The miracles and signs and wonders are back!
There are many interesting and amazing things happening in this chapter of Acts.
First, Paul goes to Ephesus and spends two years there. In the previous chapter he had passed through Ephesus and they had asked him to stay, but he declined and said that if it is the Lord's will he will return. So obviously it wasn't the Lords will at that point, but now it was. It is also interesting because Ephesus is in Asia where back in Chapter 16 the Holy Spirit had forbidden him to speak. So one important lesson is that sometimes when God says "No" it may be for a period of time and then later he says "Yes." God is working on situations, people's lives and our own lives in ways that we don't always know or understand. But when we obey his leading, then we can have life, success and his help as we go forward.
The next thing of interest is that the believers in Ephesus only had heard of John's baptism in water, and not in Jesus' name and not the baptism of the Holy Spirit. As we saw in the previous chapter, this was probably because Apollos who had been preaching there wasn't aware of these things at that point. So Paul baptized them in Jesus' name and then laid hands on them and the Holy Spirit came upon them. The two distinct steps are important to see ( 1) baptism in Jesus name 2) hands laid on and receive Holy Spirit) though of course the Holy Spirit works in different ways and we've seen times in Acts where people received the Holy Spirit just as Peter was preaching and they were baptized afterwards. So 1) it is important not to reduce the Holy Spirit to some formula and 2) we should look for and ask for being baptized in the Holy Spirit if he is missing from our lives.
"God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 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." (19:11-12) That is an amazing work of God and reminds me of how God was working through Peter in Acts 6:15-16 where people would be healed when Peter's shadow fell on them as he walked by. These were periods where God was doing amazing miracles. This is another lesson to learn that there are periods of time when God is reaching out his hand and doing amazing things and then there are times when he is choosing not to be working so actively. We can only pray and follow along with what God is doing.
This chapter has a lot of interesting things to say about deliverance from demonic powers. This of course is a topic that many Christians aren't comfortable with, but it was a major part of Jesus' ministry and the ministry of the Apostles. First there is the very interesting account of the seven sons of Sceva. I find it strange that there even existed "itinerant Jewish exorcists". I guess they were persons who saw the need and must have had situations where an evil spirit (demon) at least appeared to leave (otherwise they wouldn't be exorcists). It makes me wonder what was actually happening in the other cases. Since these men clearly didn't have a relationship with Jesus and didn't have much if any spiritual authority, then in other encounters either the demons were simply pretending to leave or perhaps they were very weak, low authority demons (the latter doesn't seem likely). At any rate, it is interesting that the demon answered "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" The fact that the demon knew of Paul reminds me of the authority that Pastor Gordon had and Debbie has when praying for deliverance. I have experienced situations where demons start to flee even before they start to pray. Their years of prayer and accompanying authority from God cause the evil spirits to flee more than when others pray.
The next interesting thing from this situation is that it caused 1) fear to fall on Jews and Greeks 2) the name of Jesus to be extolled and 3) believers to confess their magic practices. On the last point, the believers up to this point probably thought that the magic was no big deal, it wasn't real and they didn't need to do anything about it. I believe we are in such a condition in the church today. Magic has become so commonplace in our culture today with movies and books playing with it, children's TV and education now have woven through them characters with magic powers, and even books and media extolled by some as "Christian" (Narnia, Tolkien, etc) are filled with magic. And most Christians are completely blind to the problem. They think that it is no big deal, it isn't real magic, "it's just a story or allegory". The problem is that there is a total lack of spiritual discernment. The scripture is clear that 1) the devil, demons and magic are real 2) we are not to have anything to do with them 3) our lives will be negatively affected if we disregard #2.
I won't go into a proof of #1 at this point since it should be clear as we read Acts and other Scriptures. For #2 we have this example in Acts 19; Deuteronomy 18:9-14 lists magic arts that are forbidden and that we should not listen to those who practice them; Exodus 23:13 says to not even speak the name of the false gods; Rev 21:8; 22:15 list those who practice magic as being excluded from the kingdom of God. I've had some say to me "but the movies aren't real magic - it is just pretend". But one could make the same argument about the sexual scenes - they are just acting it is pretend. The scripture however says "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness" (Ephesians 5:11 - emphasis added). It continues that it is shameful to even mention what the shameful do in secret.
