Verses 1-2 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, 2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
Once again the Apostle Paul returns to the city of Ephesus and this time he encounters disciples that he has not mentored. Why did he ask these disciples this question? Because throughout the New Testament converts were baptized in the name of the LORD Jesus Christ as soon as they repented and accepted the lordship of Jesus Christ in their lives and then they received power from on high. This was the pattern established on the day of Pentecost 50 days after the ascension of Jesus up into Heaven. Remember that the Apostle Peter answered the crowd as recorded in chapter two of Acts in his first major sermon when they asked what they had to do to be saved. He commanded them to do three things, the number three in Scripture representing perfection. They were to repent, to be baptized, and to be filled with the Holy Ghost/Spirit. This pattern continued as recorded in the books of the New Testament. So the disciples above had never heard of receiving the Holy Ghost.
Application: Perhaps the reason that churches in the western world today are weak and ineffective is because this pattern as established by God right from the start of the Church on the day of Pentecost has not been followed. People convert and often wait weeks, months, or years before being obedient and entering the waters of baptism. Some are never baptized. And then pastors and laymen use the Catholic mantra, “I baptize you in the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit.” They never use the name of Jesus which Scripture teaches is the source of power. And the use of titles is pointless. One could baptize in the name of the mayor, the governor, and the president and get the same results: no spiritual power to heal, cast out devils, and so forth. Perhaps it is time for the Church to start being obedient to the Word of the LORD.
Verses 3-4 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. 4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
The trouble with John the Baptist’s act of baptism was that, because Jesus Christ had not yet come forth in ministry and had not yet died, rose again, ascended into Heaven, and then sent His Ghost which was the promised Comforter to His children, John’s converts had been baptized without the name of Jesus and although they were indeed saved from sin, death, and Hell, they lacked the power of the Holy Ghost/Spirit as evidenced by speaking in tongues and performing miracles in the name of Jesus. So these disciples the Apostle Paul met had not received the Comforter or the supernatural power that comes with the very presence of the LORD Jesus dwelling in each converted Christian believer.
Verses 5-7 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. 7 And all the men were about twelve.
So to remedy the situation, these disciples were baptized a second time but this time in the name of Jesus. Then they received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and the power that His presence brings.
Application: Scripture teaches that there are two baptisms for the Christian believer. The first is water baptism in the name of the LORD Jesus Christ, and the second baptism is the infilling of the Holy Ghost/Spirit. It does matter that many denominational establishment churches today teach that the filling of a believer by Jesus’ Ghost was for the apostolic church and is not relevant today because these churches are being disobedient to what the Apostle Peter preached in Acts chapter two and they are without power and unable to be very effective in a sinful world. Believers cannot agree and accept one part of the Bible and disregard other parts they disagree with. This writer has witnessed evangelists ministering in foreign countries make converts through the power of the LORD Jesus Christ, immediately baptize them in water, and then see them receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost as evidenced by speaking in tongues and praising the LORD Jesus Christ. It appears that people in foreign lands, particularly those in poorer countries, have not been told that what they experience is not for them in these modern times.
Verse 8 And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.
Once again the Apostle Paul witnesses and preaches the Gospel in the synagogue to the Jews attending there as well as to any Gentiles he encounters in the city. And the Church at Ephesus must have been growing in numbers as people’s lives were changed by the power of the Holy Ghost. This would no doubt have come to the attention of the rejecting Jews.
Verses 9-10 But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. 10 And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
The Greek word translated as “divers” is “tis” and it means a certain one or some. So when some of the men were “skleruno” which means to become obstinate or stubborn, the Apostle Paul found another place to continue his teaching ministry, a school where he was welcome which was run by an Ephesian whose name means “sovereign”.
Verses 11-12 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: 12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
The Apostle Paul was so committed to Jesus and to spreading the Gospel that he lived and breathed the power of the Holy Ghost, so much so that the presence of the LORD inhabited the very clothing that he wore. His every waking moment was infused with the presence of Jesus Christ manifesting as the Holy Ghost.
Application: This writer has experienced ministries professing to be Christian who send out “prayer cloths” that are supposed to do miraculous things such as heal the person receiving them. The instructions are to wear the cloth somewhere on the body next to the skin and wait for the miracle. Well, although this is patterned after the verses above and perhaps in some cases the LORD may heal a person this way, the verse above clearly states that “God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul”. It does not imply that this method of healing was to continue into the 21st century. Paul is no longer walking this Earth and no where else in the New Testament is this practice found to have happened in any other city that the Apostle Paul or the other apostles ministered. So reader, beware of who or what you put your trust in. Your trust should only be in the LORD Jesus Christ who is very capable of answering your prayer for healing without any help from external devices or any organization, Christian or otherwise.
Verses 13-14 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. 14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
The Greek word translated as “vagabond” is “perierchomai” and it means to go about, wanderers, or strollers. These were Jews that traveled around claiming to have supernatural power but who were operating with occult power. They were earning their living by conjuring up evil spirits and supposedly expelling them from the people paying them to do so. They were using magic rituals. So apparently, since the Apostle Paul was successful in setting people free from the bondage of devil possession and oppression by the use of a piece of cloth or by using the name of Jesus, they decided to do the same thing, no doubt expecting to reap a greater income. So these seven sons of the most prominent Jewish priest attempted to cast out an evil spirit.
