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 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. ⁸ There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. ⁹ And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. ¹⁰ But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” ¹¹ And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. ¹² And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.

¹³ But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land. ¹⁴ And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. ¹⁵ And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after that we went to Miletus. ¹⁶ For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. (ESV)

I think verse 12 must represent one of the great understatements in Scripture! The raising of Eutychus was another miracle which God performed through Paul, authenticating his ministry, and marking him out as one of the Scriptural greats like Elijah and Elisha. It also demonstrates the continuity between Old and New Testaments. It is also significant that this miracle happened on ”the first day of the week”. (It is also worth noting that Dr. Luke was an eye-witness of this event, and he would have been able to vouch for it).

Verses seven to twelve give us a rather lovely insight into an early Christian meeting. We can see that the church met ”on the first day of the week” (the day on which Jesus rose from the dead); that the meeting was held in a home – an upper storey to be exact – and that ‘breaking bread’ formed a part of it. Also, it seems, there was the ministry of the Word, although the Greek used suggests the teaching took the form of dialogue. It looks like the meeting occurred in an evening. Was this, I wonder, because Sunday would be a normal working day in the Roman Empire, so people would be unable to gather until later? You can imagine how sultry that room might have felt, situated upstairs, filled with people, and with extra soporific warmth from the candle light. It’s easy to sympathise with young Eutychus, who had possibly been at work all day, gradually losing the battle to stay awake. It’s a very human and realistic picture of what can (and does!) happen.

In verses thirteen to sixteen, I have highlighted the words ”intending” and ”decided”. There is a strong emphasis in the book of Acts on people being led by the Spirit. But this is not necessarily incompatible with human reasoning and planning (see 19:21 and 20:22).

After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. ² When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. ³ There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. ⁴ Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. ⁵ These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, ⁶ but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days. (ESV)

‘The uproars usually cease, so be patient; but be sure to get ready for the next battle.’ Warren Wiersbe

it has been said that the secret of J.O.Y. is: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last. It was typical of Paul to put others before himself. He was outwardly focussed, and regardless of his own troubles and needs, he wanted to encourage the churches.

Encouragement seems such an ordinary, unspectacular thing, but who can live with out it, in one form or another? Who can continue in ministry over a long period of time without receiving regular injections of encouragement? We need these ‘booster jabs’. Of course, we have to learn (as David did) to encourage ourselves in God, but how thankful we are for the encouragement given by dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul was very much a ‘team player’, and there is the potential for great encouragement when we share ministry with others.

⁹ Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. ¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! ¹¹ Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? ¹² And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 ESV)

PRAYER: Lord, in your mercy, forgive our disunity, heal our divisions, mend our disunity, that we may serve you together in a spirit of mutual encouragement, for your glory.

 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ²² And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

²³ About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. ²⁴ For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. ²⁵ These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. ²⁶ And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. ²⁷ And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”

²⁸ When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel. ³⁰ But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. ³¹ And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theatre. ³² Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. ³³ Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. ³⁴ But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵ And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?³⁶ Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. ³⁷ For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. ³⁸ If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. ³⁹ But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. ⁴⁰ For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” ⁴¹ And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly. (ESV)

I wanted to return to yesterday’s passage in order to highlight one or two other things:

• Paul knew the Spirit’s leading (21), but his visits to Jerusalem and Rome were to be full of trial and difficulty. Don’t let anyone kid you that the Spirit-filled life is a picnic! When you consider the birth stories of Jesus, as found in Matthew and Luke, and see the prominent role of the Holy Spirit in these events, remember that there were many difficulties for Mary and Joseph to navigate, and for Jesus above all. Yet the Spirit was powerfully at work and God’s will was being done. The Spirit-filled life does not mean the absence of difficulty but the presence of power;
• The folly of idolatry. I think there is almost an ironic comedy lying close to the surface of verse 27. It reminds me of some of those great Old Testament prophetic passages where scorn is poured on idol religion. The temple of Artemis was, in truth, ”nothing” (even though regarded as one of the wonders of the ancient world). She was ”nothing”. Who was this ”great goddess” that she needed humans to defend her? It’s laughable! ”Magnificence”? What magnificence?
• There is also something quite funny about the comment in verse 32-something which rings true about crowd dynamics. Let’s chuck these bricks, and then find out later why we’re chucking them!!

