Acts 19

Acts 19:1

On his third missionary journey, en route to Jerusalem, Paul traveled through present-day Turkey and came to one of the major cities in the regionthe city of Ephesus. In Ephesus, Paul found a group of believers who prompted an important question from him, one I strongly believe is a valid question for every believer to consider: “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?” Keep in mind that these Ephesian believers were disciplesor “disciplined ones.” So, too, maybe the people you work with, or those in your Bible study group, are devoted to the Lord and disciplined in their walkbut there’s no light in their lives, no sparkle in their eyes. Worship is a drudge and witnessing a chore. There is about them a lack of boldness, a dearth of excitement, an absence of enthusiasm. To them, Paul would probably echo the same question he asked of the Ephesian believers: “Have you guys received the Spirit since you believed?” “What Holy Ghost?” they asked. Their answer was a mystery to Paul, who, on the basis of the life of Christ and the birth of the church, believed that water baptism and baptism in the Spirit were intimately and intricately linked (Mat_3:16; Act_2:38). These Ephesians were disciples of John the Baptist because they had not yet heard the story of Jesus. John’s baptism was in preparation for the Messiah. Jesus’ baptism was in celebration of the Messiah. John’s baptism was a sign of repentance. Jesus’ baptism was a sign of regeneration. Have Ye Received the Spirit? A Topical Study of Act_19:1-7 On his third missionary journey, in the city of Ephesus, Paul found himself face-to-face with a group of believers who seemed dull and dry, listless and lifeless. I wonder if, at this time, Paul was not reminded of another man who ministered in a very dry and dull arena. The man’s name? Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 37, we read how he was caught up in the Spirit of the Lord and taken to a valley. As he looked across the plain, he saw only dead, dry bones. The Lord said to him, “Son of man, can these bones live again?” “I don’t know,” Ezekiel answered. “Speak to the bones,” the Lord commanded. So Ezekiel preached to the bones. And as he did, something incredible happened. With a great noise, the bones began to miraculously link themselves together into skeletons. Yet, although skin appeared on them, they remained lifeless. And Ezekiel realized that commotion is not equivalent to creation. If you watched the political conventions before the last presidential elections, like Ezekiel, you saw a great deal of commotionlots of noise and shaking, rhetoric and oration, banners waving and people applauding. What happens at political conventions can also happen in churches. There can be all kinds of noise, shaking, and commotionbut that doesn’t mean creation is taking place. So the Lord said to Ezekiel, “Prophesy to the wind.” The Hebrew word for wind is , which also means “breath” or “spirit.” The same word in Greek, pneuma, means “wind,” “breath,” or “spirit” as well. As Ezekiel prophesied to the wind, life entered the lifeless bodies, and they became a living army. It was not when Ezekiel preached at them, but when he interceded for themwhen he preached to the wind on behalf of themthat they became an effective, vibrant, living army. “Not by might, nor by power but by My Spirit, saith the Lord,” (Zec_4:6). And in Acts 19, as Paul talked to the disciples in Ephesus, he realized that even though they were disciplined, even though they were students, there was a dullness in them, a dryness about them that could only be cured by the ruach, the pneuma, the Spirit within them. That is why he was pressed to ask if they had received the Spirit since they believed. I must ask the same question to myself and to this congregation. I know you’re believers, but have you received the Holy Ghost since the time you opened your heart to Jesus Christ? “Wait a minute,” you protest. “I thought when I opened my heart to Him, I automatically became a recipient of His Spirit.” You did. Paul declared that any man who does not have the Spirit is none of His (Rom_8:9). In other words, if you don’t have the Holy Spirit, you’re not a