Acts 19 – Day 1: Back to Ephesus (V1-7) Make sure that you start your study time today by quieting your heart before the Lord in prayer. Read Acts 19:1-7 Digging Deeper: (V1-2) Paul had come back to Ephesus Just as he had promised he would in Acts 18:21. When he arrived, he crossed paths with some disciples of Jesus Christ. As he talked to these men, he must have sensed that although they were believers, they were new believers and had yet to learn about who the Holy Spirit was and the part He would play in their lives. (V3) When Paul asked the men how they had become followers of Jesus, he found out that these men had been saved through the ministry of Jesus’ Cousin John the Baptist. John came preaching that men should repent from their Sin and turn to God, and that they should be baptized, but when Jesus arrived on the scene (See Matthew chapter 3) John told his followers 1 that it was time for them to become followers of Jesus. (V4-5) So Paul explained to these men that John’s baptism was acknowledging and turning away from their Sin, and that John’s baptism pointed people in the direction of Jesus, but didn’t get them to the point of Salvation in Jesus. To receive Salvation in Jesus, they would need to be baptized in His name. There would be a public confession of the inward transformation that took place when they decided to become followers of Christ. When these men heard this, they wasted no time and were baptized in the name of Jesus. (V6-7) When they had understanding of what Paul was sharing with them about Jesus, Paul decided to pray for them to receive the baptism “with” the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came upon them and anointed them with gifting’s to glorify God. They spoke in tongues: Meaning that they spoke in A prayer language unknown to others that brought unhindered praise to the Lord and they prophesied: Meaning that they spoke the Word of God with boldness and spoke words that they Holy Spirit gave to them to share aloud with the group. 2 Application Questions: 1.) Paul took the time to find out about these new believers, and in the process, he was able to help them to a deeper relationship with God. It’s been said that “ministry flows best through relationships.” A.) Have you ever been helped in your faith when someone took the time to find out about your relationship with God? What did they speak into your life? Explain. _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ B.) Have you ever helped someone else grow in their relationship with God by pointing out a truth to them that they didn’t know yet? Explain. _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _______________________________________ 2.) Paul prayed for the men to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit. When he laid his hands on 3 them, they were anointed by the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues and prophesy. A.) Have you received the baptism with the Holy Spirit? Why or why not _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ B.) If you did, what spiritual gifts has God given you? If you haven’t, what spiritual gifts do you desire to have? _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ Prayer for the day: Father, thank you that you have promised us that you would give us A helper, the Holy Spirit, who will lead us into all truth. I pray that you would fill me with your Holy Spirit, and anoint me with the gifts I need to serve you and those around me today. Amen 4 Acts 19 – Day 2: All who dwelt in Asia heard the word (V8-10) Make sure that you start your study time today with a prayer asking God to speak to your heart today! Read Acts 19:8-10 Digging Deeper: We get to see the big picture of how the Lord is working through Paul in Ephesus. Toward the end of his second missionary Journey, Paul prepared the soil there in a brief stopover, planted seeds, and left some workers behind to tend the upstart disciples. Now Paul has returned to give these “fields” his full attention. Paul seems to hit the ground running in (V8) doing Just what we have seen time and again, entering the synagogue reasoning and persuading. And as if to give even more emphasis to Paul’s usually fervent approach, we get the added note that he spoke boldly; even more of what Paul is known for. 5 We see in (V9) that Paul was not only bold, but also sensitive to his audience. Things started to get out of hand. Voices rose up to speak evil of the things of God, here referred to for the first time as “the Way.” And when this attitude began to create a resolve in the hearts of some listeners to reject the gospel message, potentially even affecting the disciples with him, Paul knew it was time to back away. So, at the end of (V9) and through (V10) we see that Paul indeed withdrew, but he did not quit by any means. Quite the opposite, he entered into the facilities of a philosopher named Tyrannus. Here it was not Sabbath day teachings, but daily, and for two solid years. Impactful? Yes. And open to all so that every Jew and every Greek, not only in Ephesus, but throughout the entire region of Asia, that whole southwestern area of what is now modern-day Turkey, heard the word. Application Questions: 1.) There is a battle raging all around us for spiritual ground. Paul took it to a major city, where victory could potentially impact the whole surrounding region. And he did it in steps, 6 starting with a small group of believers who had heard God’s word but who were not yet empowered by the Holy Spirit. A.) We have the great blessing of being shoulder to shoulder with a group of men who are seeking the Lord, as we study His word. Do you have a vision for expanding God’s borders? How is this group helping you in that battle? __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ B.) Paul withdrew the disciples from the synagogue. We see that there is a time to speak boldly, and a time to change our approach. Have you experienced this in conversations with others? How do you know when it’s time to take your energy and resources and move on? __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ 2.) Paul made a similar move back in Corinth (see Acts 18:6-7) when he changed his focus from the Jews to the Gentiles, from the synagogue to the house of a Gentile. In both cases Paul’s focus 7 moved from a resistant Jewish audience to a hungry Gentile audience, and in both places we read that the Jews, in addition to the Gentiles, heard the word of the Lord in great numbers. A.) Just thinking about where and how you are serving, with the focus that this ministry takes, are you able to see the broader impact of your work? As a member of the body of Christ, how can your active role reach into the community, and beyond? __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ Prayer for the day: Heavenly Father, may my ministry be completely surrendered to glorifying Your name. As I commit myself to serving You in whatever capacity You have for me may Your name be lifted up in my home, among my neighbors, throughout my community, and beyond. Help me to be an ambassador for change in this world, I pray. In Jesus’ name, amen. 8 Acts 19 – Day 3 : Unusual Miracles(V11-20) Start your study time today by submitting yourself to God in prayer. “O, let the place of secret prayer become to me the most beloved spot on earth.” - Andrew Murray Read Acts 19:11-20 Digging Deeper: (V11-12) Unusual miracles were taking place, and we only see miracles like this in a few places in the New testament. (See Matthew 9:20- 22; Acts 5:15) People were taking Paul’s sweatbands that he wore when he was building tents, and his leather apron that he wore as a blacksmith, and laying them on the sick, diseased, and demon possessed and they were receiving healing from God. This was not magic, but by faith, these people were being healed by God as they believed in the Power of Jesus Christ and received from his servant Paul. (V13-14) These Jews were not believers in Jesus Christ, they were only using his name like a 9 formula to try and replicate the unusual miracles that were being done through Paul. There was a Jewish priest named Sceva, and his seven sons were some of those trying to use the name of Jesus to exercise demons. In that day, it was popular for some priests to collect a fee when they attempted to deliver someone from an evil spirit, regardless of whether or not the demon left the person. These men may have been motivated by money. (V15-16) Here is another rare case in the Bible where we see a demon speaking through a possessed person. This evil spirit knew who Jesus was, and knew who Paul was, but didn’t know who the seven sons of Sceva were. We can conclude from this passage that evil spirits know who their enemies are. The demon possessed man attacked the seven sons because they had no relationship with Jesus Christ and were powerless against the attack.