And you are....???

Chapter 19

vv.1-7 - another very confusing passage (on the surface). The key is to understand who these guys were that Paul was talking to. Verse 1 says they were "disciples." Our brains read that as followers of Christ, but that is not how the word was used back then. Disciple just means follower - could be a follower of God (not yet a Christian, like the Cornelius the Centurion in chapter 10) - could be a follower of anything. It's obvious these guys were not Christians because Paul has to tell them in verse 4 to believe in Jesus.

This passage also brings up some other noteworthy points:

• baptism - these guys had been baptized with water and were somehow disciples of John the Baptist. However, after making a decision to trust Christ, they were baptized again. Couldn't they have just said, "we've been baptized...no need to do it again"? Apparently not. Many who grew up in a faith tradition where they were baptized as an infant (or sprinkled) may feel as if they are negating that experience if they get baptized as an adult (after they have made their own decision to be a Christ-follower). I don't see it that way and I think this passage helps us see that - these guys were not turning their backs on John the Baptist or anything. They were just being obedient to the new teaching they were receiving.


• receiving the Holy Spirit - once again, we see another pattern. These guys get the Holy Spirit pretty much right after their decision and baptism as Paul (an Apostle) lays hands on them. Is this passage just describing what happened there at Ephesus or is it giving us a prescription of how it should work today? I feel like the former is the better way of reading this.


• tongues - again, we see tongues associated with salvation and receiving the Holy Spirit. There's not enough time to get into that here, but I would note that this is the last time you hear/see about tongues in Acts. 1 Cor. 13:8 talks about how tongues will cease (kinda die out as opposed to just come to an abrupt stop), although it doesn't give an exact date/timeline. All this to say, the tongues one sees in Acts were known languages and signs that God was empowering His followers, which would've been a big deal in a city like Ephesus that was so pagan.

v. 9 - nothing new under the sun. Today, many church plants start in schools - as they provide a relatively cheap facility for services. Paul did this 2000 years ago by teaching at a "lecture hall" (read: school) in Ephesus. He did this for 2 years, which was a long time for Paul to stay in one place. He was apparently so effective in teaching people that it led to them going out and planting churches (i.e. many of the ones you see addressed in chapters 2 & 3 of Revelation). Ephesus became a major hub for the spread of Christianity throughout Asia minor and Europe.

v.12 - this is where idiot tv evangelists (read: crooks) get the idea of sending them money for a prayer towel.

v.15 - once again, Acts is crazy exciting. Some Jews (who were not Christians) try to invoke the strong name of Jesus on some demons and the demons come back with "Jesus we know, & Paul we've heard of, but who are you?" Trash-talking from a demon! What an amazing thought - Paul was a noted figure in Hell. It reminds me of 2 things: First, many times before a game you see coaches write on a chalkboard or whiteboard some things they need their players to really pay attention to or focus on. I have a feeling Paul's name was on the whiteboard in Hell. Second, it reminds me of one of the best sermons ever by Louie Giglio entitled "The War Room of Hell," where he talks about 5 different screens with names on them. Screen 1 are Christians who don't bother anyone in Hell (there are tons of names that are flying by). He then moves up to screen 2, then 3, then 4 (describing each screen and the kind of Christ-follower that gets on each screen). He finishes by talking about screen 5 and how the people on this screen were the most feared in Hell. Paul would've been a screen 5 kind of guy. I wonder where I would be?

vv.18-20 - connecting the dots. These verses describe people who are truly becoming Christ-followers and that is evidenced by 2 things: 1. they confessed their evil, and 2. they made costly and sacrificial life change. The result of this (in verse 20) is that the word of the Lord grew widely and grew in power. When I see/hear of someone doing the 2 things mentioned above, it emboldens me as a believer and is a terribly strong testimony to unbelievers that there is a God, He is real, and He can change us.

v.34 - they shouted for 2 hours! Every time I read this, I think 2 things (I've got a lot of 2's today): 1. this is funny to me in light of the griping that goes on about having to stand too much in church during worship, and 2. could I praise God for 2 hours straight? Yes, this was a mob scene and the people were whipped into a frenzy, borrowing energy from one another. Nevertheless, they praised a false God for 2 hours - could we stand, praise, sing to and worship the true God for 2 hours?

vv.35-41 - why we have governments. The Bible tells us that God allows governments to rule over us (see Romans 13:1-7). We can see here how God's good idea helped Paul and the fellas.