Christian. When you opened your heart to Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit took up residence with you. You have the Holy Spirit. But the question for you, your children, and the people you care about is this: Does the Holy Spirit have you? That’s the issue. You see, there are different relationships you can have with the Spirit. In John 14, addressing His disciples, Jesus said, “The Spirit is with you, but He shall be in you” (see Joh_14:17). When did the Holy Ghost come in them? In John 20, when, following His Resurrection, Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” Then He said, “Now that the Holy Spirit is in you, go to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Ghost to come upon you, for that is when you shall receive power” (see Act_1:8). The word Luke used for “power” was dunamis from which we get our word “dynamite.” The disciples went to Jerusalem and waited for ten days until the Day of Pentecost. When a mighty wind blew through the Upper Room, the Spirit came upon them and they emerged as mighty dynamos. The question still must be asked today: Have you received the Spirit since you believed? I know the Spirit is in you, but have you allowed the Spirit to come upon you, to empower you? Or are you still in the Upper Room, hiding out, cloistered away, with a lack of boldness, a lack of living water flowing from you, and lots of dryness within you? Have you, or the ones you care about, received the Holy Ghost since you believed? That’s what Paul asked the men here in Acts 19. “What Holy Ghost?” they said. “We never heard about this.” “You’ve never heard about the Holy Spirit?” Paul asked. “Then how were you baptized?” You see, to Paul, baptism in water and baptism in the Spirit were intimately and intricately linked. In Act_2:38, we read that Peter emerged from the Upper Room and declared to the crowd gathered outside, “Repent and be baptized. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Peter linked water baptism with baptism in the Spirit. In Matthew 3, we read it was when Jesus was baptized in water that the heavens opened and the Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove. I find it extremely significant that throughout Scripture, the Holy Spirit is typified by a dove. The Spirit came in the form of a dovenot a hawk. When my son Peter-John was about two years old, we were driving into town, and I said, “Peter, do you know what Daddy does every day?” He said, “Yeah. You’re a creature.” “No, Peter,” I answered, “I’m not a creature.” “Oh. You’re a screecher.” “No, Peter, I’m a preacher.” Due to the misconception that those who really have the anointing of the Spirit will shout and screech, a lot of preachers are screechers. But the Spirit came not in the form of a screeching, shrieking hawk. Nor did He come in the form of a duck. He’s not a “quack.” Maybe you’ve followed the sad story of Ivan Popov, the evangelist who, claiming to have the power of the Holy Ghost, called people out of the crowd and “miraculously” told them where they were from. As it turned out, Popov was getting his information through the wireless microphones of his assistants planted in the audience. Neither is the Holy Spirit pictured as a peacock, for He is not proud. In John 16, Jesus said the Spirit does not speak of Himself. Therefore, any church or person who is truly Spirit-filled will be one who draws attention not to the Holy Ghostbut to Jesus Christ. Nor is the Holy Spirit symbolized by an ostrichwith His head in the sand, oblivious to the sin in our lives. The Spirit does indeed convict, for part of His ministry is to keep us from sin. Listen for His voice within you as He speaks to you, saying, “Be careful. This is the way, walk ye in it,” (see Isa_30:21). The Holy Spirit is not likened to a vulture, for He doesn’t swoop down to pick on you, to pick at you, or to pick from you. There have been people with a “vulture mentality” who have said to me, “The Holy Spirit is moving me to prophesy doom and gloom against you, or against Applegate Christian Fellowship.” But because the Spirit is not like a vulture, I know it is not Him speaking. The Spirit is like a dovegentle and pure, acceptable and pleasing, beautiful