The One Year Bible Club with Teaching
Commentary by Nick Boork
June 29
Acts 19:13-41
Commentary by Nick Boork
June 29
Acts 19:13-41
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June 29 ~ Acts 19:13-41
Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” 16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18 And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. 19 Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
21 When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed 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.” 22 So he sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a time. 23 And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way. 24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen. 25 He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: “Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. 26 Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands. 27 So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship.”
28 Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” 29 So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s travel companions. 30 And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him. 31 Then some of the officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater. 32 Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, and wanted to make his defense to the people. 34 But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”
35 And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: “Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus? 36 Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess. 38 Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a case against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you have any other inquiry to make, it shall be determined in the lawful assembly. 40 For we are in danger of being called in question for today’s uproar, there being no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering.” 41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
OKAY, HERE'S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
This is another DYNAMIC SPIRITUAL POWER ENCOUNTER recorded in the New Testament between the Kingdom of God and the forces of darkness. When the Lord Jesus Christ called Paul to become his minister he prophesied that his purpose would be turning humanity from darkness to light from the power of Satan to God. When the apostle Paul stood before King Agrippa he told him and a courtroom full of witnesses how Jesus called him and the commission the Lord gave him: Acts 26:16-18 (Jesus Christ speaking)…But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
True to his calling and purpose Paul found himself in the middle of the plan of God for his life by bringing deliverance from demonic power and salvation through faith in Jesus to multitudes of people in the city of Ephesus. His spiritual power and influence in the Holy Spirit was so great and his reputation was so well-known that a group of Jewish exorcists decided to try to imitate Paul’s ministry of casting out devils. They came across a man that obviously was demon possessed. They decided to cast the devil out of this man by commanding the evil spirit to leave in the name of Jesus that Paul preached. The Bible says that the evil spirit answered, speaking through the man saying; Jesus I know and Paul I know but who are you? In other words, the demon was saying I acknowledge the spiritual power and authority of Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul but I do not acknowledge that you have any power or authority to cast me out! Now this is very eye-opening, it appears that demons only recognize true spiritual authority and the power of the Holy Spirit. These Jewish exorcists did not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior in the same way that the apostle Paul did nor were they filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus taught that demons are cast out of people by the power of the Holy Spirit and in his great commission to go into all the world preaching the gospel one of the signs would be believers casting out devils in the authority of his name:
Matthew 12:28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Mark 16:17…In My name they will cast out demons…
The man that was filled with the evil spirit violently attacked the men that attempted to cast him out. The evil spirit seemed to empower the man with a supernatural strength because this one man overpowered seven men ripping off their clothing and giving them a severe beating! They fled from the house naked and wounded. Word spread throughout the entire city of what happened. The Holy Spirit used what happened to reveal the evil violent nature of the devil and at the same time magnify the superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ over all demons because the devil in the man actually acknowledged Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul but not these sons of the Jewish high priest. This separated in people’s minds once for all the reality of the risen Christ that Paul was preaching and the deadness of Judaism which had no authority or power in the spiritual realm.
The Holy Spirit used this event to shake an entire city as to the extreme danger of having any kind of alliance with Satan.
We know this because a great multitude of people brought all their magical books and occult writings together and publicly burned them obviously renouncing Satan. We know that the apostle Paul was able to successfully lead multitudes of people in the city of Ephesus to faith in Jesus Christ and planted a powerful church there. He also established the first school of ministry there in the city of Ephesus and it became the center for training workers and sending them out to evangelize the whole region. The influence of the apostle Paul by the working of the Holy Spirit was so great in that city that a large percentage of society came to understand that there was only one true God and Jesus Christ was the Son of the living God the risen Savior of the world. For this reason, multitudes renounced idolatry and stopped buying Idols to worship!
This actually caused the industry of idol making to suffer losses financially. A great persecution was the result. A multitude came together crying out “Great is Diana of the Ephesians” What was really going on? The unsaved businessmen we’re losing money because people weren’t buying idols like they used to because they were listening to Paul and being converted and delivered from these false Satanic objects of worship. Now the devil was angry and stirring up the multitudes against the apostle Paul. This is what can happen when the kingdom of God invades a city through a God ordained servant like the apostle Paul. I’m hungry for more of the power of God to manifest like we read about in the book of Acts. Today there remains multitudes of people that are in spiritual darkness and in bondage to sin and Satan. I am believing and working with the goal of God raising up an army of workers to set humanity free through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ! Now is the time to arise and enter into that end time prophetic movement of being the victorious church God has called us to be!
God covenant’s with us, the seed of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ to use us with the same message and power of the Holy Spirit that is recorded in the Bible. Isaiah 59:21 through 60:3 (Remember, there were no chapters and verses in the original Scriptures so we really need to be careful to read God’s word in the proper content an so rightly divide the Word) Isaiah 59:21-22 “As for Me,” says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”
Isaiah 60:1-3 Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. 2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. 3 The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising." We see this in Jesus life and ministry and we see it in the apostle Paul’s ministry. This prophecy is revealing the ministry of the Spirit and Word that will manifest through Jesus Christ the Messiah and his seed. It’s talking about his spiritual seed, that’s you and me, every born again believer. This prophecy has to do with the Church. Remember what Jesus promised about his church? Matthew 16:18…Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!
The question is; Will we believe God for his promises and Holy Spirit power to preach and continue the works of Christ leading people to salvation and deliverance from the bondage to sin and Satan or will we settle for an empty, weak, defeated Christian ministry?
The choice is yours, I chose to believe God to manifest His power and word through my life and do my part to fulfill the great commission of Christ till he comes! So, RISE UP! The promise is ours but we need to claim it by faith and enter into a the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit preaching the Word of God and bring deliverance to humanity!
Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” 16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18 And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. 19 Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
21 When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed 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.” 22 So he sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a time. 23 And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way. 24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen. 25 He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: “Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. 26 Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands. 27 So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship.”
28 Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” 29 So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s travel companions. 30 And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him. 31 Then some of the officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater. 32 Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, and wanted to make his defense to the people. 34 But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”
35 And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: “Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus? 36 Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess. 38 Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a case against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you have any other inquiry to make, it shall be determined in the lawful assembly. 40 For we are in danger of being called in question for today’s uproar, there being no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering.” 41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
OKAY, HERE'S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
This is another DYNAMIC SPIRITUAL POWER ENCOUNTER recorded in the New Testament between the Kingdom of God and the forces of darkness. When the Lord Jesus Christ called Paul to become his minister he prophesied that his purpose would be turning humanity from darkness to light from the power of Satan to God. When the apostle Paul stood before King Agrippa he told him and a courtroom full of witnesses how Jesus called him and the commission the Lord gave him: Acts 26:16-18 (Jesus Christ speaking)…But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
True to his calling and purpose Paul found himself in the middle of the plan of God for his life by bringing deliverance from demonic power and salvation through faith in Jesus to multitudes of people in the city of Ephesus. His spiritual power and influence in the Holy Spirit was so great and his reputation was so well-known that a group of Jewish exorcists decided to try to imitate Paul’s ministry of casting out devils. They came across a man that obviously was demon possessed. They decided to cast the devil out of this man by commanding the evil spirit to leave in the name of Jesus that Paul preached. The Bible says that the evil spirit answered, speaking through the man saying; Jesus I know and Paul I know but who are you? In other words, the demon was saying I acknowledge the spiritual power and authority of Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul but I do not acknowledge that you have any power or authority to cast me out! Now this is very eye-opening, it appears that demons only recognize true spiritual authority and the power of the Holy Spirit. These Jewish exorcists did not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior in the same way that the apostle Paul did nor were they filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus taught that demons are cast out of people by the power of the Holy Spirit and in his great commission to go into all the world preaching the gospel one of the signs would be believers casting out devils in the authority of his name:
Matthew 12:28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Mark 16:17…In My name they will cast out demons…
The man that was filled with the evil spirit violently attacked the men that attempted to cast him out. The evil spirit seemed to empower the man with a supernatural strength because this one man overpowered seven men ripping off their clothing and giving them a severe beating! They fled from the house naked and wounded. Word spread throughout the entire city of what happened. The Holy Spirit used what happened to reveal the evil violent nature of the devil and at the same time magnify the superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ over all demons because the devil in the man actually acknowledged Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul but not these sons of the Jewish high priest. This separated in people’s minds once for all the reality of the risen Christ that Paul was preaching and the deadness of Judaism which had no authority or power in the spiritual realm.
The Holy Spirit used this event to shake an entire city as to the extreme danger of having any kind of alliance with Satan.
We know this because a great multitude of people brought all their magical books and occult writings together and publicly burned them obviously renouncing Satan. We know that the apostle Paul was able to successfully lead multitudes of people in the city of Ephesus to faith in Jesus Christ and planted a powerful church there. He also established the first school of ministry there in the city of Ephesus and it became the center for training workers and sending them out to evangelize the whole region. The influence of the apostle Paul by the working of the Holy Spirit was so great in that city that a large percentage of society came to understand that there was only one true God and Jesus Christ was the Son of the living God the risen Savior of the world. For this reason, multitudes renounced idolatry and stopped buying Idols to worship!
This actually caused the industry of idol making to suffer losses financially. A great persecution was the result. A multitude came together crying out “Great is Diana of the Ephesians” What was really going on? The unsaved businessmen we’re losing money because people weren’t buying idols like they used to because they were listening to Paul and being converted and delivered from these false Satanic objects of worship. Now the devil was angry and stirring up the multitudes against the apostle Paul. This is what can happen when the kingdom of God invades a city through a God ordained servant like the apostle Paul. I’m hungry for more of the power of God to manifest like we read about in the book of Acts. Today there remains multitudes of people that are in spiritual darkness and in bondage to sin and Satan. I am believing and working with the goal of God raising up an army of workers to set humanity free through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ! Now is the time to arise and enter into that end time prophetic movement of being the victorious church God has called us to be!
God covenant’s with us, the seed of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ to use us with the same message and power of the Holy Spirit that is recorded in the Bible. Isaiah 59:21 through 60:3 (Remember, there were no chapters and verses in the original Scriptures so we really need to be careful to read God’s word in the proper content an so rightly divide the Word) Isaiah 59:21-22 “As for Me,” says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”
Isaiah 60:1-3 Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. 2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. 3 The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising." We see this in Jesus life and ministry and we see it in the apostle Paul’s ministry. This prophecy is revealing the ministry of the Spirit and Word that will manifest through Jesus Christ the Messiah and his seed. It’s talking about his spiritual seed, that’s you and me, every born again believer. This prophecy has to do with the Church. Remember what Jesus promised about his church? Matthew 16:18…Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!
The question is; Will we believe God for his promises and Holy Spirit power to preach and continue the works of Christ leading people to salvation and deliverance from the bondage to sin and Satan or will we settle for an empty, weak, defeated Christian ministry?
The choice is yours, I chose to believe God to manifest His power and word through my life and do my part to fulfill the great commission of Christ till he comes! So, RISE UP! The promise is ours but we need to claim it by faith and enter into a the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit preaching the Word of God and bring deliverance to humanity!
ORDINATION
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll