Day 30: Acts 19

Paul went up to Ephesus and discovered some disciples there to which he had not preached. (They probably had been baptized by Apollos before he met Paul.) Paul asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed. They said they had not even heard of a Holy Spirit. So, they were rebaptized in the name of Jesus and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.

Paul spoke daily in a school there for two years. As a result, all of what is now modern-day Turkey, heard the Gospel, both Jews and Greeks. At this time God was performing extraordinary miracles through Paul. Even bits of cloth were carried back from Paul and put on the sick and they were healed.

Some Jewish exorcists tried to cast out demons in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches, but the demons instead said, “We know Jesus and we know Paul, but who are you?” and then the demons beat up the exorcists. So, when everyone heard about this they realized that the power and authority are connected to a relationship with Jesus and not merely words. This caused the name of the Lord Jesus to be magnified and many people came to the Lord, even disclosing their former practices, and burned all their expensive magic books.

The Lord began prompting Paul that he needed to go back to Jerusalem and visit the growing church in Rome. But about that time a man named Demetrius who made silver shrines to Artemis (the goddess Diana) gathered all the tradesmen that were like him. Ephesus was the center of the world-wide worship of this goddess. In fact, one of the ancient wonders of the world was the great temple of Artemis in Ephesus. There were little statues of Diana everywhere in the region. Making these was big business. When Demetrius and the goddess tradesmen got together, they realized that Paul’s teaching was threatening their livelihood. Then a riot broke out in Ephesus. It was so bad, the town clerk had to quiet everyone down. The temple of Artemis was originally built to honor an object that had fallen from the sky. Now Paul and his companions were performing greater miracles that really impacted people’s lives.

Paul recalls this event later in his writings as he says to the Corinthians, that he did not come to them with crafty words, but in a demonstration of the Spirit’s power. Jesus Himself said that the Kingdom of God is accessed by people of powerful action. The one time Paul used mere words in Athens, not many believed that day. He was more effective when the word was accompanied by signs and wonders of the Holy Spirit. That is why Jesus wanted his disciples to wait for power from heaven.

Skeptics can dismiss mere words, but when it is accompanied by a demonstration of the Spirit’s power it is harder to ignore the reality of God. We are in a battle between the kingdom of darkness and light. It can only be fought and won with the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.

Lord, may we be empowered to do great things in Your Name by Your Spirit!