Saturday, March 14, 2015

Footsteps of Paul: Ephesus

And he went into the synagogue,
and spake boldly for the space of three months,
disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.
But when divers were hardened, and believed not,
but spake evil of that way before the multitude,
he departed from them, and separated the disciples,
disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.
And this continued by the space of two years;
so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus,
both Jews and Greeks.
And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons,
and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists,
took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus,
saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
And the evil spirit answered and said,
Jesus I know, and Paul I know;
but who are ye?
And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them,
and overcame them, and prevailed against them,
so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks
also dwelling at Ephesus;
and fear fell on them all,
and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.



For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.

And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.
Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.
Acts 19:8-20/Ephesians 6:12

"By burning their books on magic, the Ephesian converts showed that the things in which they had once delighted they now abhorred. It was by and through magic that they had especially offended God and imperiled their souls; and it was against magic that they showed such indignation. Thus they gave evidence of true conversion.
These treatises on divination contained rules and forms of communication with evil spirits. They were the regulations of the worship of Satan--directions for soliciting his help and obtaining information from him."Acts of the Apostles p.288 E.G.W.