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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.” (Acts 19:18–20)

In the immediate aftermath of the exposure of the sons of Sceva as charlatans (Acts 19:13-17). God used this situation to accomplish His purpose. It was a fulfillment of Romans 8:28 which says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (NASB95).  

Although the sons of Sceva were unsuccessful in their attempts to duplicate the work of God in the lives of His people, the Holy Spirit is most effective. Believers in Ephesus came to confess and divulge their sins. To confess (ἐξομολογούμενοι; exomologoumenoi) means to agree with God’s perspective and to swear allegiance to Him. To divulge (ἀναγγέλλοντες; anangellontes) means to inform, to announce and to tell.

Additionally, those who practiced sorcery and black magic brought their books of incantations and burned them in the sight of all: believers and unbelievers alike. The monetary value of these books totaled fifty pieces of silver. While an exact equivalent in today’s currency may be difficult to determine, the scene depicts the depth of the people’s conversion and love for the Lord.

In light of all that happened, the Word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail. In other words, God’s Word grew and was strong.

Luke’s summary statement in acts 19:20 parallels similar statements found in Acts 6:7, 12:24 and 13:49. The Gospel continued to spread throughout the entire known world. Acts 1:8 was being fulfilled.

Remember, God’s continues to use His inerrant Word today to convict, convince, and to convert the souls of the ungodly. Take time today to thank Him for convicting you of your sin, convincing you of the truth of the Gospel, and converting you by His grace alone, through God-given faith alone, and in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.

Soli deo Gloria!

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.” (Acts 19:13–17)

We have already seen that a charlatan is an imposter, a fraud, a fake and a counterfeit. They pretend to be, and to possess, someone or something that they are not and do not possess. Charlatans can be found in walks of life: We find them in education, economics, politics, government, entertainment, sports, the military, and even in the church.

The purpose of God doing miracles through the apostle Paul (Acts 19:11-12) was to display His character as the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth. The purpose of the charlatans known as the seven sons of Sceva was to draw attention to themselves and to revel in the power and authority they sought.

The sons of Sceva were itinerant exorcists. There is no biblical evidence from Luke that they were true converts of the Gospel. However, that did not stop them from invoking Jesus’ name over evil spirits and to demand them to depart from the humans they possessed.

How did the evils spirit respond to the demands from Sceva’s sons? Luke records the humorous response. “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.”

Not only did the evil spirit expose and embarrass the sons of Sceva physically, but also spiritually. These self-proclaimed exorcists were proven to be nothing but fakes and forgeries. They had no power over the demons because they did not belong to the One who truly has the power over the forces of darkness: Jesus Christ.

Rather than the sons of Sceva receiving fame and fortune because of their presumed victory, great reverential fear of the One, True God occurred. In fact, Jesus Christ’s name was honored and highly praised. The fame Sceva’s sons shamelessly sought was the fame that Jesus properly received.

Take care to not be persuaded and fooled by false teachers who promise miracles but fail to deliver what they promise and make excuses for their failure. Be watchful for those who seek fame and fortune in the name of Christ. It is easy to find them. Do not be impressed or influenced by them.

Soli deo Gloria!

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.” (Acts 19:13–17)

Whenever the Lord performs a miracle there are certain to be those who will seek to imitate it. Such individuals are called charlatans. A charlatan is an imposter, a counterfeit and a pretender.

The purpose of God doing miracles is to display His character as the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth. The purpose by a charlatan to perform miracles is to draw attention to themselves and to revel in the power and authority they seek. This was certainly the case with the seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva.

The sons of Sceva were itinerant exorcists. There is no biblical evidence from Luke that they were true converts of the Gospel. However, that did not stop them from invoking Jesus’ name over those who had evil spirits.

Luke records that they kept imploring the evil spirits to depart from the individuals they had possessed. Sceva’s sons did not even pretend to know Jesus. They invoked Jesus’ name as being the individual who the Apostle Paul proclaimed, but no mention is made that they personally believed in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Dr. R .C. Sproul comments that, “In ancient times, it was common practice to use magical names to drive out evil spirits. Jews in Ephesus presume to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those possessed, trying to imitate what Paul does (Acts 19:12-18). Ephesus attracted religious pagans from throughout the empire. Papyri containing lists of divine names to be invoked in exorcisms, traced to Ephesus, have been found across the Mediterranean world.”

Such behavior by the seven sons of Sceva solicits a response by one demon possessed man. We will examine that response in detail when next we meet.

Take care to not be persuaded and fooled by false teachers who promise miracles but fail to deliver what they promise and make excuses for their failure.

