The Book of Acts
Chapter 19
Being Continually Filled with the Holy Spirit
to Keep Us Steady and Calm in Our Christian Walk
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples [J the B] 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,”… 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, [Giving authority] the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about 12 men in all.
These 12 men were OT Believers who were genuinely waiting for the Messiah.
Paul knew that they had not fully heard about Jesus as the Messiah if at all.
Tongues in Acts Signifies Inclusion and
Proof that they were part of the Church
Acts 2 – Birth of the Church
All Jews heard in their own language.
Acts 8 - Samaritans
Acts 10 – Gentiles
Acts 19 – Disciples of John the Baptist
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. 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. 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. 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. [Ephesus = Occult Center]
Some Bible Verses about God's Judgment that Got People’s Attention
The Flood – Genesis 6
“Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron… [to be future Priests] offered strange fire [Drunk and forgot the altar fire was to be used?] before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.”
- Leviticus 10:1-2
The 10 Plagues and the Parting of the Red Sea
“The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh… Not one of them survived… 31 when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.”
–Ex 7:1-13:17, 14:28-31
Elijah and the Prophets of Baal
Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
- 1 Kings 18:19
“Elijah replied to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. So he again sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty…
- 2 Kings 1:9-12
“Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven…” - Genesis 19:24-26
“You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female. It is an abomination.”
- Leviticus 18:22
“If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act.”
– Lev. 20:13
“Unnatural”
– Romans 1
And as he heard these words, Ananias [and Saphira] fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it… Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened…”
- Acts 5:5-10
Paul blinded by God
-Acts 9:9
Correcting an Abuse of the Lord’s Supper
“When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 21 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? …27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.”
- 1 Corinthians 10
17 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.
These scrolls had secret, magical spells.
Burning them proved the genuineness of their Conversion
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 Riot in Ephesus
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… 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. [Sounds like many mobs of today] 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.
Being Continually filled with the Holy Spirit keeping him steady and calm in the light of opposition in the Occultic city of Ephesus.
He later wrote to the church in Ephesians about this in
Ephesians 5:17,18