by Nick Guzman
In Acts 19, Paul travels to Ephesus where he finds certain disciples who had not received the full message of the gospel - only knowing the baptism of John. Paul teaches these twelve men about Jesus and “the Way” and they are open to receiving this revelation. “ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19:5-6). These men help Paul to spread the gospel to the entire province of Asia in just over two years! Paul stayed in Ephesus to preach for three months in the synagogues, but many people were not open to the gospel of Jesus. He eventually leaves the synagogues, and teaches daily in the school of Tyrannus for two years. God confirmed the gospel message with powerful encounters and miraculous demonstrations. “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them” (Acts 19:11-12). In these confrontations with evil, God decisively manifests his power and His Way overrules all lesser authorities that are contrary to Him. Towards the end of the chapter, Paul sends Timotheus and Erastus to Macedonia while he stays in Asia for a little while longer. Paul meets Demetrius, a silversmith in Ephesus, who raises an uproar against Paul. This riot is described as a “great disturbance about the Way.” Sometimes Christians can use the legal system to protect them from unfair treatment. “ The city clerk quieted the crowd and said:..If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.’ After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly” (Acts 19:35,39-41). Paul may have used his amiable relationship with city officials to escape from the immediate threat of an angry mob, but we can see a change in the government of Ephesus as a result Paul’s preaching. God worked greatly in Ephesus, but so did the devil. This may be one reason why Paul wrote specifically about the spiritual battle each Christian faces against the powers of darkness in his letter to the Ephesians. This chapter in Acts teaches us an important lesson: when the church has true revival then the society-at-large will have a bold movement of worldly attitudes and beliefs. We should not be surprised during times of spiritual revival if the devil shows up knowing that his time is short.
1 Comment
Barb Hasty
10/17/2016 09:54:41 am
Very good Nick.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWeekly blog posts are written by our very own Jen Malech. Check out the blog for special features from our Bridge staff and friends! Archives
November 2016
Categories |