Soli deo Gloria!

We will devote each Lord’s Day in 2021 at hiswordtoday.org to present a portion of the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF). For those unfamiliar with the WCF, a brief explanation is appropriate. 

The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the “subordinate standard” of doctrine (to Scripture) in the Church of Scotland and has been influential within Presbyterian churches worldwide.

It is to that “most precise and accurate summary of the content of biblical Christianity” that we will give our time and attention to each Lord’s Day in the year of our Lord, 2021. I trust you will be edified and encouraged each week by The Westminster Confession of Faith.

Chapter One: The Holy Scriptures. Part 2.

2. Under the name of holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testaments, which are these:

Of the Old Testament
Genesis. Exodus. Leviticus. Numbers. Deuteronomy. Joshua. Judges. Ruth. I Samuel. II Samuel. I Kings. II Kings. I Chronicles.	II Chronicles. Ezra. Nehemiah. Esther. Job. Psalms. Proverbs. Ecclesiastes. The Song of Songs. Isaiah. Jeremiah. Lamentations. Ezekiel.	Daniel. Hosea. Joel. Amos. Obadiah. Jonah. Micah. Nahum. Habakkuk. Zephaniah. Haggai. Zechariah. Malachi.
Of the New Testament
The Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. The Acts of the Apostles. Paul’s Epistles to the Romans. Corinthians I.	Corinthians II. Galatians. Ephesians. Philippians. Colossians. Thessalonians I. Thessalonians II. To Timothy I. To Timothy II. To Titus. To Philemon.	The Epistle to the Hebrews. The Epistle of James. The First and Second Epistles of Peter. The First, Second, and Third Epistles of John. The Epistle of Jude. The Revelation.

All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.^a

1. Luke 16:29, 31; Eph 2:20; 2 Tim 3:16; Rev 22:18-19.

3. The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the Canon of the Scripture; and therefore are of no authority in the Church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved, or made use of, than other human writings.^a

a. Luke 24:27, 44; Rom 3:2; 2 Pet 1:21.

Soli deo Gloria!

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.” (Acts 19:11–12)

God can and does miraculous things. One of the most miraculous works of God is when He changes the unbeliever’s heart from a heart of stone into a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36). The true biblical conversion of a sinner into a saint is nothing less than miraculous.

God can also do miraculous works through ordinary items of life. Take today’s text for example. God chose to do miracles through the Apostle Paul. Luke records that “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.”

Presumably these cloths or aprons may have been rags Paul used in his tent making trade. There is no indication in the text that Paul required money from the people in order for them to acquire one of these items, so that they would be healed of their diseases and demonization.

It is a shame that there are those today who seek to persuade gullible but sincere people that such rags and aprons still exist and can still heal. Many send in their money to televangelists who promise that the cloths they will send to financial contributors will in fact heal them, if the only believe.  

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “The headbands and outer clothing are what Paul wore while making tents. The belief that mystical power could be so transmitted was widespread in the ancient world, e.g., believing that Peter’s shadow could heal (cf. 5:15; Matt. 9:21.”

Dr. John Walvoord explains that, “These feats of Paul parallel the miracles of Peter in Acts 5:15–16. Quite clearly God’s hand of blessing and endorsement was on Paul. Apparently the handkerchiefs and aprons were tangible symbols of God’s power through His apostle; these objects had no magical powers in themselves. Certainly this is no basis for people trying to repeat such miracles today. As seen many times in Acts, miracles confirmed the work of the apostles (2:43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:6, 13; 14:3; 15:12; cf. 2 Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:3–4).”

Take special care to not be fooled by conniving hucksters who promise God’s blessing when they are only interested in your money for their creature comforts.

Soli deo Gloria!

^8 “And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. ⁹ 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.” (Acts 19:8–10)

As was the Apostle Paul’s practice, he began his ministry of preaching and teaching God’s Word in the Jewish synagogue of Ephesus. Luke records that Paul spoke in the synagogue for three months. While there he spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading the Jewish congregation about the kingdom of God.

To speak boldly (ἐπαρρησιάζετο; eparresiazeto) means to speak openly and with courage. In other words, to preach fearlessly. Paul did this consistently and personally.

The word reasoning (διαλεγόμενος; dialegomai) is a present active participle. It means to present a reasonable, logical and persuasive argument. Paul did this for three months. He never wavered.

Finally, the word persuading (πείθω; peitho) is also a present active participle. To persuade means to convince and to provide assurance that what you say is indeed true. Paul did his best to persuade the Ephesians that he spoke the truth from God’s Word concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ.

