Calvary Life A/G
Ephesus…Revival Fire in the midst of Darkness
What will you do, how far will you go to change the world you live in today?
Locations & Times
Pawhuska First Assembly of God
Old US Hwy 60, Pawhuska, OK 74056, USA
Sunday 9:30 AM
The setting here is Ephesus. This is a hot bed for magicians and roaming priest of that day. It was a city widely known for the occult and magical practices (witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, spiritism, astrology, fortune telling, tarot cards, Ouija boards, etc.).
Ephesus was the home of the Great Temple of Artemis. They began construction of this temple in the 6th century and didn’t finish until around 400 B.C.. It was burned to the ground around 356 B.C.. They would rebuild this temple with a larger and more spectacular one. The temple was 425’ x 220’, that’s huge. It was an outstanding center for those pilgrims that came to worship at its shrine. It wasn’t just a place of worship though, it also became an asylum for the oppressed and also a depository for funds. It was built by contributions from all over Asia. It was known as one of the wonders of the world!
So along comes Paul and finds some disciples…
Acts 19:1 WHILE APOLLOS was in Corinth, Paul went through the upper inland districts and came down to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he asked them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed [on Jesus as the Christ]? And they said, No, we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. 3 And he asked, Into what [baptism] then were you baptized? They said, Into John's baptism. 4 And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, continually telling the people that they should believe in the One Who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus [having a conviction full of joyful trust that He is Christ, the Messiah, and being obedient to Him]. 5 On hearing this they were baptized [again, this time] in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And as Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke in [foreign, unknown] tongues (languages) and prophesied.
Paul teaches these believers that they need John's baptism (they are possibly John’s disciples). They also need Jesus’ baptism. Paul lays hands on them and they receive Jesus’ baptism into the Holy Spirit, and revival breaks out in what is likely one seriously dark place!
God uses Paul in some pretty awesome ways at Ephesus…
Acts 19:11 And God did unusual and extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 So that handkerchiefs or towels or aprons which had touched his skin were carried away and put upon the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
Why did God choose to do miraculous signs like this in Ephesus? These people were obviously looking for something. They believed that they had powers over demons and sickness and disease. God used these signs to prove to them that He alone had true power over such things! They used these sweat rags that simply touched Paul's skin, and the scripture says that demons fled and sickness of all sorts was healed!!! Paul didn’t even have to show up and lay hands on them, proving that it was God doing this work.
The use of magical names in incantations were a common practice in the ancient world. Jewish practitioners of magic enjoyed great prestige because they claimed to know the true pronunciation of the sacred name of God and believed they could release God's full power. They latched onto the name of Jesus to use in their incantations! They will soon learn that there’s a difference in knowing about Jesus and actually knowing Jesus.
Acts 19:13 Then some of the traveling Jewish exorcists (men who adjure evil spirits) also undertook to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, I solemnly implore and charge you by the Jesus Whom Paul preaches! 14 Seven sons of a certain Jewish chief priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But [one] evil spirit retorted, Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you? 16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit dwelt leaped upon them, mastering two of them, and was so violent against them that they dashed out of that house [in fear], stripped naked and wounded. 17 This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, and alarm and terror fell upon them all; and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled and magnified.
A great revival burned in the midst of the darkness and hundreds would repent and turn from their wicked ways! God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit show up and show they are greater than all the magic and incantations in that great city. The sick were healed, the obsessed were set free and those that practiced magic were so convicted that they voluntarily surrendered their books to be burned. The value of these materials was so great it would have taken 10 laborers 20 years to raise that kind of funds!
Acts 19:18 Many also of those who were now believers came making full confession and thoroughly exposing their [former deceptive and evil] practices. 19 And many of those who had practiced curious, magical arts collected their books and [throwing them, book after book, on the pile] burned them in the sight of everybody. When they counted the value of them, they found it amounted to 50,000 pieces of silver (about $9,300).
Paul was able to continue preaching there for about two years before moving on. Scripture says that all who dwelt in Asia heard the Word of the Lord Jesus. This move literally changed their culture and environment. Multitudes would turn to the Lord. Idolatry suffered the repercussions of the revival and the church of Ephesus became a missionary center and was for centuries one of the Christian strongholds of Asia Minor.
