Missionary Training - Acts 20

20 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. ² He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, ³ where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. ⁴ He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. ⁵ These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. ⁶ But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

Paul continues on westward, back to Athens and Corinth.  He had only previously been in Athens for a short while.  He is constantly having to alter his plans because of Jews who plot against him.  He is also traveling with a seven or eight companions, each from churches that have been planted on previous missionary trips.  These are fellow missionaries now who have come from those church plants.  Luke is also traveling with him at this time.  Paul is visiting all the churches that he can that he has helped plant since he will not be coming back.

This is a training time for the people traveling with him.  Just as Jesus had discipled the twelve, Paul is discipling these men.  Counting Luke who travels closely with Paul, there are seven of them in the group.  They are learning how to be a missionary to other communities as Paul is, how to teach the message and how to encourage the churches.  I’m also sure they are learning how to exist in faith daily in the face of confrontation and opposition. 

Today the church does, in my opinion, a terrible job at preparing their congregations at how to live daily in faith.  It is difficult to point to an area of the church daily operations and see how faith works.  If someone asked me to show them faith, what could I point to at the church that they could observe and see faith?  How does the church demonstrate what living daily in faith actually looks like and how does it provide support channels to assist in that daily living?  Too many churches want people’s help to support their programs and their work, but offer little to support the actual daily, sometimes hourly, needs of the work of an individual member – which might be just as an important calling as that of the church’s programs.

Riot in Ephesus - Mobs and Free Speech - Acts 19

²³ About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. ²⁴ A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. ²⁵ He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. ²⁶ And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.²⁷ There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”

²⁸ When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. ³⁰ Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him.³¹ Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.

As the Jewish priests often did, these silversmiths create a riot based on their ability to make money.  When the message of Jesus gets into people’s pocketbooks, it creates division.  People who do not believe are often tolerate of Christians and the gospel message until it affects their security.  Believing in Jesus is a decision of security.  When someone believes, truly believes, their security is in Jesus and His work in the death on the cross and His resurrection.  Their security is knowing that He has borne all of their sins upon Himself and He alone did this work and it is finished!  He holds their keys to heaven and eternal security.  For the non-believer, their security is whatever they can do now on earth in this physical life.  So they greatly oppose and fight anyone or thing that affects their effort to provide their own security.

The whole basis of this riot is that their “trade will lose its good name”.  If the idol of Artemis is removed then everyone who comes to Ephesus for the idol artifacts made from silver will not buy them.  Their livelihood depended upon people’s worship to Artemis.  Artemis is the image of Diana.  It is not the Diana of the Greeks, but a multi-breasted oriental type Diana that is not a graceful image.  This temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.  It was the largest Greek temple ever built.

³² The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there.³³ The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. ³⁴ But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵ The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven?³⁶ Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. ³⁷ You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. ³⁸ If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. ³⁹ If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. ⁴⁰ As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.”⁴¹ After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

Notice that the mob does not grant Alexander free speech.  They refuse to allow him to speak.  This is what mob rule does.  It crushes freedom.  Also notice that a mob catches within it many people who don’t know why they are there.  But, once they are in it, it is hard to get out of it.  Back in WWII, there were many Germans that had no interest in being at war and certainly not in slaughtering Jews.  But once they had gotten caught up into the “mob” of the Nazis, there was no way out apart from dying.  They had lost their ability to free speech and freedom as much as those who actually actively opposed the Germans. 

Finally, a city clerk is allowed to speak.  The city clerk is not named, but he is a strong voice of reason.  He settles them down so they can realize what they are doing.  The laws of the ordered society are able to rule.  This is a testimony of an ordered society, something that America is losing with the political attacks on police officers and biased judges that try to make laws from the bench.  There is a sect of the public that seek to demonstrate and even riot over anything they deem to be unfair.  My hope is that America will stay an ordered society and the laws will prevail. 

