Acts 19:1-7 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. 4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
Paul was last in Ephesus on his way back from Corinth on his second missionary journey. Now he comes from the east, arriving in Ephesus. Apparently, there was something about these disciples that prompted this question from Paul. “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
These Ephesian disciples had only a basic understanding of the Messiah Jesus, only what could be gained through the message of John the Baptist. They were in the same place as Apollos before Aquila and Priscilla explained the way of God more accurately.
Having been completely prepared by their response to the preaching of John the Baptist, they were ready to embrace Jesus fully, and were baptized in the name of Jesus. Paul… laid hands on them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and received His gifts.
It is fair for each Christian today to consider if someone were to look at their own life, would they notice a conspicuous absence of the Person and power of the Holy Spirit?
(Spurgeon) If someone doesn’t seem to know if they have the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in their life, it’s fair to assume that they don’t have it. If you have it, you should know it. “Give a man an electric shock, and I promise you he will know it; but if he has the Holy Ghost, he will know it much more.”
All of us need to be encouraged to go deeper and further into the things of the Holy Spirit. God always wants us to go deeper.
(Holy Spirit-Tongues & Prophecy) Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-4,28
Prophecy, Serving, Teaching, Encouraging, Giving, Leadership, Mercy, Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miraculous Powers, Discerning of Spirits, Speaking in Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues, Helps.
Vs8-10 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
Paul preached in the synagogue for 3 months, but eventually, the influence of the Jews who rejected the message drove him out. Whenever God’s truth is proclaimed, some will reject that truth and will harden their hearts, becoming stubborn in their unbelief. Paul resumed his teaching in the hall of a Gentile teacher named Tyrannus.
Paul did this daily, meaning every day for two years. As a result of this intentional discipleship and leadership training and equipping, Vs 10 “so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.”
Ephesus became the evangelism sending area for the entire region of Asia.
Vs11-12 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 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.
Luke says these were extraordinary (unusual) miracles, and gives an example; that Paul’s handkerchiefs or aprons could be laid on a person, and that person was healed or delivered from demonic possession.
I don’t really know how this worked, other than the same way that the shadow of Peter (ACTS 15) or the hem of Jesus’ garment (MATTHEW (9) 14:36) might heal: the item became a point of contact by which a person released faith in Jesus as healer or a deliverer.
Notice, it doesn’t say that Paul did these unusual miracles, but that God worked them through Paul.
Acts 19:13-16 Some Jews (itinerant Jewish exorcists) who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
At that time, there were Jewish exorcists who practiced their trade with a lot of superstition and ceremony. Here, a group of itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to imitate Paul’s formula for success. (JESUS)
“We exorcise you in the name of Jesus who Paul preaches.”
I love Vs15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?”
The evil spirit knew exactly who Jesus was, and he knew who Paul was. But he didn’t know who the seven sons of Sceva were. So, evil spirits know who their enemies are (in this case, Jesus and Paul). But, they don’t waste their effort knowing those who aren’t a threat to them (in this case, the seven sons of Sceva).
Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them all, whooped them so bad that all their clothes were ripped off and they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
If you think that you can battle the enemy because of someone else’s relationship with Jesus, you are in serious trouble.
In the same pattern, there are many people — many churchgoers — who will perish in hell because they have no personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They only know “the Jesus the pastor preaches” or “the Jesus their spouse believes in” or “ the Jesus who their parents know” instead of the Jesus of their own salvation. Matthew 7:21-22 (Not everyone who says to me)
The seven sons of Sceva failed because they had no real relationship with Jesus, and because of that they had no spiritual power against the evil spirit. WHATS IN A NAME? Preached—told them to believe—-baptized them
When we speak the precious and powerful name of Jesus, it’s not a magic word.
The name of Jesus is our most powerful weapon we have in life and in spiritual warfare. Jesus is the Word and by the Word and through His holy name “the worlds were framed”. The very name by which the entire universe came into existence.
Jesus Is the only name through which our prayer is answered: John 14:13-14 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
When Christians pray, we conclude by citing or speaking the holy name of Jesus, because He promised to be present in power among His followers and answer their prayers whenever they prayed in accordance with His will in His name.
Jesus said, Matthew 18:20 “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Praise God He’s here)
Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Philippians 2:9-11: Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The reason believers are commanded to proclaim the holy name of Jesus is to invoke His power and authority in our lives.
Jesus has granted us power in His name to overcome the forces of darkness. “There is power in the name of Jesus . . . at the name of Jesus the demons tremble and flee; in the name of Jesus captives are set free . . . In the name of Jesus God’s enemies can be and shall be crushed beneath our feet; for there is no other name that is higher than the name Jesus!”
Acts 19:17-20 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
When the people of Ephesus witnessed what happened to the seven sons of Sceva, and they realized it was because they didn’t know Jesus, they realized how dangerous it is to live without Jesus. “and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.”
Because of this, many people were saved, and they got rid of those evil things that had been a part of their life before Jesus.
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