Acts 19:20 Thus the Word of the Lord [concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God] grew and spread and intensified, prevailing mightily.
What will you do, how far will you go to change the world you live in today? God will do great and awesome thing in and through you if you’ll just let Him. Will you let Him provoke the fires of revival in you?
Ephesus was the home of the Great Temple of Artemis. They began construction of this temple in the 6th century and didn’t finish until around 400 B.C.. It was burned to the ground around 356 B.C.. They would rebuild this temple with a larger and more spectacular one. The temple was 425’ x 220’, that’s huge. It was an outstanding center for those pilgrims that came to worship at its shrine. It wasn’t just a place of worship though, it also became an asylum for the oppressed and also a depository for funds. It was built by contributions from all over Asia. It was known as one of the wonders of the world!
So along comes Paul and finds some disciples…
Acts 19:1 WHILE APOLLOS was in Corinth, Paul went through the upper inland districts and came down to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he asked them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed [on Jesus as the Christ]? And they said, No, we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. 3 And he asked, Into what [baptism] then were you baptized? They said, Into John's baptism. 4 And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, continually telling the people that they should believe in the One Who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus [having a conviction full of joyful trust that He is Christ, the Messiah, and being obedient to Him]. 5 On hearing this they were baptized [again, this time] in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And as Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke in [foreign, unknown] tongues (languages) and prophesied.
Paul teaches these believers that they need John's baptism (they are possibly John’s disciples). They also need Jesus’ baptism. Paul lays hands on them and they receive Jesus’ baptism into the Holy Spirit, and revival breaks out in what is likely one seriously dark place!
God uses Paul in some pretty awesome ways at Ephesus…
Acts 19:11 And God did unusual and extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 So that handkerchiefs or towels or aprons which had touched his skin were carried away and put upon the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
Why did God choose to do miraculous signs like this in Ephesus? These people were obviously looking for something. They believed that they had powers over demons and sickness and disease. God used these signs to prove to them that He alone had true power over such things! They used these sweat rags that simply touched Paul's skin, and the scripture says that demons fled and sickness of all sorts was healed!!! Paul didn’t even have to show up and lay hands on them, proving that it was God doing this work.
The use of magical names in incantations were a common practice in the ancient world. Jewish practitioners of magic enjoyed great prestige because they claimed to know the true pronunciation of the sacred name of God and believed they could release God's full power. They latched onto the name of Jesus to use in their incantations! They will soon learn that there’s a difference in knowing about Jesus and actually knowing Jesus.
Acts 19:13 Then some of the traveling Jewish exorcists (men who adjure evil spirits) also undertook to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, I solemnly implore and charge you by the Jesus Whom Paul preaches! 14 Seven sons of a certain Jewish chief priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But [one] evil spirit retorted, Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you? 16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit dwelt leaped upon them, mastering two of them, and was so violent against them that they dashed out of that house [in fear], stripped naked and wounded. 17 This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, and alarm and terror fell upon them all; and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled and magnified.
A great revival burned in the midst of the darkness and hundreds would repent and turn from their wicked ways! God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit show up and show they are greater than all the magic and incantations in that great city. The sick were healed, the obsessed were set free and those that practiced magic were so convicted that they voluntarily surrendered their books to be burned. The value of these materials was so great it would have taken 10 laborers 20 years to raise that kind of funds!
Acts 19:18 Many also of those who were now believers came making full confession and thoroughly exposing their [former deceptive and evil] practices. 19 And many of those who had practiced curious, magical arts collected their books and [throwing them, book after book, on the pile] burned them in the sight of everybody. When they counted the value of them, they found it amounted to 50,000 pieces of silver (about $9,300).
Paul was able to continue preaching there for about two years before moving on. Scripture says that all who dwelt in Asia heard the Word of the Lord Jesus. This move literally changed their culture and environment. Multitudes would turn to the Lord. Idolatry suffered the repercussions of the revival and the church of Ephesus became a missionary center and was for centuries one of the Christian strongholds of Asia Minor.
Acts 19:20 Thus the Word of the Lord [concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God] grew and spread and intensified, prevailing mightily.
What will you do, how far will you go to change the world you live in today? God will do great and awesome thing in and through you if you’ll just let Him. Will you let Him provoke the fires of revival in you?