I've also heard the argument that these authors aren't practicing magic and they don't even know what magic is that they are just writing out of their creative imaginations and using magic as a device to communicate the struggles of good vs evil or inner struggles etc. The huge problem with this is that it is again very lacking in spiritual discernment. If you have ever read authors talking about how they get "inspired" or how they write, they will often talk about a "muse" or something that just comes upon them and they write (even the language of "inspiration" and "muse" is very spiritual). The fact is that our imaginations are greatly affected and influenced by spiritual forces - both good and bad. God does speak to people via his Spirit (usually those who have a relationship with him), but also Satan and his evil spirits are speaking (1 Jn 4:1 - we are commanded to test the spirits - and in this context of those who are speaking in the church - can you say Narnia? Tolkien?). Take a look at the "art" inspired in most tattoo shops and you can see clearly what the origin of that inspiration is. Take a look at Harry Potter, the current fascination with werewolves, vampires, magic etc etc and guess what that inspiration comes from.
For a Christian to think that they can ignore the clear teaching of scripture and the commands to stay away from magic and witchcraft but instead watch it, take it into their houses and participate with it; and then think that they will not be negatively affected... Clearly there is a lack of the fear of God as is exemplified by the believers in Acts 19 until the very dramatic event occurred. I can go into a long discussion on what the Bible says are the negative effects, but I'll save that for another time.
Father, I pray that you will open our eyes to see so that we will take these things seriously and respond as the believers in Acts 19 and turn from our ignorance and error and find forgiveness from you. I also pray that we have a healthy fear of God to keep us from sin and keep us following you with all of our hearts. Lord Jesus, have mercy on us!
There is much more that could be said about the riot in Ephesus, but for now I'll just say that it is a good example of people being influenced by evil spiritual powers that they are unaware of. We see that the influence can be quite pervasive and it isn't something rational since the origin is spiritual.
Lord Jesus, I pray that you give me spiritual discernment to see the ways that devil tries to deceive and work his way into my life and the lives of those you have given me. Help me to expose the evil and turn from it so that I can be completely free in you and that I can bring your freedom to those around me. Open our eyes to see and give us hearts that yearn only for you.
There are many interesting and amazing things happening in this chapter of Acts.
First, Paul goes to Ephesus and spends two years there. In the previous chapter he had passed through Ephesus and they had asked him to stay, but he declined and said that if it is the Lord's will he will return. So obviously it wasn't the Lords will at that point, but now it was. It is also interesting because Ephesus is in Asia where back in Chapter 16 the Holy Spirit had forbidden him to speak. So one important lesson is that sometimes when God says "No" it may be for a period of time and then later he says "Yes." God is working on situations, people's lives and our own lives in ways that we don't always know or understand. But when we obey his leading, then we can have life, success and his help as we go forward.
The next thing of interest is that the believers in Ephesus only had heard of John's baptism in water, and not in Jesus' name and not the baptism of the Holy Spirit. As we saw in the previous chapter, this was probably because Apollos who had been preaching there wasn't aware of these things at that point. So Paul baptized them in Jesus' name and then laid hands on them and the Holy Spirit came upon them. The two distinct steps are important to see ( 1) baptism in Jesus name 2) hands laid on and receive Holy Spirit) though of course the Holy Spirit works in different ways and we've seen times in Acts where people received the Holy Spirit just as Peter was preaching and they were baptized afterwards. So 1) it is important not to reduce the Holy Spirit to some formula and 2) we should look for and ask for being baptized in the Holy Spirit if he is missing from our lives.
"God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 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." (19:11-12) That is an amazing work of God and reminds me of how God was working through Peter in Acts 6:15-16 where people would be healed when Peter's shadow fell on them as he walked by. These were periods where God was doing amazing miracles. This is another lesson to learn that there are periods of time when God is reaching out his hand and doing amazing things and then there are times when he is choosing not to be working so actively. We can only pray and follow along with what God is doing.
This chapter has a lot of interesting things to say about deliverance from demonic powers. This of course is a topic that many Christians aren't comfortable with, but it was a major part of Jesus' ministry and the ministry of the Apostles. First there is the very interesting account of the seven sons of Sceva. I find it strange that there even existed "itinerant Jewish exorcists". I guess they were persons who saw the need and must have had situations where an evil spirit (demon) at least appeared to leave (otherwise they wouldn't be exorcists). It makes me wonder what was actually happening in the other cases. Since these men clearly didn't have a relationship with Jesus and didn't have much if any spiritual authority, then in other encounters either the demons were simply pretending to leave or perhaps they were very weak, low authority demons (the latter doesn't seem likely). At any rate, it is interesting that the demon answered "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" The fact that the demon knew of Paul reminds me of the authority that Pastor Gordon had and Debbie has when praying for deliverance. I have experienced situations where demons start to flee even before they start to pray. Their years of prayer and accompanying authority from God cause the evil spirits to flee more than when others pray.