and loyal. One of the few species of animals that mate for life, if a dove loses its mate, it will spend the rest of its days mourning. So, too, the Holy Spirit is loyal and unwavering in His desire to come upon you and to empower you in order that you might walk in a way that is sweet in the sight of the Father and successful in ministry. Simultaneous with the baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove. I suggest to you that’s the ideal. There should not be confusion about baptism in the Spirit. We should tell people, “Even as you come to the waters for baptism, expect by faith to receive the coming upon of the Holy Spirit at that time.” There has been unneeded division between pentecostal and dispensational theology over the issue of the baptism of the Spirit. By and large, pentecostal theology declares the baptism of the Spirit is subsequent to water baptism. On the other hand, dispensational theology generally teaches the baptism of the Spirit is inherent in water baptism. I believe that the baptism of the Spirit, ideally, is simultaneous with water baptism. As seen in Jesus’ baptism, when a believer comes out of the waters of baptism, that is the ideal time to expect the baptism of the Spirit as well. Now, it doesn’t always happen that way because many people aren’t aware of the possibility of being baptized in the Spirit at the time of water baptism. Consequently, it can be months, years, or even decades before they understand that the lifelessness and listlessness, the dullness and dryness of their spiritual lives is the result of an absence of the “coming upon” ministry of the Spirit. If, like the Ephesian disciples, you have been baptized, but would have a hard time answering Paul’s question as to whether you had received the Spirit, the way to do so is so simple. You see, the baptism of the Spirit is truly within your reach even now. I am reminded of another baptismthat of a man named Noah. According to Peter, the drowning of the polluted and corrupted world of Noah’s day was an illustration of what happens when we symbolically say goodbye to the corruption and pollution of our sin nature in the waters of baptism (1Pe_3:20-21). Following his “baptism” in the Flood, Noah released a dove, which circled the skies as it searched for a place upon which to set the sole of its foot. So, too, I believe the Spirit of the Lord is circling our world and our lives, saying, Is there room for Me to come upon you?" This is the point where many believers miss out. “I’m open,” they say. “If the Lord wants to empower me, baptize me, or come upon me in a fresh way through His Spirit, He knows where to find me.” Noah could have stood on the deck of the ark saying the same thing. “If the dove wants to land on me, he sees where I am.” But that’s not what Noah did. We read that Noah “put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark” (Gen_8:9). Ezekiel 22 teaches the same lesson. “I looked for a man to stand in the gap, but I couldn’t find one,” said the Lord (see Eze_22:30). Saints, the economy of God is such that He partners with us. He doesn’t work apart from us. He waits for an intercessor. If there’s trouble in your family, if there’s sin in our country, the problem is not with Godit’s with us. Where are we? Why aren’t we partnering with God? He’s waiting to bless. He desires to move. He wants to touch your kids. He wants to save your parents. He wants to work in the situation you see as so tragic. But He’s waiting for you to partner with Him. Does He need to? No. But He’s chosen to. It has been wisely said that without God, I can’t. But without me, He won’t. He’s waiting to partner with us. Why? Because He’s preparing us for the next billion, zillion, quadrillion years, when we will partner with Him for eternity. Therefore, you can either say, “I’m open,” and wait for something to happen for the next forty years, or, like Noah, you can say, “I see the dove circling above. Oh, Lord, I need Your empowering. With the hand of faith, I now receive the dynamic of Your Spirit upon my life.” Precious people, the Spirit is even now within reach. Grasp Him by faith. Draw Him to you. And if you do, your walk will never be the same.