The People in Ephesus Confess - Acts 19

¹⁷ When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. ¹⁸ Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. ¹⁹ A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. ²⁰ In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

The people are fearful that an evil spirit declared that he knew Jesus and about Paul and beat these Jewish sons of the priest nearly to death.  This invalidated any opposition to Paul’s preaching.  Suddenly there is a “realness” to the name of God and the Lord Jesus whom Paul preached.  People are confessing and repenting.  This instance of repentance from sorcery is selected to show the commitment.  A drachma was equivalent to a single day’s wage, so this would be equivalent to 50,000 day wages.  To compare to today, if you made $100/day, then this is equal to $5 million dollars.  Other texts indicate 50,000 pieces of silver.  That would be around $12,000 today.  While we may not know the exact equivalent in today’s dollars, it’s a lot of money, yet the people are “seized with fear” over the power of Jesus and “selling out” for the gospel.

What would need to happen today for people to realize that Jesus was real?  What would invalidate all the opposition to God?  Usually we consider severe weather or some natural disaster is necessary.  What if an evil spirit within someone was caught on video?  Maybe the supernatural healing of someone?  I can say with surety that I really do not know.

²¹ After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.” ²² He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.

Paul is going to go back towards Corinth and has a desire to go to Rome.  We see Timothy again and get the idea that Timothy and Erastus have been with him as he has stayed in Ephesus.

Evil Spirit - Acts 19

¹³ Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” ¹⁴ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

Why would a Jewish chief priest’s sons be trying to cast out evil spirits in the name of Jesus, whom they did not believe?  They obviously wanted the prestige of the power but didn’t want to yield their position to Jesus.  Paul is a miracle producing message of Jesus, so they try to emulate him but without believing.  This does not work.  I wonder how many people will try this after they die.  They will invoke the name of Jesus to be saved to heaven but they have never believed and accepted Jesus as the Son of God and His sacrifice for salvation.  We should be sure today that we are depending solely upon Jesus for salvation from our sins and nothing else.  It is Jesus or nothing.

The evil spirit talks to these men.  He says he knows Jesus and about Paul.  Isn’t it interesting how the evil spirits all know Jesus?  Yet they still oppose Him.  Doesn’t it seem like they would lay down their destruction and seek Him?  I believe that this is further proof of the finality of death to an eternal future.  The choice we make now is an eternal choice.  If we choose not to believe in Jesus, there is a place that is separated from God, a place of fire and brimstone and gnashing of teeth; it is hell.  If we choose to believe in Jesus, there is a place with a heavenly choir where everyone praises the living Lord and His Son Jesus and they live in communion with their God and God with His children.  This decision is real and it has consequences.

What surprises me about the evil spirits and demons written about in the Bible is they all know Jesus, Who He is, and they all obey His command.  They do not fight against His Word.  Yet, somehow, they are absolutely against His will.  There is this element inside of every human.  There is something deep inside that wants our will and not anyone else’s or God’s.  We are never closer to hell than when we are living completely in our will.  If someone is following God's commands but living in their will, that person is an evil spirit.  This is the description for the Jewish high council in Jerusalem and in this story, the sons of the Jewish chief priest. 

The Power of the Spirit in Paul - Acts 19

⁸ Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

From his experiences at Corinth, Paul is very willing to leave the synagogues and find new places to preach and teach.  This is the new dimension of his ministry.  There is a sense where Paul has crossed over the need to be in the synagogues at all.  At first, he was zealous for all of his kinsmen, fellow Jews, to be saved and he would preach fervently to them to the point of their violence against him.  He would preach first to the Jews then to the Gentiles.  But now, when the Jews get “obstinate” and purposely oppose him, he is quick to move out of their location and preach to the Gentiles primarily and do it in a non-Jewish location. 

He preached for two years.  “All the Jews and Greeks … heard the Word of the Lord.”  This is an incredible statement.  Paul was very effective at getting the message of the gospel out in Ephesus.  The church at Colossae was most likely formed at this time from his time in Ephesus.

¹¹ God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, ¹² so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

Paul is obviously full of the Holy Spirit during this time.  God is with Him in a powerful and great way.  Like Peter, Paul is experiencing miracles being done through him by Jesus that only Jesus had previously performed.  This is further proof of how every one in the area had heard the gospel message.  Paul was such a light as the messenger for Jesus that the news spread and people heard.

