university at Oxford and preached a sermon on this very subject; and he was hated for it. Those respectable religious people in Oxford disliked this doctrine, and they made it impossible for him to continue preaching there. The natural man, the unregenerate human heart, objected to this great and wondrous biblical doctrine of rebirth and regeneration. And it is equally true today. People sit and listen to an address or sermon on what is called the fatherhood of God or the brotherhood of man and they never object to it. When they are exhorted to live a better life, they never express any objection at all. They say that it is perfectly right, and even though they are reprimanded for not living better lives, they say that it is perfectly true and quite fair and that they could do better. But if a preacher stands before the natural man and says, “You must be born again—you must have a new life from God,” they ask, “What is this strange doctrine?”

A Thought to Ponder: There is nothing that so demonstrates the depth of sin in the human heart as objection to the doctrine of the rebirth.

(From Out of the Depths, pp. 71-72, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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Revelation 21
When the old heaven and earth are transformed, we will fellowship intimately with God.
INSIGHT

In the new heaven and new earth, the distance between God and man will be removed. In the Old Testament, the glory of God was displayed as a brilliant light, but men were not able to look on it. In the New Testament, men were able to approach Jesus; but His glory was not seen, being veiled by His human form. In the new heaven and new earth, the glory of God will not be veiled, and we shall be able to behold it. The distance will be removed, and we will fellowship with God forevermore.

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There’s a natural spring that rises on the east side of the city of Jerusalem. In ancient times it was the city’s only water supply and was located outside the walls. Thus it was the point of Jerusalem’s greatest vulnerability. The exposed spring meant that the city, otherwise impenetrable, could be forced to surrender if an attacker were to divert or dam the spring.

King Hezekiah addressed this weakness by driving a tunnel through 1,750 feet of solid rock from the spring into the city where it flowed into the “Lower Pool” (see 2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chronicles 32:2-4). But in all of this, Hezekiah “did not look to the One who made it, or have regard for the One who planned it long ago” (Isaiah 22:11). Planned what?

God Himself “planned” the city of Jerusalem in such a way that its water supply was unprotected. The spring outside the wall was a constant reminder that the inhabitants of the city must depend solely on Him for their salvation.

Can it be that our deficiencies exist for our good? Indeed, the apostle Paul said that he would “boast” in his limitations, because it was through weakness that the beauty and power of Jesus was seen in him (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Can we then regard each limitation as a gift that reveals God as our strength?

(By David H. Roper, Our Daily Bread)

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