Acts 19 - Fight To Win (notes)

Acts 19 - Fight To Win

We talked recently about the power of the Holy Spirit.

Today we will talk about a power encounter that happened in Ephesus

Ephesus was one of most pagan cities in the Roman world. The temple to Diana (Greek) or Artemis (Roman) was one of the ancient seven wonders of the World. The fetishes that were made in the city were used all over the Empire as a means of connecting people with the demonic realm. People could actually get possessed as a result of this means of contact.

We Also Saw

• How the men who met with Paul were baptized in the Holy Spirit when Paul laid hands on the people who were there in the beginning of that Church of Ephesus.
• Paul then goes to the Jewish quarter and for three months convinces many of the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. He also makes disciples of many of the leaders of the community but not all of them believed but rose against the way (Christianity).

Paul 

• Leaves this group and took those who did believe and went to a local school whose director was a man named Tyrannus. This lasted for two years and the ministry there was so effective that all the Jews and Greeks living in that province heard the Word of God. This school was open from 11 AM to 4 PM. And Paul was a guest speaker for that time.
• Did extraordinary miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit so that handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick and their illnesses were cured and evil spirits left them.

The Demonic And Greed

• In Ephesus Paul had to deal with the demonic influence through paganism and the greed of the people who were making money from the distribution of the fetishes.
• Greed is still very much alive in today’s culture of materialism.

Paul is used by the Lord to see mighty miracles that even handkerchiefs or aprons that touched Paul were taken to sick people and they were healed and even evil spirits would come out of them.

Miracles are still happening today and God wants this to be part of our life as individuals and as a church.

The Seven Sons of Sceva

• Are an example of what happens when people who do not have the power of God try to cast out demons.
• The demon knew Jesus and Paul but did not know them and he jumped them and beat them up.
• This caused the name of Jesus to be held in high honor. Many brought their sorcery books and burned them publicly and it was worth much money.
• 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

Now

21 After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there, he said, 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.

A Silversmith

• Named Demetrius complains about the way his business was hurt by the revival in Ephesus. The people of Ephesus was stirred but the city clerk quieted the crowd. He goes to the defense of the Christians and tells those involved to take it to court.
• The city clerk did not want them to be charged with rioting. They calmed down and then he dismissed the assembly.

What can we learn from what happened in this situation?

1. In every revival there will be opposition stirred by the demonic realm.
2. We have power over sickness and the demonic realm.
3. We can see this happen here if we are desire God to move in our church and in our community.