IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

Paul's Work in Ephesus

Date: Aug. 14, 2014

Passage

Acts 19:1-20 (ESV)

And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all.

And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. 10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

Daily Bread

Key Verse: 19:17

And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.

First, the baptism of the Holy Spirit (1-10). Apollos had gone to Corinth to help the believers there. In the meantime, Paul had set out on his third missionary journey and arrived at Ephesus. There he ministered to some disciples who, similar to Apollos, had only received John's baptism. They did not yet have faith in Jesus, and thus had not yet received the Holy Spirit. So Paul proclaimed the gospel to them by explaining that John's baptism was to prepare them for Jesus-it was in him they needed to believe.

Second, the power of the Holy Spirit (11-20). During Paul's stay in Ephesus he discipled the men whom he had first met when he arrived there. Additionally, God used Paul to perform many extraordinary miracles. There were also charlatans who attempted to do the same. In the case of the sons of Sceva, God used it not only to expose them as false teachers, but also to instill fear and faith in God among the people. Many of the magicians believed in Jesus and turned from their sin, even burning their expensive books.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, work mightily among us through word, and may you be glorified in it.

One Word: The presence and power of the Spirit

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1 Chronicles 6:1-81

Key Verse: 6:32

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