The next interesting thing from this situation is that it caused 1) fear to fall on Jews and Greeks 2) the name of Jesus to be extolled and 3) believers to confess their magic practices. On the last point, the believers up to this point probably thought that the magic was no big deal, it wasn't real and they didn't need to do anything about it. I believe we are in such a condition in the church today. Magic has become so commonplace in our culture today with movies and books playing with it, children's TV and education now have woven through them characters with magic powers, and even books and media extolled by some as "Christian" (Narnia, Tolkien, etc) are filled with magic. And most Christians are completely blind to the problem. They think that it is no big deal, it isn't real magic, "it's just a story or allegory". The problem is that there is a total lack of spiritual discernment. The scripture is clear that 1) the devil, demons and magic are real 2) we are not to have anything to do with them 3) our lives will be negatively affected if we disregard #2.
I won't go into a proof of #1 at this point since it should be clear as we read Acts and other Scriptures. For #2 we have this example in Acts 19; Deuteronomy 18:9-14 lists magic arts that are forbidden and that we should not listen to those who practice them; Exodus 23:13 says to not even speak the name of the false gods; Rev 21:8; 22:15 list those who practice magic as being excluded from the kingdom of God. I've had some say to me "but the movies aren't real magic - it is just pretend". But one could make the same argument about the sexual scenes - they are just acting it is pretend. The scripture however says "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness" (Ephesians 5:11 - emphasis added). It continues that it is shameful to even mention what the shameful do in secret.
I've also heard the argument that these authors aren't practicing magic and they don't even know what magic is that they are just writing out of their creative imaginations and using magic as a device to communicate the struggles of good vs evil or inner struggles etc. The huge problem with this is that it is again very lacking in spiritual discernment. If you have ever read authors talking about how they get "inspired" or how they write, they will often talk about a "muse" or something that just comes upon them and they write (even the language of "inspiration" and "muse" is very spiritual). The fact is that our imaginations are greatly affected and influenced by spiritual forces - both good and bad. God does speak to people via his Spirit (usually those who have a relationship with him), but also Satan and his evil spirits are speaking (1 Jn 4:1 - we are commanded to test the spirits - and in this context of those who are speaking in the church - can you say Narnia? Tolkien?). Take a look at the "art" inspired in most tattoo shops and you can see clearly what the origin of that inspiration is. Take a look at Harry Potter, the current fascination with werewolves, vampires, magic etc etc and guess what that inspiration comes from.
For a Christian to think that they can ignore the clear teaching of scripture and the commands to stay away from magic and witchcraft but instead watch it, take it into their houses and participate with it; and then think that they will not be negatively affected... Clearly there is a lack of the fear of God as is exemplified by the believers in Acts 19 until the very dramatic event occurred. I can go into a long discussion on what the Bible says are the negative effects, but I'll save that for another time.
Father, I pray that you will open our eyes to see so that we will take these things seriously and respond as the believers in Acts 19 and turn from our ignorance and error and find forgiveness from you. I also pray that we have a healthy fear of God to keep us from sin and keep us following you with all of our hearts. Lord Jesus, have mercy on us!
There is much more that could be said about the riot in Ephesus, but for now I'll just say that it is a good example of people being influenced by evil spiritual powers that they are unaware of. We see that the influence can be quite pervasive and it isn't something rational since the origin is spiritual.
Lord Jesus, I pray that you give me spiritual discernment to see the ways that devil tries to deceive and work his way into my life and the lives of those you have given me. Help me to expose the evil and turn from it so that I can be completely free in you and that I can bring your freedom to those around me. Open our eyes to see and give us hearts that yearn only for you.
As I realized the religious origin of Yoga, I threw away the Yoga mat and ball Hanlin used to use. The way was not good, because I did this without telling her beforehand. Later I paid back the money to her, tried to explain the problems of practicing Yoga, and I said I wanted to protect her and our family. But she did not understand and believe what I said, and complained about my behavior many times. As a husband, I need to make righteous decision and take actions in these situations. I believe she can understand me gradually.
ReplyDeleteFor the riot in Ephesus, verse 32, “Most of the people did not even know why they were there.” I agree with your comment, “people being influenced by evil spiritual powers that they are unaware of.” From the news, I know there are tens of thousands of riots (or civil disorders) in our living places, and the riots in most cases cannot resolve the conflicts and problems, and even make the cases worse. As I know, some people regret about their participations when they realized that the riots make cases worse. Lord Jesus, please give me and others direction on how to do and what to do if the riots happen around us.
The riot in Acts 19 reminds me a lot of when Stephen is martyred in Acts 7. Verse 57 states... "But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse."
ReplyDeleteCompare this to Acts 19:28-29a: "When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus..."
Also, I am reminded of examples of escalating protests and demonstrations in Muslim countries where the crowds will chant "Allahu Akbar!"