March 29th, 2014
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Contrasting Responses

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Father God, I praise You for Your wisdom that instructs, Your Spirit who guides, and Your hand that protects me.

Read Acts 19:1-22

[1] 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.” [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 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, [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. [20] In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. [21] After all this had happened, Paul decided 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.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright &copy 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.&reg Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Meditate

“There is no limit to what can happen when we base our entire ministry on the power of the name of Jesus” (Lloyd John Ogilvie).

Think Further

Ephesus’ strategic importance as the most populous city in one of the most prosperous provinces of the Roman Empire afforded Paul an opportunity to extend the influence of the Gospel throughout the whole province (10). Luke notes three groups impacted by Paul. The first (1-7) had a limited knowledge of Christianity (c.f. Acts 18:24-26). They were already Christians (“disciples,” v. 1), but they had not been taught the exact nature of John’s role in relation to Jesus. They had gotten so far, but then stopped short. They are similar to many Christians today who don’t get past the elementary stages of discipleship and who haven’t yet learned to echo Paul’s great prayer “I press on toward the goal” (Phil. 3:14).

The second group influenced by Paul was those who attended the synagogue (8-10). Initially there was a high degree of interest and Paul preached to them for three months (c.f. Acts 18:21), but this early concern gave way to militant opposition, prompting Paul and those who believed his message to leave and find alternative premises (9). In effect, the majority in the synagogue were in denial. They chose the security of the institution rather than risk following Christ. Today, nominal Christianity plays a similar role in church life.

If the first group was in transition and the second in denial, the third was in bondage. The sons of Sceva were one of the groups in Ephesus that today we would call New Age. They sought, as some do today, to integrate occult practices with aspects of Christianity. They mistakenly interpreted Paul’s miracles as acts of magic. Magic is an attempt, using human words, actions or rituals, to control and manipulate the supernatural, whereas miracles are works of God wrought through human instruments like Paul (11) to reverse the effects of evil in people’s lives.

Apply

Where are you? In transition? In denial? In bondage? Read Philippians 3:14, and make it your prayer today.

Closing prayer

Heavenly Father, I bless Your name. I open myself to all of You that is available to all of me. I lift Your name in praise and worship.

Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.

© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.

Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.

View all readings

Get ENCOUNTER:

in your email:

in Print:

Become a Member | Visit our store