Acts 19

Acts 19In Ephesus

To be a Christian is …..

to respond appropriately to Jesus Christ.

Those who reject him

• Some are motivated by money The believers had not ‘blasphemed’ this

goddess (19:37)Sometimes it is a choice between following

Jesus and continuing as we are Money prevents some from following Jesus

(Mark 10:21)

Those who reject him

• Some refused to believe (19:9)They should have known the truth They became hardened

Those who seek to use him

• In a society that valued sorcery, Jewish practitioners were highly prised (8:9-24, 13:6-11)

• Perhaps they thought the name of Jesus was another weapon to be used

• The Old Testament has many examples of those who sought to worship God and idols

• The evil spirits knew about Paul and the Lord Jesus

• Jesus is the only Saviour

Those who want to know more

• These twelve disciples are much debated• Were they disciples in the sense we would

understand the word?• Were they like Apollos in that they knew

‘about’ Jesus?• What is clear is that their understanding of

Jesus was limited• They heard of Jesus and were baptised in his

name• They received the Holy Spirit

Those who are changed

• The encounter with the evil spirits seems to have been a ‘wake up call’

• “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12)

• Costly confession • “Thus the Word of the Lord [concerning the

attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God] grew and spread and intensified, prevailing mightily.” (19:20 Amplified Version)

Those who are faithful in trials

• A clear and present danger“We were under great pressure, far beyond

our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8)

“If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus” (1 Corinthians 15:32)

“They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.” (Romans 16:4)

Those who are faithful in trials

• The mob sought out Christians and found Aristarchus from Thessalonica and Gaius from Derbe (20:4)

• Aristarchus was later a fellow prisoner (Colossians 4:10)

• If there was a mob seeking Christians today, would they seize you or me?

Those who are faithful in trials

• “And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.” (Hebrews 13:12-13)