Today’s Reading: Acts 19:1-22; Psalm 21

Paul did not spend much time in Antioch before he set out on his third missionary trip, which had an itinerary to go back to many of the areas he had previously visited. His purpose was to encourage and strengthen them. When he stopped in Ephesus, Paul found many believers who had repented of their sins and had been baptized with John’s kind of baptism of water, but they had not yet been baptized by or received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

THEY NEEDED TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP IN THEIR JOURNEY OF GRACE.

The first thing he said was, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? Did you take God into your mind only, or did you also embrace him with your heart? Did he get inside you?”
“We’ve never even heard of that — a Holy Spirit? God within us?” – Acts 19:2 (The Message)

Paul laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. They began praising God and telling others about the actions of a God who would love them enough to live in them. They spoke in other tongues and were given the gift of prophecy. The presence of the Holy Spirit immediately made a difference in their lives.

Paul stayed in Ephesus to continue preaching about Jesus and the way to salvation. For three months, he went to the synagogue to debate with the Jews, trying to persuade them about the Kingdom of God. But they stubbornly rejected Paul’s message, speaking out in opposition against the way. So Paul left the synagogue and began teaching in a lecture hall instead, taking the believers with him. I guess you could say that he planted a new church. He stayed there for two years teaching both Jews and Greeks, and possibly writing his first letter to the church in Corinth.

God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. 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. – Acts 19:11-12 (NLT)

PAUL WAS ABLE TO DO AMAZING THINGS BECAUSE GOD GAVE HIM THE POWER TO DO IT.

The City of Ephesus was known for its worship of Artemis, the goddess of fertility, otherwise known as Diana. With this pagan culture, they were in awe of all that Paul was able to do. Some began casting out evil spirits “in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches.” When the evil spirits acknowledged both Jesus and Paul, the tone of the city changed. The name of the Lord Jesus became greatly honored among the Ephesians because it was evident there was power in Jesus’ name.

Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. 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. So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect. – Acts 19:18-20

REVIVAL BROKE OUT WHEN THEY WERE WILLING TO WALK AWAY FROM THEIR OLD LIVES IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE LIFE THAT JESUS HAD DIED TO GIVE THEM.

So what is the Lord eager to do in your life and through your obedience? What is the next step on your journey of grace? Are you willing to walk away from something in order to receive the life God has for you?

You have endowed him with eternal blessings
and given him the joy of your presence.
For the king trusts in the Lord.
The unfailing love of the Most High
will keep him from stumbling. – Psalm 21:6-7

Lord, we humbly come before you this morning to ask you to guide us towards the next step on our journey of grace. We long to grow in our understanding of you, daily preparing ourselves for each conversation and opportunity you place before us. We pray for revival to break out among our churches in such a way that our communities take notice. Lord, be glorified through your power at work within us. May the message of salvation spread widely and have a powerful effect because we were not afraid to speak out. May each of us experience the powerful presence of your Holy Spirit living within us, giving us the courage to not be silent so that someone else can experience the next step on their journey of grace. Amen.

DO NOT BE AFRAID. SPEAK OUT. DO NOT BE SILENT. FOR I AM WITH YOU.