Acts 19: Paul at Ephesus (3rd Missionary Journey)

  • Paul promised to return to Ephesus in 18.21 and keeps his promise.
  • Ephesus was the jewel of Asia and capital city of that Roman province and the center of trade.
  • It was a bustling seaport and stood as the main route from Rome to the East.
  • Ephesus was famous, magnificent, and very wealthy…but lost in sin.
  • The temple of Artemis (Diana) was one of the 7 wonders of the world.
  • There was already a small church meeting there probably in the home of Aquila and Priscilla (See 1 Cor. 16.19) and Acts 18.27.
  • Paul met some men who “appeared to him” to be disciples.
    • He asked them, “Have you received the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
    • Paul was surprised by their answer. (See Matt. 28.19). (John 3.5).
    • Their reply: If the Holy Spirit has come, we don’t know anything about it!
    • Something wrong here: “Into what then were you baptized?”
      • Baptism puts us into Christ (Rom.6.3, 4; Gal.3.27).
      • They said John’s baptism: the baptism of repentance (Apollos-18.25).
      • These men could be said to be “post-Pentecost believers with pre-Pentecost instruction.” Their understanding was incomplete.
      • “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Baptized for the right reason is important).
        • John’s baptism had no promise of the Spirit while the Great Commission did (Acts 2.38).
        • John’s baptism was for repentance; Jesus’ baptism was a baptism of faith expressing our faith in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (See Rom. 6. 3, 4).
        • John told the people to believe in Him who were coming after him. (See Gal.2.20). (1 Cor.15.1-4).
        • V.7: There were about 12 men.
  • Paul’s Ministry and Plans (19.8-10)–
    • Some of the Jews became hardened and disobedient.
    • In Philippi, Paul taught on a river bank.
    • In Athens, in the Agora
    • In Corinth, in the private dwelling of Titius Justus.
    • In Ephesus, in the school of Tyrannus for two years (Probably a lecture hall that he rented or loaned to Paul).
    • The normal work day was from 7am to 11am; and then from 4pm to 9:30pm with a break of 5 hours in the afternoon. (the school, hall was empty at that time
  • Paul labored with his hands while in Ephesus (Acts 20.34).
  • He taught not only publicly but from house to house (20.20).
  • Not just in the daytime but also the night (20.31).
  • Paul persuaded a considerable # of people during his approx. 3 years in Ephesus.
    • Those in Asia heard the word; probably most, if not all, of the “7 churches of Asia” were established during this time plus the congregations of Colossae and Hierapolis. (See Col.1.2; 4.13).
      • He had other brothers who helped in the teaching too; Timothy, Titus, Erastus (19.22), Sosthenes (1 Cor.1.1, 2), Epaphras and Archippus (See Acts 19; Col. 1.7,8; 4.12,13,17; Philemon 2,23. Gaius and Aristarchus, (Acts 19.29), Aquila and Priscilla, Acts 18.18; Tychicus and Trophimus in Acts 20.4.
  • Magic and the Gospel (19.11-20).
    • Occult comes from the Latin word Occultus which means “hidden or concealed mysteries or knowledge.”
    • All this was condemned by God in Exodus 22.18; See list of in Deut. 18.9-14.
    • Today: things like astrology, fortunetelling, tarot cards, palmistry, psychics, magic, sorcery, witchcraft, and Satanism, etc.
      • Ephesus was the center of such practices in the 1st century.
      • They were obsessed with mysticism and the spirit world.
    • God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul.
      • Handkerchiefs/aprons were carried from his body to the sick; diseases and evil spirits left the people.
      • Possibly sweat rags/sweat bands/aprons Paul used when making tents.
        • Mk.5.25-29; 6.56 touched Jesus’ garments; Peter’s shadow-5.15.
        • Acts 19 exorcists, Simon the Sorcerer in 8.9-13 and Elymas 13.6 were all frauds.
        • The evil spirit leaped on the frauds and overpowered them and they fled naked and wounded.
    • This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus.
    • The name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
    • The effect was many burned their cultic books of magic.
    • 50,000 pieces of silver was a fortune! Approx. 50,000 days of wages.
  • Paul’s Future Plans: 19.21,22.
    • Purposed to go to Jerusalem and eventually Rome.