Acts 19:8

Paul taught in the synagogue until the Jews rejected his ministry and his message. History tells us that the pattern of a workday in Ephesus was as follows: People worked from seven to eleven o’clock in the morning, took a break during the heat of the day from eleven to four o’clock in the afternoon, and went back to work from four to nine o’clock at night. Taking advantage of this schedule, Paul held classes during the afternoon, when the building used by Tyrannus, the philosopher, was vacant. I’m so impressed with the servant’s heart and mentality of Paul. Not only did he support himself in ministry by making tents, he used his time off to teach about the things of the kingdom.

Acts 19:10

The handkerchiefs spoken of here were actually the sweatbands Paul wore around his forehead when he labored as a tentmaker. The aprons were not the kind June Cleaver wore in the kitchen. They were the leather aprons of a blacksmith. Why were Paul’s sweatbands and aprons used for healing? Certainly it was not because they had any magical power in and of themselves. Rather, they were powerful because of what they represented. I suggest to you that, as proofs of Paul’s love for the people to whom he ministered, his sweatbands and aprons provided a point of contact and triggered within the Ephesians faith to be healed and set free. The Sweetness of Sweat A Topical Study of Act_19:10-12 Did you hear the news? A cosmetic company has collected the sweat of various movie stars, analyzed it, and reproduced the contents so it can be marketed throughout the country as “Scent From the Stars.” Personally, I think the idea “stinks"yet in our text, we see the people of Ephesus seemingly likewise interested in Paul’s sweat as they collected his sweatbands and aprons. Were these people “spiritual groupies"precursors of the modern-day “roadies” who follow rock stars around? Greg Eckler, a drummer at Applegate Christian Fellowship, was at the Monterey Pop Festival when Hendrix smashed his guitar over a loud speaker, lit it on fire, and threw it into the audience. Greg, who happened to catch a piece of the guitar as it flew over his head, sold it for thousands of dollars at an auction in New York City. Is that the type of thing that was happening here in Acts 19? No, the Ephesians were not spiritual groupiesnor were they spiritual quacks. You might hear TV evangelists or radio preachers, who on the basis of this passage, say, “Send us an offering today, and we’ll send you a prayer cloth.” While I believe some of these men are sincere, most are spiritual quacks who, on the Day of Judgment, will find themselves dead ducks. If the Ephesians were not spiritual groupies, nor spiritual quacks, then what was happening? I believe there are three lessons to be learned from this brief passage that can have eternal impact upon you and me. The Element of Mystery There are many passages in the Bible I can’t figure outlike the one in 2 Kings 13. Following the death of Elisha, some Moabites were marauding the country of Israel when one of them died suddenly. Wanting to dispose of the body of their comrade as quickly as possible, the Moabites threw his body into Elisha’s tomb. But when the corpse touched Elisha’s remains, the Moabite sprang back to life (2Ki_13:21). Incredible! Amazing! The Lord is too big to be boxed in by the theology or intellectual capacity of finite man. Thus, there is an underlying element of mystery about Him and about His dealings that we cannot begin to grasp or comprehend until we see Him face-to-face. The Illustration of Ministry Although there is an element of mystery inherent in the passage before us, there is also an illustration of ministry that is important for us personally. You see, oftentimes, we know the Lord can work, but we have trouble believing He will. That is why we find our faith wavering. We don’t question His ability, but we do wonder about His willingness to work in the situations that confront us personally. Consequently, God has given us certain physical expressions to help trigger our faltering faith. This is what I believe the laying on of hands, for example, is all about. When we lay hands on people to pray for them to be filled with the Spirit, or to ordain them for ministry, there’s nothing magical, mystical, or miraculous about the act in and of itself. Rather, the laying on of hands simply provides a point of contact for the person who needs to be filled or who desires to be used, as it triggers his faith and unlocks his ability to believe. That’s what happened with the woman who was hemorrhaging. For twelve years to no avail, she sought a doctor who could helpbut only lost all of her money in the process. When she heard Jesus was coming to her region, she said to herself, “If I could just touch the hem of His garment, I know I would be healed.” So when Jesus came through the city, although a great crowd