When have you heard of someone's sweaty handkerchiefs and aprons being used to heal people?  Paul was a tent maker and they didn't have air conditioning at that time.  People so believed in him as the messenger of God that they believed if they could touch a garment of his they would be healed, and they were healed.  Towards the end of the movie, "Hacksaw Ridge", the captain tells Desmond Doss, "Most of the men don't believe the same way you do, but they believe so much in how much you believe."  In other words, they might not believe in the God he believes in, but they believe in how much he believed in God and they needed him to pray for them and be with them.  This is an incredible testimony.  This is the essence of the healing in these rags of Paul's.  The people so believe in Paul's belief in God that if they can only touch something of his, then Paul's God will heal them.  They have faith in Paul's God because of Paul's intense unwavering faith.

Where are the people today who are full of the Holy Spirit?  People who are so full that they stand out even when they aren’t trying to do so.  Where is the Mother Teresa or Billy Graham of our time?  Those people who are so full of the Spirit that even a society that opposes Jesus gives them respect and honor.  When will we see such persons and who will they be?  

A better question is this: Where are the people who have intense and unwavering faith?  So much faith that even those who don't believe in God, believe in the person who believes in God in this manner - with their whole heart and fullness of their character.  Where are these people?  Why aren't I that person?  Why aren't you that person?

The Holy Spirit in Ephesus - Acts 19

19 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples ² and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

³ So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

⁴ Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.

Paul goes back to Ephesus where he had only made a brief stop before.  It is here that Apollos had spoken boldly and so well regarding Jesus, but only knew the baptism of John.  When Paul gets here he speaks directly regarding the Holy Spirit.  There is no mention of Aquila and Priscilla here.  It sounds as though Paul randomly walks around looking for and finding some disciples.  Then he teaches them about Jesus and they are saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. 

The Christians in America do way too little regarding the critical importance of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit is God’s presence in our life once someone is saved through faith.  Having an intellectual knowledge of God, the stories of the Bible, the concept of repentance and the church will keep you just as lost as someone who has no knowledge of God.  It is crucial to be willing to submit your will to God and ask Him to come into your heart.  Without the presence of the Spirit, it is impossible to know where or what good actually is, to discern if what a person is saying comes from a pure heart even before their words come out, to silently see someone and know that they also have the Spirit within them, to pray earnestly and know without a doubt that God hears and acts on that prayer, and to be comforted in your doubt when no one is around.

God’s presence through the Holy Spirit in our life can do anything God can do and He is our most intimate relationship.  Believing in Jesus as the Son of the only one true Living God as the compensation for all of our sins is incomplete without the rushing of the Holy Spirit into our hearts. 

Apollos - Acts 18

²⁴ Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. ²⁵ He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

²⁷ When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.²⁸ For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

Where had Apollos learned the Scriptures so well?  The text doesn’t say except to say he is from Alexandria.  Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in North Africa.  It was home to a great university and possibly a great library although there is some debate on the size and destruction of that library.  We can reason that he was able to learn from these and was very intelligent and was able to quote accurately and discern the Scriptures better than the Jews in the synagogues.  Apollos must have been brilliant and have had a zeal for knowing and teaching the Scriptures with accuracy.  He spoke about Jesus “accurately” while not knowing salvation through Jesus.  This is incredible for us to conceive.  It is possible to know Jesus from the Old Testament Scriptures “accurately” according to this passage.  Yet so many people dismiss these texts today!  The Bible is a complete document and all of it is worthy of our study so that we might see Jesus, and God, more clearly.

Paul’s tentmaking friends, Priscilla and Aquila guide Apollos to salvation and baptism through Jesus and they send him with their letters to the churches in the Achaia area.  This would be Corinth, where they had lived for several years with Paul.  Christians are supporting Christians and encouraging one another whenever they can.  This is the church in a fallen world that opposes it.  The church should look this way today as well.  Unfortunately, today's church is very divided over too many aspects and are having a very difficult keeping the main thing the main focus.  And that main thing is the gospel message: God and Jesus are very real and salvation from sin is only found in Jesus.