Miracles through the Apostles - 5 - Reverence and Revival

Paul fills 12 men with the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-7)

· Paul laid hands on believers to help them receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit

· Their baptism proves the Holy Spirit is for every believer, not limited to the Apostles

Acts 19:1–5 NLT

1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers. 2 “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them. “No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 “Then what baptism did you experience?” he asked. And they replied, “The baptism of John.” 4 Paul said, “John’s baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus.” 5 As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Acts 19:6 NLT

6 Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied.

· Paul was not the source, but the vessel - a point of contact

Paul’s Miraculous Power operated healed the sick and cast out demons (Acts 19:11-12)

Acts 19:11–12 NLT

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.

Paul given extreme power to perform unusual miracles.

Paul healed the sick and delivered the demon-possessed when they touched Paul’s aprons and handkerchiefs and laid the cloths on the sick.

Miracles Subdue Sorcerers - Support the Savior (Acts 19:13-20)

Acts 19:13–16 NLT

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.

Miracles bring the fear of the Lord

Acts 19:17 NLT

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.

Miracles Cause Confession of Sin

Acts 19:18–19 NLT

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.

Miracles Point to the Messiah

Acts 19:20 NLT

20 So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.

· Break all ties of horoscopes, magic, free masonry, witchcraft, fortune tellers, occultism, mysticism, tarot cards etc. from your life

Paul Raised Eutychus from the Dead (Acts 20:7-12)

Acts 20:7–12 NLT

7 On the first day of the week, we gathered with the local believers to share in the Lord’s Supper. Paul was preaching to them, and since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking until midnight. 8 The upstairs room where we met was lighted with many flickering lamps. 9 As Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, became very drowsy. Finally, he fell sound asleep and dropped three stories to his death below. 10 Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s alive!” 11 Then they all went back upstairs, shared in the Lord’s Supper, and ate together. Paul continued talking to them until dawn, and then he left. 12 Meanwhile, the young man was taken home alive and well, and everyone was greatly relieved.

Paul Unharmed by Poisonous Snake Bite (Acts 28:1-6)

Island of Malta after surviving a shipwreck - another miracle!

Acts 28:1–6 NLT

1 Once we were safe on shore, we learned that we were on the island of Malta. 2 The people of the island were very kind to us. It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us. 3 As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. 4 The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.” 5 But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. 6 The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god.

From Zero to Hero -

· don’t take miracles from one extreme to another

· The Islanders’ first thought Paul was a devil, then a god

Paul healed a prominent tribal leader of fever and dysentery (Acts 28:7-8)

Acts 28:7–8 NLT

7 Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days. 8 As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him.

Paul healed all sick people on the island of Malta (Acts 28:9-10)

Acts 28:9–10 NLT

9 Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed. 10 As a result we were showered with honors, and when the time came to sail, people supplied us with everything we would need for the trip.

· Miracles point to the Messiah! - miracles bring healing, healing brings salvation!