Acts 19
Bible Passage: Acts 19
“This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.” ~ Acts 19:17
This refers to the incident where the evil spirit jumped out of a possessed man onto the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish priest – and gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house bleeding and naked.
This situation could have been very funny … except that it was dealing with a matter of deadly seriousness.
Ever since the world began, it is always a story about the clash of kingdoms.
Dark versus Light. Good versus Bad.
But ever since the True Light stepped into the world (John 1:9), Darkness has been trembling since.
When Jesus came, He plucked sinners out of the kingdom of darkness and put them into His kingdom of Light. Jesus perpetually leads His people victorious and He promises us the final victory will be His!
We need to be reminded of this…. mainly because we still see a lot of darkness in this world. Sometimes, it seems and feels as if evil has the upper had. Our lives is an uphill struggle and a life of victory seems just like a distant hope. There are times, because we happened to get caught in the cross fire between the clashing kingdoms, we end up injured and in pain. All we want is just some relief.
That is why it is important to immerse ourselves in the stories of darkness being humiliated by the light, as in the chapter that we are reading today.
The Gospel demolished a stronghold of Satan in Ephesus.
Paul, his co-workers and fellow believers all faced vicious opposition from various sources. Yet, through it all, Jesus won every power clash against the enemy. Extraordinary miracles were taking place, people were being healed and delivered. And evil spirits were being roundly defeated.
The result?
“The name of the Lord Jesus was magnified”!
Stories like Acts 19 give us the knowledge and faith we need to endure every clash between God and Satan and to emerge victorious from them.
Regardless of what side an attack comes from – relationships, health, work, matters of the heart and mind, or any other arena of life – we need to know that th power of Jesus is overwhelmingly able to defeat the enemy.
If only we can persist in our faith, we will eventually see an amazing phenomenon both within us and around us: darkness dissipating, unable to maintain its influence in the face of the Light…. until we have ultimate Victory in Jesus!
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appleofHiseye
…”Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”
At the reading of these words in this verse, it sent shivers down my spine. This sharing was a good reminder that Satan is working hard to destroy us, while God is working for our good and salvation. It’s something that I wouldn’t be aware of right now in the midst of busy-ness unless I am reminded of because I am so forgetful. It’s good that we have our weekly sermons and daily (or as often as possible) Bible readings to keep our spiritual health in check.
As the days of the new year go by, I really hope to find the strength to keep choosing God. I find that in circumstances that we choose to submit to God, He will give us the victory. Sometimes I end up passing by the TV, and my eyes become glued to the TV but I know my conscience tells me to go back to work. Sometimes I might think negatively about someone, but I know I shouldn’t have such thoughts. In these moments, it is hard to control ourselves but choosing to do the right thing is like a small victory.
Thank you for sharing the hymn…it’s a nice hymn and good reminder to keep fighting!
PS
Acts 18:27 recorded that Apollos greatly desired to cross over from Ephesus to Achaia after Aquila and Prsicilla preached the complete gospel to him. Was Apollos searching for Paul to follow him? Paul was in Corith, which was in Achaea. Is Achaea the same as Achaia?
For the disciples whom Paul met in Ephesus, they were baptized into John’s baptism. Was Apollos (Acts 18:25) the one who preached the baptism of John to them?
If yes, i wonder why Apollos did not return to them to share with them the baptism of Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit after he received the complete gospel.
Lord Jesus did not leave them stranded. He sent Paul to them. Those who diligently seek God will definitely be rewarded (Hebrews 11:6)
Acts 19:17 …the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
Acts 19:20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
The chinese bible records Acts 19:20 in an interesting way:
So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed
主的道大大兴旺， 而且得胜，就是这样.
Yes, the interesting part is these 4 words就是这样.
就是怎样？这样啰：
“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit!” (Zech 4:6)
Acts 19:11 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul.