Acts 18:23-19:20

Upon completing his second missionary trip, Paul returned to Antioch, his homebase. He spent several months there between late 52 A.D. and early 53 A.D.

• The uttermost parts of the earth
  • Paul’s third missionary trip
    • The first part of this trip is to revisit churches Paul had established on his earlier trips
    • The first stop was Galatia and Phrygia in Asia Minor
      • Included Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, Antioch, and Ephesus
    • We are not told much about the first locations, but there is much that took place in Ephesus
  • The ministry of Apollos (Acts 18:24-28)
    • Apollos was a Jewish man from Alexandria in Egypt
    • Apollos was an educated man. Alexandria was and continues to be a cultural learning center of the world
    • Preached John’s baptism – repentance in anticipation of a coming Messiah
      • Apparently was unaware of Jesus’ completed work
    • Ministered unto by Aquila and Priscilla
  • The ministry of Paul at Ephesus (Acts 19:1-41)
    • Ministering to a small number (Acts 19:1-7)
      • Possibly some who Apollos had taught before he was instructed by Aquila and Priscilla
    • The question (Acts 19:2)
      • While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when^[ you believed?”
      • They had never been instructed regarding the Holy Spirit
      • They were obviously instructed in John’s teachings
    • Their response to further instruction (Acts 19:5-7)
      • Baptized into Christ’s baptism
      • Received the Holy Spirit
    • Ministry in the synagogue (Acts 19:8-9)
      • Intense three months of teaching
      • Opposition (Acts 19:9)
        • The opposition was similar to Paul’s previous experiences
    • Extended ministry among the Gentiles (Acts 19:10-12)
      • Miraculous acts (Acts 19:11-12)
      • Healing powers
        • Handkerchief – used as a headband of sweatband by Paul
        • Apron – used in plying his trade as a tentmaker
    • Revealing the counterfeit (Acts 19:13-16)
      • The use of magical incantations was common in the ancient world
      • The Jewish magicians had more prestige because they knew the proper names and pronunciations of God and could invoke his name
    • Their result (Acts 19:15-16)
      • Exposure
      • Defeat
    • God’s result (Acts 19:17-20)
      • God’s power became widely known (Acts 19:17)
      • Christian’s practice changed (Acts 19:18-19)
        • Confessed their sins
        • Burned books of the curious arts which totaled 50,000 pieces of silver
          • They didn’t give the books away or sell them
          • They were burned which prevented them from being passed along to others and causing further deception
      • God’s work prevails and increases (Acts 19:20)