Application: Notice in the verses above that the seven sons were the children of the chief Jewish priest in the town. One has to wonder what religious system or training these boys were under when growing up in Sceva’s home. Apparently, they were not raised in the teachings of Moses. Since the Jews of Jesus’ day and of the early Church days (and today) were practitioners under the doctrines of the Babylonian Talmud which incorporates witchcraft in its practices, it makes sense that these boys did not understand the Gospel and the power of the Holy Ghost. The name Sceva means “mind reader”.
Verses 15-17 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? 16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
Evil spirits talk through the vocal cords of the people they inhabit. This writer has experienced this and can attest to the fact that when confronted, they will speak. In this case, the evil spirit acknowledged Jesus and the Apostle Paul because the spirit knew who they were and was afraid of the Apostle Paul who had the Holy Ghost dwelling inside of him. But it had no fear of these exorcists and so merely physically attacked all of them. Only through supernatural power could one man beat up seven healthy young men and strip them of their clothing. As a result of this incident, people were more willing to listen to the preaching of the Word and the LORD Jesus was glorified and made great among the people.
Application: What Satan and his devils do to impede the spreading of the Gospel, the LORD uses for good. In the incident above, seven servants of Satan created a situation in which the evil spirit was able to display its power over them which frightened the people of Ephesus so that they sought the LORD Jesus Christ.
Verses 18-20 And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. 19 Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.
Witches create and keep books of their spells and potions and the outcomes of their activities called a book of shadows. Perhaps it was these books that were burned. The Greek word translated as “curious arts” is “periergos” and it means of magic arts. Fifty thousand pieces of silver was a lot of money to burn up. So there was a whole lot of witchcraft going on in the city of Ephesus. Satan was being defeated day by day as long as the Apostle Paul was present.
Application: This writer has sat for many years in various churches and has never heard a sermon teaching the congregation how to recognize and deal with witchcraft and evil spirits. Yet the early church dealt with these evil spirits on a regular basis, defeated them through the power of the Holy Ghost, and as a result people were born again and saved from sin, death, and Hell and churches were planted in each city which grew to evangelize the regions around them. This was the purpose of the Church: preach the Gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out devils. The world was changed in just a few short years by the Apostle Paul, the other apostles, and all the congregations that came into being in the Churches that were planted. Satan and his fallen angels were being defeated daily. Look around today. Is there a problem? Has the Church abdicated its God-mandated job? Has Satan risen up because there is little or no opposition from the people of God?
Verses 21-22 After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome. 22 So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season.
The name Erastus means “beloved” and this man was a companion of the Apostle Paul and a fellow worker in the ministry. So Timothy and Erastus left the Apostle Paul for a time, but Paul tarried for a little longer for reasons not explained here.
Verses 23-27 And the same time there arose no small stir about that way. 24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen; 25 Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. 26 Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands: 27 So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.
Satan was being defeated in Ephesus and the surrounding region, so he had to launch an attack in an attempt to thwart the further spreading of the Gospel and he used merchants to do so. The name Demetrius means “belonging to Ceres” who was the Roman goddess of agriculture. This man made idols to the goddess Diana and sold them to the pagan people. As more and more people were converted to Christianity, his business was being negatively affected and his bottom line was diminishing as a result. Since other silversmiths were also losing customers and money, he met with them and they conspired to attack the Apostle Paul and any other men who were part of the Faith or what was termed “the way”. Diana was a Roman fertility goddess, also know in the Greek culture as Artemis.
Verses 28-29 And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. 29 And the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre.
The theatre would have been a place in which games, dramatic performances, and public assemblies took place. It would have held a large number of people. So these silversmiths grabbed the first Christian men they found and forced them into the theatre.
Verses 30-31 And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not. 31 And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre.
The Apostle Paul wanted to go to his fellow ministers and speak to the people, but he was not allowed to enter the theatre by the Ephesian disciples as they knew he could be harmed by the mob. Once again the LORD Jesus was fulfilling His promise to the Apostle Paul that no one would be able to harm him. His ministry was not over yet and so the LORD protected him.
Application: Christian believers are exposed to the fearmongering that governments around the world use to control the masses, and so Christian believers can become fearful as they see the end-time events happening in real time today. But just like the Apostle Paul, no one and no thing can harm a true servant of God while engaged in ministry for the Kingdom. That is not to say that trials, tribulations or hardships will not come along. They will. But a believer’s breath is in the hands of God Almighty and physical life will not cease until God wants to take the believer home to Heaven. So be not afraid. Trust Jesus Christ.
Verses 32-34 Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. 33 And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people. 34 But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
The mob was out of control and being led by evil spirits. So they began chanting and yelling for two hours. Their voices must have become hoarse, but when evil spirits drive people they cannot stop what they are doing and they cannot be reasoned with.
Verses 35-37 And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly. 37 For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess.
The townclerk would have been a public servant and/or a scribe and therefore a person respected by the Ephesians and he was finally able to be heard and to reason with the people who must have been tired out with all their emotional energy being drained by their yelling and by their anger.
Verses 38-41 Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another. 39 But if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly. 40 For we are in danger to be called in question for this day’s uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse. 41 And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly. (Acts 19)
The townclerk offered the silversmiths to bring their complaint to court and procede in a lawful manner in a lawful assembly. And then he reminded them that Roman authorities would not be pleased with the uproar that had occurred. The threat of Roman intervention into local matters was usually enough to quiet down the mobs as the power of Rome was something to be feared. So the mob dispersed and went their separate ways.