However, in spite of his best and noble efforts, some of the Jews became hardened and obstinate in their hearts. They continued to not exert trust in, commitment to, dependence upon and worship of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

This hardened unbelief evidenced itself when they spoke evil of the Gospel, otherwise known as the Way. They voiced their opposition while in the midst of the synagogue congregation.

Paul’s response was to withdraw from the synagogue (Acts 13:46; 18:6). As he did so, he took with him those who became disciples of Jesus. They then began to meet daily in the hall of Tyrannus. Not much is known about Tyrannus, but Paul and the disciples met in this particular lecture hall or school for two years.

Consequently, many residents of Ephesus, and the surrounding region, heard God’s Word taught by the Apostle Paul. This included both Jews and Gentiles. It is possible that some of Paul’s students included Epaphras (Colossians 1:7; 4:12-13), Tychicus (Acts 20:4; Colossians 4:7), Trophimus (Acts 20:4), along with Philemon and Archippus (Philemon 1-2).

God works through the faithful and consistent preaching and teaching of His inerrant Word. While some want fireworks, God provides truth which stirs a fire of conviction and commitment within the redeemed and regenerated heart of the believer in Christ. Never settle for less. Never settle for anything else.

Take time today to ask the Lord to equip and strengthen you to disciple those in your life who are young in their faith. This will in turn enable them to disciple others. And so it goes.

Soli deo Gloria!     

“And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. ² 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.” ³ And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” ⁴ 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.” ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.” (Acts 19:1–6)

In Ephesus, Paul met 12 men who professed to be followers of God but had no knowledge of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Simon Kistemaker writes, “A Christian without the Spirit is a contradiction of terms (Romans 8:9). Faith, or belief, without the Spirit is nothing more than nodding consent.”

These 12 individuals had not heard or received the true Gospel. They made no mention of the person and work of Jesus Christ neither did they know about the Spirit’s work on the Day of Pentecost. If they had followed the Lord in believer’s baptism, at the very least they would have been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Paul concluded that these men were not true believers in Christ.

What did the apostle do? He did not compromise biblical truth for the sake of good feelings between people. Paul did not wish these men well, bid them good fortune in their travels, and assume that they were truly converted. He continued to ask spiritually diagnostic questions of them.

He discovered that they were not followers of Jesus but rather disciples of John the Baptist. It was then that 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.”

The text gives every indication that these men were then truly converted because they were subsequently baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. If Paul baptized them, and there is every indication that he personally did, he would not have done so if they were not truly converted.

Dr. R. C. Sproul writes, “Paul then lays his hands on the men and they receive the Holy Spirit, along with the supernatural manifestation of tongues and prophecy. This is the fourth incident in Acts of a group of people being so baptized by the Spirit, along with Jewish disciples (2:4), the Samaritans (8:17), and the God-fearers (10:44).”

A new group of people, Gentiles lacking any knowledge of the Gospel, become converts and followers of Jesus Christ. The Gospel extends to all kinds of people.

Make sure the Gospel you are believing, and the Gospel you are presenting and sharing, is the true biblical Gospel. We must be loving but we must always speak the truth (Ephesians 4:15-16). When we  lovingly speak the truth, we give every evidence that we love those to whom we are speaking.

Dr. Sproul concludes by saying, “Paul’s questions implied that believers can know that they have the Holy Spirit. How about you? Have you experienced His comfort, reminding you of God’s promises? Have you come under His conviction of sin? Have you seen His hand guiding your growth in holiness?

Take time today to mediate upon these questions and evaluate the Spirit’s work in your own life.   

Sol deo Gloria!  

“And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. ² 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.” ³ And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” ⁴ 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.” ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.” (Acts 19:1–6)

One of the most significant places involving the Apostle Paul’s ministry was the Asian and Roman capital city of Ephesus. We may be well aware of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, but what about the city itself. What do we know about Ephesus during Paul’s lifetime?

Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia.  After its founding in the 12 century B.C., it became a great commercial center due to its harbor. However, by the time of the New Testament Ephesus has passed its zenith. It was experiencing economic decline because soil erosion had clogged access to its   harbor.

Ephesus acquired additional material wealth and notoriety because of its temple to the Greek god Artemis. Artemis was revered as the goddess of hunting and fertility.

Paul’s return to Ephesus fulfilled his promise he previously made to the Ephesian Jews (Acts 18:21). However, upon his arrival Paul did not encounter the Jews, neither Aquila nor Priscilla, nor the people Apollos led to Christ (Acts 18:27).  

Instead, Paul met 12 men who professed to be followers of Jesus but had no knowledge of the Holy Spirit. This was unthinkable.

Dr. Simon Kistemaker writes, “A Christian without the Spirit is a contradiction of terms (Romans 8:9). Faith, or belief, without the Spirit is nothing more than nodding consent.”

These 12 individuals did not hear and receive the true Gospel. If they had followed the Lord in believer’s baptism, at the very least they would have been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Paul concluded that these men were not true believers in Christ.

What did the Apostle do? We will examine this in much greater detail when next we meet.

Make sure the Gospel you are believing, and the Gospel you are presenting and sharing, is the true biblical Gospel. I encourage you to read the following passages regarding the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 14:1-17; 16:1-8; Romans 8; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-13).

Sol deo Gloria!  

²⁴ Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. ²⁵ He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. ²⁷ And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, ²⁸ for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.” (Acts 18:24–28)

In studying the life, ministry and theology of the Apostle Paul, we have encountered several significant biblical characters. These include Barnabas, John/Mark, Silas, Timothy, Luke, Aquila and his wife Priscilla and James. In today’s text, we encounter another biblical character. His name is Apollos.

Who was Apollos? To begin with, he was a Jew. Second, he was a native of Alexandria, Africa. Luke described him as an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. Apollos’ eloquence was evidence not only by his intelligence but also by his ability to articulate God’s Word.

Apollos had been instructed in the way of the Lord. The text, and Luke, does not say by whom. Apollos was fervent, or enthusiastic, in spirit about the doctrine of God. He also accurately taught the people in Ephesus about the person and work of Jesus Christ. However, Luke recorded that Apollos was only familiar with the baptism of repentance by John but not the baptism of faith in Jesus. He was ignorant of the baptism by the Holy Spirit which occurred on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2).  

It was when he was speaking boldly in the synagogue, that Aquila and Priscilla heard him. Afterwards, they took him aside and explained to him the ways of God more accurately. The text gives every indication that Apollos received well Aquila’s and Priscilla’s counsel.

Shortly thereafter, Apollos desired to travel to the region of Achaia. The fellow believers in Ephesus encouraged him to do so. They even wrote letters of reference on Apollos’ behalf. The Christians in Achaia were encouraged to welcome Apollos with fervent love and affection.

Apollos’ ministry in Achaia became most beneficial. Luke recorded that “he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.”

Dr. R. C. Sproul explains that, “Apollos’ willingness to receive instruction from fellow believers is an example for us. None of us will ever grasp the truths of God perfectly in this life. But in God’s providence, all of us have better or worse understandings of the faith. Thus, there are some we can teach and some who can teach us. Be willing to teach and to be taught.”

Soli deo Gloria!  

¹⁸ “After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. ¹⁹ And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. ²¹ But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus. ²² When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. ²³ After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.” (Acts 18:18–23)

Acts 18:18-23 is a summary by Luke of Paul’s journey back to Antioch following his ministry in southeastern Europe. Upon completing his stay in Corinth Paul set sail, with Aquila and his wife Priscilla, for Syria. He was going home.

Luke records that the trio arrived in Cenchreae. Cenchreae was a seaport city that served the maritime needs of the larger city of Corinth. It was located about eight miles (12.9 kilometers) west of Corinth. Before the Corinthian Canal was cut through the isthmus, traffic to Europe from Asia often passed from Cenchreae through Corinth to Lechaion.

It was at Cenchreae that Paul took an oath requiring the cutting of his hair (Acts 18:18). Additionally, in his letter to the church in Rome, Paul commended Phoebe, who was a deaconess of the church in Cenchreae, well known for her Christian service (Rom 16:1).

Departing from there, Paul and his companions arrived in Ephesus. After some time reasoning with the Jews in the synagogue, Paul left Ephesus, even though the Jews wanted him to stay longer. However, Aquila and Priscilla remained in Ephesus. Paul did say that he hoped it would be God’s will for him to return to the Roman city. This would turn out to be the case (Acts 19-20).

Upon his arrival in Caesarea, Paul went to the church there and greeted them. He then departed for Antioch. Following his stay there, he then departed for Galatia and Phrygia and strengthened the believers in Christ who he and Barnabas had encountered during their First Missionary Journey (Acts 13-14). It was when Paul began this trip that his Third Missionary Journey commenced.

While the Lord does not call everyone to the type of ministry the Apostle Paul had, we must make ourselves available for what the Lord want us to do for Him. Are you willing to pray to the Lord, “I will go where you want me to go and I will do what you want me to do.”

Soli deo Gloria!