Acts 19
Introduction
 Acts 2
 The coming of the Spirit
 Acts 19
 The continuing work of the Spirit
 The last recorded incident of people speaking in
tongues
 God establishes his Church in Ephesus
Shrine to Artemis – (Diana)
Goddess of the hunt
 "I have seen the walls and Hanging
Gardens of ancient Babylon, the statue of
Olympian Zeus, the Colossus of Rhodes,
the mighty work of the high Pyramids and
the tomb of Mausolus. But when I saw the
temple at Ephesus rising to the clouds, all
these other wonders were put in the
shade." - Philon of Byzantium
The Great Temple of Artemis
 35 columns had lower
portions carved with
figures in high relief
Ephesus (Cont.)
 The capital of proconsular Asia, 27 BC
 Ephesus entered an era of prosperity.
 It became the seat of the governor,
 a metropolis and a major centre of commerce.
 Second in importance and size only to Rome.
Façade of Library of Celsus
Theatre at Ephesus – holds 25,000
Ephesus (Cont.)
 One of the most advanced aqueduct systems in the
ancient world,
 Jonah 4:11 “But Nineveh has more than a hundred and
twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right
hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I
not be concerned about that great city?"
The Journey
 Acts 18:18-19:1a
 Paul has establish the church at Corinth
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Makes an initial visit to Ephesus
promises to come back if he can
Leaves behind Priscilla and Aquila
 Apollos
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Jew raised in Alexandria
Apollos was well educated and erudite
Maybe author of Hebrews?
The Journey (Cont.)
 Apollos has been preaching about the Messiah,
repentance and the baptism of John at Ephesus
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Then goes on to Corinth
and continues the work Paul started
 Paul returns as promised to Ephesus
 He and Apollos swapped places
 18:24-19:1
 Later Apollos joined him in Ephesus
12 disciples
 V1-7 - Encountered some disciples
 The last of the old testament saints?

Did not know the Holy Spirit had been given
 Paul baptises them and then lays hands on them
 Holy Spirit fills them and they begin to speak in other
languages
12 disciples (Cont.)
 Compare with normal course today
 Hear the word
 Believe and accept Jesus as Saviour & Lord
 Holy Spirit is given as a seal - Eph 1:13
 Then baptised as outward sign of inward change
Speaking in Tongues in Acts
A strategic city
Confirmation of Paul's message
2. Paul's apostleship is confirmed
3. The work in Ephesus needs a special start
1.
Proclamation – V8-11
 Paul went first to the Jews
 He spent 3 months reasoning with them in the
synagogue
 Spoke boldly and persuasively about the Kingdom of
God
 An unusually long time
 suggesting that at least some were receptive to the good
news
 But again the standard pattern - opposition
 Moved next door to the hall of Tyrannus
Proclamation (Cont.)
 Paul maintained his schedule for 2 years
 result was "all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the
province of Asia heard the word of the Lord"
 Are we prepared to find out if others are interested in
learning about Christ and then sharing what we know
with them?
Confirmation – V11-12
 God confirms Paul's ministry
 At this time in the development of the Church
 No New Testament
 Answer - God himself authenticated Paul’s words
Confirmation (Cont.)
 Standard feature of early Apostolic teaching
 2 Cor 12:12-13 The signs of a true apostle were
performed among you with all perseverance, by signs
and wonders and miracles.
 Heb 2:3-4 how shall we escape if we ignore such a great
salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by
the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various
miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed
according to his will.
Confirmation (Cont.)
 Matt 9:20-21 Just then a woman who had been subject
to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and
touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, "If I
only touch his cloak, I will be healed."
 Acts 5:15-16 As a result, people brought the sick into
the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at
least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he
passed by.
Confirmation (Cont.)
 Phil 2:25-27 But I think it is necessary to send back to
you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and
fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you
sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of
you and is distressed because you heard he was ill.
Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy
on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare
me sorrow upon sorrow.
Competition – V13-16
 7 sons of Sceva
 No real power
 Try to do it like Paul does
 Realise just how much power they really have!
Competition (Cont.)
 Magic spells
 just get the right form of words
 or the correct incantation of power
 Not real!
 God is sovereign
Competition (Cont.)
 Deuteronomy 6:5-6 Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength.
 Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly
and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
The church is built – V17-19
 The world had changed
 the practices of the past had no place in God's new order
 50,000 drachmas (pieces of silver)
 1 piece = 1 days wage for an average labourer
 Assuming £15k pa = £3.125m
 Assuming £30k pa = £6.25m
The church is built (Cont.)
 1 Cor 16:8-9
But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great
door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many
who oppose me.
Opposition – V23-41
 Demetrius
 Motivation was financial more than religious
 Stirs up a riot
 Why?
 Maybe to create fear and ill will for the preachers of
Jesus
Opposition (Cont.)
 Paul wanted to go and speak
 It's not always the right time to speak
 City clerk diffused riot
 no crime had been committed
 and that they were in danger of being reported to Rome
for rioting
Endings
 Great Temple of Artemis was destroyed during a raid
by the Goths in 268 A.D.
 The temple was rebuilt again, but in 391 it was closed
by the Emperor Theodosius the Great after he made
Christianity the state religion.
 The final temple was destroyed by a Christian mob in
401 A.D. and the stones were recycled into other
buildings.
Site of the temple today
St John in Ephesus
 By 67AD John was based in Ephesus
 led the churches in Asia Minor
 Gospel of John may have been written here
 Exiled to Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelation
 Returned after the death of Emperor Domitian
The tomb of St John
Bringing the Gospel
 When Paul brought the Gospel to Ephesus he did not
attack Artemis directly.
 Confronted the assumptions that lay at the root of
idolatry.
 The message and the power of the living Saviour
revealed the emptiness of idolatry.
 We too should bring clear presentation of the gospel
 God's love for a fallen world