The Living Word

KING JAMES VERSION

"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever."

— Isaiah 40:8

Acts 19

Listen to the Word

Initializing audio...

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

1

And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

WhatsApp Copy

2

He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

WhatsApp Copy

3

And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

WhatsApp Copy

4

Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

WhatsApp Copy

5

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

WhatsApp Copy

6

And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

WhatsApp Copy

7

And all the men were about twelve.

WhatsApp Copy

8

And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.

WhatsApp Copy

9

But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.

WhatsApp Copy

10

And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

WhatsApp Copy

11

And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:

WhatsApp Copy

12

So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

WhatsApp Copy

13

Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the LORD Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.

WhatsApp Copy

14

And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

WhatsApp Copy

15

And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

WhatsApp Copy

16

And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

WhatsApp Copy

17

And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

WhatsApp Copy

18

And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.

WhatsApp Copy

19

Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.

WhatsApp Copy

20

So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.

WhatsApp Copy

21

After these things were ended, 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.

WhatsApp Copy

22

So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season.

WhatsApp Copy

23

And the same time there arose no small stir about that way.

WhatsApp Copy

24

For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen;

WhatsApp Copy

25

Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.

WhatsApp Copy

26

Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:

WhatsApp Copy

27

So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.

WhatsApp Copy

28

And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.

WhatsApp Copy

29

And the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre.

WhatsApp Copy

30

And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not.

WhatsApp Copy

31

And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre.

WhatsApp Copy

32

Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused: and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.

WhatsApp Copy

33

And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people.

WhatsApp Copy

34

But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.

WhatsApp Copy

35

And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?

WhatsApp Copy

36

Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly.

WhatsApp Copy

37

For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess.

WhatsApp Copy

38

Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another.

WhatsApp Copy

39

But if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly.

WhatsApp Copy

40

For we are in danger to be called in question for this day's uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse.

WhatsApp Copy

41

And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.

WhatsApp Copy

Previous Next

Chapter Study & Analysis

Overview

Acts 19 describes Paul’s long ministry in Ephesus, where the Word of God grew mightily. It features the baptism of disciples of John, the failure of the seven sons of Sceva, and the riot caused by the makers of idols.

CONTEMPORARY APPLICATIONS

1. The Reality of Spiritual Warfare: The incident with the sons of Sceva (v. 13-16) warns us that we cannot use Jesus’ name as a magical formula. True power comes from a genuine relationship with Him.
2. Confession and Renunciation: Those who believed burned their books of magic (v. 19). True conversion involves a public and practical break with our past sinful and occultic practices.
3. The Impact on Society: The Gospel was so effective it affected the local economy of idol-making (v. 27). If our faith is real, it will eventually challenge the idols and values of the society around us.

Practical Lessons

FORMAL PRAYER

Almighty God, who didst work special miracles by the hands of Paul: let Thy Word grow mightily and prevail in our lives. Deliver us from the spirit of the world and grant us the courage to cast away our idols, that Christ alone may be exalted. Amen.

Copied to clipboard!