Several thoughts here before reading compare this with today’s western church with all the hype, fame and money.
Here we need titles and accolades to give us power there they just needed the Holy Spirit and His power.
Paul was beginning to be known by the evil spirit are we known?
When he wasn’t received at the synagogue because of the kingdom and the power they just went to a meeting place and continued teaching there for 2 more years.
How long has it been because of someone getting free from a demon do you hear of people getting rid of all their occult books and music by burning them.
Here we grow bigger buildings and ministries there it was the word of God was powerful and grew mightily.
Acts 19
J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)
Ephesus has its own Pentecost
19 1-2 While Apollos was in Corinth Paul journeyed through the upper parts of the country and arrived at Ephesus. There he discovered some disciples, and he asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” “No”, they replied, “we have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 “Well then, how were you baptised?” asked Paul. “We were baptised with John’s baptism,” they replied.
4 “John’s baptism was a baptism to show a change of heart,” Paul explained, “but he always told the people that they must believe in the one who should come after him, that is, in Jesus.”
5-7 When these men heard this they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus, and then, when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they began to speak with tongues and the inspiration of prophets. (There were about twelve of them in all.)
Paul’s two-year ministry at Ephesus
8-12 Then Paul made his way into the synagogue there and for three months he spoke with the utmost confidence, using both argument and persuasion as he talked of the kingdom of God.
But when some of them hardened in their attitude towards the message and refused to believe it, and, what is more, spoke offensively about the Way in public, Paul left them, and withdrew his disciples, and held daily discussions in the lecture-hall of Tyrannus.
He continued this practice for two years, so that all who lived in Asia, both Greeks and Jews, could hear the Lord’s message. God gave most unusual demonstrations of power through Paul’s hands, so much so that people took to the sick any handkerchiefs or small-clothes which had been in contact with his body, and they were cured of their diseases and their evil spirits left them.
The violence of evil and the power of the “name”
13-20 But there were some itinerant Jewish exorcists who attempted to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus when dealing with those who had evil spirits. They would say, “I command you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches.”
Seven brothers, sons of a chief priest called Sceva, were engaged in this practice on one occasion, when the evil spirit answered, “Jesus I know, and I am acquainted with Paul, but who on earth are you?” And the man in whom the evil spirit was living sprang at them and over-powered them all with such violence that they rushed out of that house wounded, with their clothes torn off their backs.
This incident became known to all the Jews and Greeks who were living in Ephesus, and a great sense of awe came over them all, while the name of the Lord Jesus became highly respected.
Many of those who had professed their faith began openly to admit their former practices. A number of those who had previously practised magic collected their books and burned them publicly.
(They estimated the value of these books and found it to be no less than five thousand pounds) In this way the Word of the Lord continued to grow irresistibly in power and influence.
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Scott Stimson Ministries International