Tag: Acts 19-20
Authority over evil spirits!
Scripture reading for November 13th: Acts 19-20
The Apostle Paul started his third missionary journey to reach those in the province of Asia. (Acts 18:23) He ended up in Ephesus where he found a group of disciples gathered. These twelve men had been baptized into John’s baptism of repentance but had never heard about Jesus Christ. Paul gave them the Gospel and told them about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied! Thus the church at Ephesus was born. This event took place about 20 years after the first Pentecost!
Following this, Paul spoke in the synagogue. He went to his own brothers, the Jews, and sought to win them to Jesus. This caused a conflict so he left with the new disciples and went to the lecture hall of Tyrannus. His ministry was so effective that all the Jews and Greeks in the whole province of Asia heard the word of the Lord! (Acts 19:10)
The Lord has promised that signs will follow those who obediently preach the Gospel. (Mark 16:15-20) As Paul preached in Asia, God did extraordinary miracles through him, winning the lost and confirming Jesus as the Christ. These miracles included supernatural healing and casting out evil spirits. (Acts 19:11-12) Even handkerchiefs and aprons taken from Paul were sent to the sick and they were healed and delivered!
Paul’s preaching of Jesus caused some Jewish exorcists to imitate Paul’s methods. They tried to cast out a demon from a possessed man “in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches.” The demon spoke to them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” (Acts 19:13-15) The result was that these seven exorcists were severely beaten by the demon possessed man! Fear seized the populace and they confessed their evil deeds, sorcery, and witchcraft. They publicly burned their books and charms and the word of God spread and grew in power!
God’s power is no match against the powers of the Devil! Jesus told us that in His Name, we would cast out devils! Demons recognize Jesus and those who have Him as Lord! In His name, extraordinary miracles will follow the preaching of the Gospel and the ministry of those who obediently go! Be bold as you enter your mission field today!
Casting out evil spirits!
Scripture reading for November 12th: Acts 19-20
The Apostle Paul began his third missionary journey to reach those in the province of Asia. (Acts 18:23) He ended up in Ephesus where he found a group of disciples gathered. These twelve men had been baptized into John’s baptism of repentance but had never heard about Jesus Christ. Paul gave them the Gospel of Jesus, told them about the Holy Spirit and then laid hands on them. The Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied! Thus the church at Ephesus was born. Paul’s ministry went on there for nearly three years. This event took place about 20 years after the first Pentecost!
The Lord promised that signs would follow those who obediently preached the Gospel. (Mark 16:15-20) As Paul preached in Asia, God did extraordinary miracles through him to win the lost and confirm that Jesus was the Christ. These miracles included supernatural healing and casting out evil spirits. (Acts 19:11-12) Handkerchiefs and aprons that Paul used were taken to the sick and they were healed and delivered!
Paul’s preaching of Jesus and these extraordinary miracles caused some Jewish exorcists to imitate Paul’s methods. They tried to cast out a demon from a possessed man “in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches.” The demon spoke to them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” (Acts 19:13-15) These seven exorcists were then severely beaten by the demon possessed man! The word about this spread and brought a revival of holiness. Fear seized the populace and they confessed their evil deeds, sorcery, and witchcraft. They publicly burned their books and charms and the word of God spread and grew in power!
God’s power is no match against the powers of the Devil! Jesus told us that in His Name, we would cast out devils! We must know Jesus personally! It can’t be a second hand knowledge or we will be in trouble, just like the seven who tried it. Demons recognize and know Jesus and those who have Him as Lord! In His name, extraordinary miracles will follow the preaching of the Gospel and the ministry of those who obediently go! Be bold as you enter your mission field today! We have a mission field that is full of demonic bondage in need of bold confrontation.
Watch Out for Wolves!
Scripture reading for November 13th: Acts 19-20
“Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.” (Acts 20:25-27) Paul was about to leave the church he had spent nearly two years building up. He loved those there and knew he would not see them again. He was headed for Jerusalem and had been warned that prison and hardships would be in his future. The one thing that comforted him was that he had presented the whole will of God to these people. He had not held back anything that God had laid on his heart. As far as it concerned the preacher, he was innocent of their blood! They were accountable for what they had been told!
There was one other warning that God laid on this pastor’s heart for the leaders. “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood. For I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. Be on your guard!” (Acts 20:28-31a)
It is God’s church and the Holy Spirit installs leadership! Shepherds are to remember that the flock was bought with the Master’s own blood and is precious to Him! The shepherds and overseers must be watchful because Satan is always after God’s sheep. Satan’s helpers may look like sheep, but are really savage wolves. Paul warned that these wolves would come from within the body, drawing disciples away from the true shepherds. They would distort the truth and deceive some of the sheep if the shepherd was not watchful!
As a watchful pastor, I know that this warning is especially true for these last days that we live in. Distorted doctrines abound which some deceptive people within the body of Christ use to draw people away from truth. Many are after followers and financial support and use ear-tickling teaching to pad their accounts. Discernment and watchful shepherds are sorely needed!
Casting Out Evil Spirits
Scripture reading for November 13th: Acts 19-20
The Apostle Paul had begun his third missionary journey to reach those in the province of Asia. (Acts 18:23) He ended up in Ephesus where he found a group of disciples gathered. These twelve men had been baptized into John’s baptism of repentance but had never heard about Jesus Christ. Paul gave them the Gospel of Jesus, told them about the Holy Spirit and then laid hands on them. The Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied! Thus the church at Ephesus was born. Paul’s ministry went on there for nearly three years. This event took place about 20 years after the first Pentecost!
Following this event, Paul spoke in the synagogue, as was his custom. He went to his own brothers, the Jews, first and sought to win them to Jesus. This caused a conflict so he left with the new disciples and went to another place in the city, the lecture hall of Tyrannus, and continued to preach and teach there for two years. His ministry was so effective that all the Jews and Greeks in the whole province of Asia heard the word of the Lord! (Acts 19:10)
The Lord has promised that signs will follow those who obediently preach the Gospel. (Mark 16:15-20) As Paul preached here in Asia, God did extraordinary miracles through him as a help in winning the lost and confirming that Jesus is the Christ. These miracles included supernatural healing and casting out evil spirits. (Acts 19:11-12) Even as handkerchiefs and aprons taken from Paul were sent, the sick were healed and delivered!
Paul’s preaching of Jesus and these extraordinary miracles caused some Jewish exorcists to try and imitate Paul’s methods. They tried to cast out a demon from a possessed man “in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches.” The demon spoke to them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” (Acts 19:13-15) The result was that these seven exorcists were severely beaten by the demon possessed man! The word of this happening and all the miracles brought a revival of holiness. Fear seized the populace and they confessed their evil deeds, sorcery, and witchcraft. They publicly burned their books and charms and the word of God spread and grew in power!
What lessons can we learn from this account of Paul’s preaching in a town with strongholds of witchcraft? God’s power is no match against the powers of the Devil! Jesus told us that in His Name, we would cast out devils! The warning is that we must know this Jesus personally. It can’t be a second hand thing or you will be in trouble, just like the seven who tried it. Demons recognize and know both Jesus and those who have Him as Lord! In His name, extraordinary miracles will follow the preaching of the Gospel and the ministry of those who obediently go! Be bold as you enter your mission field today!