Paul Ministers in Ephesus
8 Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God. 9 But some became stubborn, rejecting his message and publicly speaking against the Way. So Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he held daily discussions at the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for the next two years, so that people throughout the province of Asia—both Jews and Greeks—heard the word of the Lord.
Once more, we realize that when Paul shook the dust of one synagogue off his clothes, he was not cutting himself off from preaching in other synagogues. Paul preached convincingly in the synagogue in Ephesus for three months, but when local religious leaders began stirring up opposition, he simply moved to a public lecture hall donated by a man named Tyrannus. The meetings in that public hall continued for two years.
See what a great sense of humor God has! When Paul was speaking in the synagogue, he was only addressing Jews or believers in Judaism. But once Paul was forced to move to a public lecture hall, anybody could come and listen. As a bustling intellectual and commercial hub, Ephesus attracted people of all walks of life. The hall of Tyrannus is thought to have been located near the famous Celsus library in the heart of Ephesus. When Paul was preaching in the synagogue, he had time constraints. But now that Paul was speaking in a public lecture hall, he could take as much time as necessary, speaking to all kinds of people, and probably conducting lively question and answer sessions in the process. The word of Paul’s teaching would have spread rapidly throughout that part of the Roman Empire, causing the crowds to swell even further. The Jewish religious leaders would have been far better off had they allowed Paul to remain in the synagogue! And now God was about to empower Paul to attract attention in yet another fashion.
11 God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. 12 When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.
It all began when Paul dropped his handkerchief as he was walking toward the lecture hall of Tyrannus. A blind beggar sitting on the steps felt the handkerchief land on him. As the beggar handled the handkerchief, suddenly his eyes were opened and he could see. Another beggar sitting on the steps, lame from birth, asked to see the handkerchief. As soon as the second beggar received the handkerchief, he could feel strength coursing into withered muscles. Leaping up, this beggar began praising God. The word spread rapidly through town, and people began begging Paul to touch handkerchiefs and aprons so that they too could be healed. But the real breakthrough came with Athos’s thirteen-year-old son.
A wicked neighbor had cursed this poor boy, and he had become demon-possessed. When Athos’s wife was cooking, her son had to be restrained, lest he throw himself into the fire. In desperation, Athos went to Paul, begging him to handle the boy’s shirt. As soon as Athos returned home, he offered the shirt to the boy. Flinching, the boy reached out, touching the shirt, and suddenly was convulsed, throwing himself on the floor. But that was the moment of deliverance. The demons were gone, and now the boy was completely free. Word spread like wildfire, and soon others tried to copy Paul.
13 A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. 15 But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered.
One wonders if these itinerant exorcists were actually succeeding or if the demons were simply going into hiding for a short time after they had practiced their incantations. These guys were raking in lots of money for their work, but they were getting all the glory and not God. Above all else, the demons would not want people to trust in the One True Living God; as long as people were trusting in the exorcists, they could be easily manipulated. (The same thing is still true today!) And the demons could always return at an opportune moment. But one day, when the seven sons of Sceva the priest were trying this, even the demon became fed up with their fakery. The possessed man attacked all seven of the would-be exorcists, stripping their clothing and beating them to a bloody pulp.
17 The story of what happened spread quickly all through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike. A solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored. 18 Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. 19 A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars. 20 So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.
These verses contain truths so simple and fundamental that they can easily be overlooked. There were people who became believers who only destroyed their instruments of sorcery after coming under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. And these foul things were burned. When it comes to idols, charms, fetishes, or anything else that has been used for evil practices, complete destruction by burning is the safest thing to do. And sometimes when ordinary fire fails, God may send holy fire.
There’s a true story about an early missionary in northeastern Ghana who was preaching to a group of villagers. The villagers accepted Christ but informed the missionary that they had one idol that had steadfastly resisted destruction by fire. Just then, the sky darkened. In Ghana, storms move in from the east or northeast. But now looking westward, the missionary and the villagers saw a huge inky black cloud with sharp flashes of lightning moving in rapidly. The villagers and the missionary quickly crowded into a large hut with a tall central pole. With a sudden deafening roar, a bolt of lightning struck the top of the center pole, traveling down the pole and out the door straight to the idol. Although the lightning consumed the idol, none of the bystanders was hurt in any way. God did what men could not, destroying that idol.
21 Afterward Paul felt compelled by the Spirit to go over to Macedonia and Achaia before going to Jerusalem. “And after that,” he said, “I must go on to Rome!” 22 He sent his two assistants, Timothy and Erastus, ahead to Macedonia while he stayed awhile longer in the province of Asia.
Notice that Paul felt compelled, and this compulsion wasn’t just some ordinary whim. God speaks to us in many various ways, and in this case, God was pushing Paul to go to Macedonia and Achaia. What Paul didn’t know was that this would be the last time he would visit believers in those places. Soon, events would overtake Paul and eventually he would wind up in Rome through the machinations of government.
How do we know if we are being led by the Holy Spirit or if we are just going off on our own? The mark of the Holy Spirit is peace. When God is leading us, if we pray, we will have peace about moving in a certain direction. On the other hand, if the compulsion is not from God, the more we pray, the more difficult it will be to act on that compulsion. It is as if when we consider an action, the idea of it runs away from us at the speed of light and nothing we do will make it feel appropriate. May God help us so that we wait for His leading and follow His commands and not our own impulses.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to be obedient to You, no matter how You choose to use us or where You want to send us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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