Christ is Exalted in Ephesus

The Spirit of God changes lives (1-7)

Apollos was still in Corinth; Paul came to Ephesus

Paul found some disciples who had only been baptized for repentance [John the Baptist]

Paul explained the difference between John’s baptism and Jesus’ baptism

John had told people to believe in the one to come, namely, Jesus

John indicated that the Christ was yet to come, that he would be mightier than John, and that he would baptize with the Holy Spirit. Paul’s report of this does not refer to the Holy Spirit but focuses on the name of Jesus as the one who fulfilled the Baptist’s prediction (cf. 17:3 note). If they came to put their trust in Jesus as Messiah, they would receive the gift of the Spirit and become Christians. [Peterson, PNTC]

These disciples were then baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus

Paul laid his hands upon them; they began speaking with tongues and prophesying

There were about twelve men in all

On the contrary, as Michael Green has written, it is ‘crystal clear that these disciples were in no sense Christians’, having not yet believed in Jesus, whereas through the ministry of Paul they came to believe and were then baptized with water and the Spirit more or less simultaneously...The norm of Christian experience, then, is a cluster of four things: repentance, faith in Jesus, water baptism and the gift of the Spirit. Though the perceived order may vary a little, the four belong together and are universal in Christian initiation. [Stott, The Message of Acts]

The Message doesn’t depend on location (8-10)

Paul entered the synagogue where he continued to speak out boldly

He preached in the synagogue for three months

He was reasoning and persuading about the kingdom of God

To argue from the Old Testament Scriptures about the kingdom is the same as to argue that Jesus is the Christ, since it is Jesus the Christ who inaugurated the kingdom (cf. 28:31). [Stott, The Message of Acts]

Explicit mention of three months suggests a longer ministry in this synagogue than in any previous one, which helps to explain his extensive influence on Jews in the province as a whole (v. 10). [Peterson, PNTC]

Some became hardened (obstinate) and disobedient (refused to believe)

They spoke evil (publicly maligned) of the Way publicly (to the multitude; congregation)

Paul left the synagogue, taking the recently baptized disciples with him

He began reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus

He preached in the school of Tyrannus for two years

All who lived in the Roman province of Asia heard the word of the Lord

This included both Jews and Greeks

The word of the Lord was heard throughout the province, as widespread evangelistic activity was encouraged by Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. Here and in v. 20 it is once again affirmed that the gospel was responsible for this growth and development. [Peterson, PNTC]

The Word of God will prevail (11-20)

God was using Paul to perform extraordinary miracles

At first glance, this appears to be a ‘magical’ activity, but God’s sovereign role in the process is highlighted. God healed people in this way, graciously accommodating to human beliefs and expectations, to encourage them to draw near and discover what his messenger was proclaiming to them. [Peterson, PNTC]

Jewish exorcists were trying to replicate God’s work without God’s word

Seven sons of a Jewish chief priest attempted to do the work of Christ without having a relationship with Christ through the gospel

To be sure, there is power—saving and healing power—in the name of Jesus, as Luke has been at pains to illustrate (e.g. 3:6, 16; 4:10–12). But its efficacy is not mechanical, nor can people use it second-hand. [Stott, The Message of Acts]

These itinerant Jewish exorcists, who were fascinated by Paul’s power and influence, recognised that his secret was the name of Jesus. But theirs was a fraudulent activity, since they were not Christians and used the name of Jesus like a magic formula. [Peterson, PNTC]

The evil spirit recognized Jesus and Paul, but did not know these imposters

The evil spirit basically “beat the pants off” those who wanted the glory without submitting to the power and authority of Christ

The forces of evil knew the difference between one who truly ministered in the name of Jesus and pretenders. This spirit was not to be easily overcome, perceiving a profound unity between Paul and Jesus, and thus the authority of Paul as Jesus’ representative to exorcise in this way. If the command had been uttered by Paul, the demon would have come out. [Peterson, PNTC]

This incident became widely known in Ephesus

Fear fell upon all who heard

The name of the Lord Jesus was magnified

The power of the word of God had consequences in Ephesus

People were confessing their sins / evil practices

People who practiced magic were burning the books of their trade at great expense

The word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing

From previous contexts we may discern that the church grew because more and more people believed in the gospel. But from this particular context we also learn that the power of the gospel to transform lives was associated with and illustrated by healing, exorcism, and the confounding of false religion and magic. [Peterson, PNTC]