Acts Chapter 19

From The Open Bible Project

19:1 It happened that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples.

• (1) Paul, not being offended at the rudeness of the Ephesians, plants a church amongst them.

19:2 He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They said to him, "No, we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

• (a) Those excellent gifts of the Holy Spirit, which were in the Church in those days.

19:3 He said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism."

• (2) John only began to instruct the disciples whom Christ would make perfect.
• (b) In what doctrine then are you taught and instructed?
• (c) To be baptized into John’s baptism is to profess the doctrine which John preached and to be identified with his baptism.

19:4 Paul said, "John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus."

19:5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

19:6 When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with other languages and prophesied.

19:7 They were about twelve men in all.

19:8 He entered into the synagogue, and spoke boldly for a period of three months, reasoning and persuading about the things concerning the Kingdom of God.

19:9 But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.

• (3) For a man to separate himself and others from infidels who are utterly desperate, is not to divide the Church, but rather to unite it, and make it one.
• (d) By this word "way", the Hebrews understand any type of life, and here it is taken for Christianity.
• (e) This was a man’s proper name.

19:10 This continued for two years, so that all those who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

19:11 God worked special miracles by the hands of Paul,

19:12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and the evil spirits went out.

19:13 But some of the itinerant Jews, exorcists, took on themselves to invoke over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, "We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches."

• (4) Satan is forced to give witness against himself.
• (f) So were they called who cast out demons by forcing them to leave in the name of God: and in the beginning of the Church, those who had the gift of working miracles, and laid their hands on those that were possessed with demons, were called the same.

19:14 There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did this.

19:15 The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"

19:16 The man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

• (g) He prevailed against them, though they struggled ever so much.

19:17 This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived at Ephesus. Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

19:18 Many also of those who had believed came, confessing, and declaring their deeds.

• (5) Conjuring and sorcery is condemned by open testimony, and by the authority of the apostle.
• (h) Confessed their errors, and openly detested them, being terrified with the fear of the judgment of God: and how does this compare to confession to a priest?

19:19 Many of those who practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. They counted the price of them, and found it to be [68] fifty thousand pieces of silver. [See Acts Footnotes 68]

• (i) Those that give the lowest estimate, reckon it to be about eight hundred pounds English.

19:20 So the word of the Lord was growing and becoming mighty.

19:21 Now after these things had ended, Paul determined in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome."

• (6) Paul is never weary.
• (k) By the motion of God’s Spirit: therefore we may not say that Paul ran rashly unto death, but as the Spirit of God led him.

19:22 Having sent into Macedonia two of those who served him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

19:23 About that time there arose no small stir concerning the Way.

• (7) Gain cloaked with a show of religion is the very cause why idolatry is strongly and stubbornly defended.

19:24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen,

• (l) These were special counterfeit temples with Diana’s picture in them, which those who worshipped her bought.

19:25 whom he gathered together, with the workmen of like occupation, and said, "Sirs, you know that by this business we have our wealth.

19:26 You see and hear, that not at Ephesus alone, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are no gods, that are made with hands.

19:27 Not only is there danger that this our trade come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be counted as nothing, and her majesty destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worships."

• (m) As if he said, "If Paul goes on in this way as he has begun, to confuse the opinion which men have of Diana’s image, all of our gain will come to nothing."

19:28 When they heard this they were filled with anger, and cried out, saying, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"

19:29 The whole city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel.

19:30 When Paul wanted to enter in to the people, the disciples didn't allow him.

19:31 Certain also of the Asiarchs, being his friends, sent to him and begged him not to venture into the theater.

• (8) There ought to be in all Christians, and especially in the ministers, an invincible steadfastness which may not by any storms or assaults be overcome, which nonetheless must modestly allow itself to be governed by wisdom.

19:32 Some therefore cried one thing, and some another, for the assembly was in confusion. Most of them didn't know why they had come together.

19:33 They brought Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. Alexander beckoned with his hand, and would have made a defense to the people.

19:34 But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice for a time of about two hours cried out, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"

• (9) Instead of reason, the idolaters are sufficiently contented with their own madness and outcries, and those are the greatest defence that they have.

19:35 When the town clerk had quieted the multitude, he said, "You men of Ephesus, what man is there who doesn't know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great goddess Artemis, and of the image which fell down from Zeus?

• (10) An example of a political man who redeems peace and quietness with lies, which Paul would have never done.
• (n) The Ephesians believed superstitiously that the image of Diana came down to them from heaven.

19:36 Seeing then that these things can't be denied, you ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rash.

19:37 For you have brought these men here, who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess.

19:38 If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a matter against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them press charges against one another.

• (o) Have anything to accuse any man of.
• (p) For there are certain days appointed for civil causes and matters of judgment, and the deputies sit on those days.
• (q) By the deputies are meant also the deputies’ substitutes, that is, those who sat for them.

19:39 But if you seek anything about other matters, it will be settled in the regular assembly.

• (r) He speaks of a lawful assembly not only to speak against the disordered tumult of the people, but also against all meeting and coming together which was not by order: for there were certain days appointed to call people together in.

19:40 For indeed we are in danger of being accused concerning this day's riot, there being no cause. Concerning it, we wouldn't be able to give an account of this commotion."

19:41 When he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.