of people lined the street, this woman fought her way through the crowd and touched Him. Jesus stopped instantly. Now, although there was nothing magical about the hem of His garment, it provided a point of contact for the woman. And as the faith bottled up within her was released, she received healing that very day (Luk_8:43-48). The anointing of oil, spoken of in James 5, is another example of something material being used spiritually. As with the laying on of hands, there is nothing supernatural or particularly special about oil. But as a picture of the Spirit, it is a physical illustration the Lord has graciously given to us as a point of contact to release faith. There are those who are so skeptical, so uptight, and so rigid that they say, “No one’s going to lay hands on me. No one’s going to put oil on my forehead. No one’s going to dunk me in water.” But others, who understand that faith can be triggered and released through physical points of contact, are blessed and healed as a result of these external expressions. The Alleviation of Misery All around us we see people who are miserabledepressed, discouraged and defeated; hurting, helpless, and hopelesslike the people in Ephesus who were diseased in body and demonized in spirit. I believe the reason sweatbands and aprons are particularly mentioned by the Spirit and recorded for us to study is that they were proofs of Paul’s love for the people to whom he ministered. You see, six days a week, Paul sewed tents from seven to eleven o’clock in the morning, taught the Word from eleven to four o’clock in the afternoon and sewed tents again from four to nine o’clock in the evening. It was an exhausting schedule, yet Paul did this for over two years in Ephesus in order to support himself in ministry. Thus, his aprons and sweatbands were saturated not only with the sweat of his brow, but with his love for the people. So, too, the people in our homes, in our church families, and in our communities who are distressed, discouraged, and defeated are greatly helped and their misery alleviated to a tremendous degree whenever we are willing to love them practically. For Paul, that meant sewing tents and teaching in the afternoon. For you, it might mean making a pie, making a phone call, or mowing a lawn; taking someone out to lunch, fixing a washing machine, or chopping a cord of wood. In the past week, what have you done to help someone else? What have you done to practically say, “You’re loved” to someone who’s discouraged, defeated, or depressed? Do you know people who are miserable and lost because there are no sweatbands for them to seeno aprons for them to touch? Miracles will happen, and misery will be alleviated if you will practically love someone through the sweat of your brow. You can be used just as Paul was if you’re willing to take your eyes off yourself and your problems, your struggles, and your needs, and instead say, “Who can I love today?” “How can I love someone else?” you ask. “No one has ever loved me.” Really? Go to the Garden of Gethsemane, and there you will see One who loved you so intensely that Luke tells us He actually sweat blood (Luk_22:44). Why did He sweat blood? Because He was about to absorb your weaknesses, your failings, your shortcomings. He was about to pay the price for every sin I have done, am doing, or ever will do. It is, therefore, nothing less than audacity, nothing short of insanity, for us to say, “Nobody cares about me.” Go to the Garden of Gethsemane and see His sweat of blood. Go to Calvary and see His sweatband of thorns. In Genesis 3, because Adam sinned, God said, “Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee,” (Gen_3:17-18). In the Person of Jesus Christ, this prophecy is seen in an entirely different dimension. You see, as the thorns and thistlesthe very curse of the earthwere embedded in His brow for me, He carried upon Himself the curse of Genesis 3. Thus, because of the sweat and the thorns upon His brow, the way is opened for me to live eternally in the new heaven and the new earth, where there will be no more sweat, no more pain, no more thorns. Know today, precious people, that there is One who sweat blood for you. Once you truly see how much He loves you, you’ll find yourself reaching out to touch the crown of thorns that circled His head. And once you touch it, once you grasp it, once you understand it, His love will trigger in you such faith that demons of depression and discouragement, defeat and despair will flee. Like the Ephesians, you will be healed. And then you will say, “Who can I love practically? What can I do to encourage someone else so that my apron or sweatband might become a point of contact for his or her faith to be released?” Saints, I pray that, because you’ve been touched by the blood-stained sweat of Jesus, you’ll find you have no other choice than to touch someone else for His sake.

