READING THE BOOK OF ACTS: CHAPTER 19
READING THE BOOK OF ACTS: CHAPTER 19
Wednesday, December 8, 2022
INTRODUCING ACTS, CHAPTER 19
Acts 19 is the meat of Paul’s third missionary voyage. He has already revisited the churches in central modern-day Turkey (Acts 18:23). Now he returns to Ephesus for a three-year stay. After firmly establishing the church there, rescuing many from pagan magic and the worship of Artemis, he returns to Macedonia and Greece. A threat on his life sends him back up to Macedonia and across to Troas. He meets briefly with the Ephesian elders to tell them they will not meet again (Acts 20). When he returns to Jerusalem, he is arrested and, eventually taken to Rome.(https://www.bibleref.com/Acts/19/Acts-chapter-18.html)
1) Verses 1-11, Paul in Ephesus, Pt. I JEANNIE
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[a] you believed?”
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 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[b] and prophesied. 7 There were
about twelve men in all. 8 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. 11 God
did extraordinary miracles through Paul,
NOTATIONS:
These men that Paul meets in Ephesus are like Apollos, strict followers of John the Baptist’s teachings of repentance. They aren’t really informed about the significance of the baptism of Christ. Paul explained to them the John’s purpose was to prepare the way for the coming of Christ. Jesus is who they now needed to declare allegiance to. When they, in faith, believe upon Jesus they gain the benefit of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues and prophesying immediately. They listened to Paul and believed, becoming the first to be brought to Christ in Ephesus by Paul.
Paul remains three years in Ephesus. As a result of his teachings many agree with him, but those who don’t give Paul and his followers so much trouble that they leave the area. Paul simply goes to another area to teach the Good News.
SECTION QUESTIONS:
1. How did Paul describe John's baptism? (V.4)
2. What happened when Paul laid hands on the disciple? (V.6)
2) Verses 12-22 Paul in Ephesus, Pt. II, MRS. ELNORA
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. 13 Some
Jews 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. 17 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.[c] 20 In this way
the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. 21 After all this had happened, Paul decided[d] to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must
visit Rome also.” 22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the
province of Asia a little longer.
NOTATIONS:
Paul’s testimony of Jesus as the one prophesied in the Hebrew
scripture is validated by his ability to heal physical conditions and exorcise
demons. Magicians and attempt to invoke the name of Jesus to have the same effect
as Paul but were unable to do anything because they lacked the indwelling of
the Holy Spirit. When they realized that the power of God that Paul had, they
turned from witchcraft to follow Jesus.
SECTION QUESTIONS:
1. What was significant about Paul's handkerchief and apron? (V.12)
2. Why did some of the Jews fail to drive out evil spirits? (V.13)
3. What happened to the seven sons of Sceva? (Vs.15-16)
4. What did the people do when they heard what happened to Sceva's sons? (Vs.12-19)
3) Verses 23-32, The Riot in Ephesus, Pt. I MRS. ELNORA
23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 25 He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.” 28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. 32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there.
NOTATIONS:
SECTION QUESTIONS:
1. Who was Demetrius? (V.24)
2. Why was there a riot? (Vs. 23-27)
4) Verses 33-41, The Riot in Ephesus, Pt. II DESTINY
33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 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.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
NOTATIONS:
- The Alexander in verse 33 is someone selected to appease the mob, but when they realized Alexander was a Jew as well, they began shouting even louder.,
SECTION QUESTIONS:
1. How did the city clerk dismiss the assembly? (Vs. 35-40)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com
Drachmas:
A former monetary unit of Greece, replace in 2002 by the euro. It could have a value as low as $1.00 or as high as $100.00 depending on the country.
Artemis:
One of the 12 Olympian gods, the daughter of Leto and Zeus. She was one of the most popularly worshipped dieties of all Greek gods. She was the god of hunting, wilderness, fertility, and childbirth. The Greek worshipped her by building temples. One of her most famous temples was the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Prayer Confession:
Lord God, we thank you for the baptism of Jesus Christ. The baptism of Christ is not only one of repentance but of salvation as well. We appreciate the ministry of John, as he taught people how to prepare their hearts to receive Jesus. But, we are most grateful for the gift of grace and salvation which comes only through the baptism of your son, Jesus Christ. Help us to remain focused and transfixed on your Word, Father. We will not become like some of the church goers in Paul's day who set themselves against your Holy Word. We will, in faith, believe all that you have said in your Word. We will, in faith, believe all that you speak to our hearts and will not get in our own way, becoming obstinate to the plans for us, but will invite you to have your way in our lives. Use us as vessels of your extraordinary miracles, like you did with Paul. And, help us to stay focused and steadfast to our callings, rejecting the adversary, embracing victory in all things. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Comments
Post a Comment