Acts 19:13

These Jews weren’t believers. They were using the name of Jesus merely as a formula to exorcise demons.

Acts 19:14

The seven sons of the chief priest, Sceva, were among those who used the name of Jesus to exorcise demons. Why? Since in those days, exorcists collected a fee whether or not they were successful, perhaps they did it for the money. Or perhaps they were sincere in their efforts to alleviate misery. Whatever their motive, their method was to copy Paul.

Acts 19:15

The Word very clearly warns against using someone else’s formula to try to accomplish spiritual victory. In Exodus 30, for example, the law states specifically that if anyone duplicated the compound of the holy anointing oil, he would be cut off from the people (Exo_30:33). Therefore, if you want to see your ministry, your effectiveness, or your witness curtailed, be like the sons of Sceva and say, “I think I’ll copy that person. I’ll wear the same clothes he wears, speak the same words he says, do the same things he does. He’s successful in ministry, and I will be too.” As seen in verse Act_19:16, it won’t work.

Acts 19:16

I have been here. I have felt naked when, in my own energy, I have tried to imitate someone else. Folks, if you want to be fruitful and effective in your service for Jesus Christ, don’t try to copy another’s anointing. Instead, seek the Lord. Spend time with Him. Log in some history with Him. And He will work in and through you effectively, uniquely, powerfully. Before leaving this passage, I want to commend these seven sons of Sceva for believing enough to confront demonized people in the name of Jesus. In our cultureeven in the Christian communitythe possessed man would not be called demonized. He would be labeled depressed, distressed, or manic depressive; psychotic, neurotic, or schizophrenic. We have diluted our effectiveness by referring to spiritual battles as “disorders.” Therefore, before I come down too hard on the sons of Sceva, I must ask myself when the last time was I had enough faith to look someone in the eye and say, “In the name of Jesus Christ, be healed.” The story is told that, years ago, a man came into a small town in the Bible belt and wanted to open the first tavern. Upset by this, the local Christians called a prayer meeting. “Lord,” they begged, “don’t let this happen.” The man built his tavern anyway, but the Christians kept praying. The tavern was demolished by lightning the first week it was open. The owner, knowing the Christians had been praying, hired a lawyer and sued them for destroying his business. The Christians, in turn, hired a lawyer, saying, “We had nothing to do with the lightning that struck your tavern.” Now, isn’t that curious? The tavern owner had more faith in the power of prayer than did the believers. That’s often the way it is. Like the sons of Sceva, people who have no relationship with Jesus Christ often believe in the potency and power of His name more than we who do.

Acts 19:17

Even though fifty thousand pieces of silver would have been equivalent to the yearly wage of one hundred fifty men, these new believers didn’t hold a garage sale or give their stuff away. They burned it. Folks, don’t sell stuff you know is harmful. Be like these guys, and trash it. Pour it down the drain. Destroy it.

Acts 19:20

When did the Word of God grow and prevail? When the believers burned their junk. If you’re burned-out with Bible study, prayer, or meditationchances are it’s because you need to burn something up. When my appetite is dull, when I’m not interested in spiritual things the way I once was, when I find worship a drudge or a disciplineinevitably I say, “Father, search me and show me the junk in my life that has caused my appetite for You to be diminished.” And you know what? He does. I’ve been there a thousand times. Whenever my appetite for the meat of the Word diminishes, invariably it’s because I’m filling up on the junk food of the world. I’m not talking about blatant sin, but rather empty calories for my mind, Twinkies for my spirit. But when I finally say, “Enough of that,” my appetite for the Word returns.

Acts 19:21

Paul wasn’t talking about sight-seeing, but about soul-winning. He wanted to go to Rome not to take in the Coliseum or catch a chariot race, but to share the gospel and touch people. Indeed, he did go to Rome as we will seealthough not in the way he expected. He went as a prisoner.

Acts 19:22

The idol of the goddess Diana was unbelievably ugly. Fashioned from a chunk of black rock believed to have been sent from Jupiter, she was a grotesque-looking multibreasted female. Yet people came from all over Asia to worship at the shrine of Diana, the goddess of fertility. Consequently, enterprising businessmen like Demetrius decided to go into the souvenir business, making miniature shrines, which they sold for big bucksuntil Paul came to town. In the Welsh Revival of 1901, under the anointed ministry of Robert Murray McCheyne, so great was the revival that every tavern and pub in Wales went broke. How many anti-alcohol sermons did McCheyne deliver? None. How many tirades against taverns? Zero. People simply lost all interest in alcohol when they got touched by the Lord and filled with the Spirit. The same thing happened in Ephesus. When people got saved, the idol business dried up.

Acts 19:28

Although the disciples saw danger, Paul saw an opportunity to preach.

Acts 19:31

Have you ever seen a fight on the beach? It always amazes me how a crowd starts to gather, growing so large so quickly that those on the perimeter don’t even know why they’re there. That’s what was happening here.

Acts 19:33

As in every community throughout history, the Jews knew they would inevitably be held responsible for any trouble. So they picked their leading spokesman, Alexander, and instructed him to tell the crowd they were not linked to Paul, but were actually in opposition to him. When I first read this a number of years ago, I wondered, How could this be? How could people shout for two hours? But that was before the hostage situation in Iran, when, nightly on the news, we watched Iranians shout outside our embassy by the hour. And what about our own country? When the Houston Oilers made it to the playoffs fifteen years ago, seventy-five thousand people packed the Astrodomenot to watch a game, not to cheer for their team, but to yell “We love you, Big Blue” for hours across an empty field.

Acts 19:35

This constable knew that if the Romans had to come in to settle the dispute, it would be disastrous for the free citizens of Ephesus. “Calm down,” he said. “Don’t do anything rash.” And the crowd, at last listening to reason, dispersed.