I conclude this brief look at Acts 19 with the always insightful words of F.B. Meyer:

‘The theatre of Ephesus still stands, and the writer of these words has spoken in its mighty enclosure, from the very spot where this town clerk-the model of officialism-must have stood to address and calm the frenzied crowd. Paul never knew the fear of man, and was with difficulty prevented from endangering his life in his desire to turn the occasion to account. He probably refers to this incident when he says that he fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, 1 Corinthians 15:32 . But he could have done no good in the face of such a turmoil. Be valorous, Christian soldiers, but be discreet! Do not throw yourselves from the mountain brow unless God clearly calls for it.

It is well to bear this scene in mind when the Apostle tells us of a “peace that passeth understanding” which stands sentry over heart and mind. His was not the sequestered life of a religious recluse; he was continually battling his way through a stormy sea. But it is in the floods of great waters that we learn what our Lord can be. Dying outwardly and in human estimation, yet we live, 2 Corinthians 4:16 ; the earthen vessel chipped and broken, but the heavenly treasure unimpaired, 2 Corinthians 4:7 .’

²¹ Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ²² And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

²³ About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. ²⁴ For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. ²⁵ These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. ²⁶ And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. ²⁷ And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”

²⁸ When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel. ³⁰ But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. ³¹ And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theatre. ³² Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. ³³ Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defence to the crowd. ³⁴ But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵ And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?³⁶ Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. ³⁷ For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. ³⁸ If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. ³⁹ But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. ⁴⁰ For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” ⁴¹ And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly. (ESV)

In verse 26 we get a sense of the very great and widespread impact of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. Let’s remember that this was within just a few decades of the incarnation of Christ, and already there were giant ripples going out across the Roman Empire. This Empire (like every other earthly dominion) was destined to fall, but the Kingdom of Jesus has continued to grow, and will endure for ever (Daniel 2:34,35).

I once read a book in which this question was posed: ‘Does persecution come as a precursor to revival, or does it follow in its wake?’ I don’t know that there is one definitive answer. It seems to me that it can be one or the other, or both. This persecution in Ephesus had to do with vested economic interests being threatened, and there was a huge backlash in the wake of a move of God. (By the way, it looks like the first concern of these opponents of the gospel had to do with their wealth, or potential lack of it, rather than the worship of their goddess.) Nevertheless ”the gates of hell” can never ”prevail” against the church that Jesus is building, however forcefully they may try

Verse 35 reveals that the Ephesians had a reverence for a meteorite that ”fell from the sky”. It is remarkable what mumbo-jumbo people will believe, rather than turn to Jesus Who ”came down to earth from heaven
who is God and Lord of all…”

¹¹ And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, ¹² so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. ¹³ Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” ¹⁴ Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. ¹⁵ But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” ¹⁶ And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. ¹⁸ Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. ¹⁹ And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰ So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. (ESV)

What happened in Ephesus bore all the hallmarks of what we, in church circles, call ‘revival’, not least the confession of sin and the very clear public renunciation of personal evil. There was a profound awareness of the presence of God, and Jesus’ Name was held in high honour (17). Also, there was an unleashing of the miraculous. God put very real power upon Paul for the blessing and benefit of others, and supremely for the glorifying of His own Name (11). God’s Word was heralded widely (10,20).

” So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.” We can see that the emphasis is not on any human being, no matter how great. This is about what ”God was doing”.

‘So deep was the work of God in that great city of Ephesus that the trade in charms and amulets, sold in the neighbourhood of the temple, began to fall off. The crowd of worshippers in Diana’s temple was also perceptibly less. People who came in from the seaboard would find their way to the Apostle, who preached the gospel with a power that could not be withstood. Regenerated souls therefore, in turn, carried the gospel throughout the whole region.’ F.B. Meyer

In terms of the story about the sons of Sceva, I have wondered if this is again about jealousy? They wanted a ‘piece of the action’ (but they got more than they bargained for! See also 8:9-25). My wife, Jilly, made the comment about verse 17 that God can use the strangest of things to get people’s attention.

And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. ² And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” ³ And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” ⁴ And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.

⁸ And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. (ESV)

Although this chapter opens with the words, ”And it happened…’‘, the truth is that Paul eventually found himself in Ephesus because it was the will of God (see 18:21). This was no coincidence.

In the first place, Paul found some people there who were both ”disciples” and believers, but their understanding and experience were incomplete (a little like Apollos’s). Like him also, they showed a complete openness to receive new truth, and enter in.

‘Paul could not build a church on men with an inadequate spiritual experience, nor can we today.’ Warren Wiersbe

God brings good out of bad (9). Paul’s ministry in Ephesus was to have widespread repercussions; the ripples were to travel far and wide. He was about to enter a season of special, and unusual, blessing. ‘ People who had come in to worship at the shrine of Diana gave themselves to Christ, and the Christian faith became disseminated through the province, Ephesus itself being mightily moved.’ F.B. Meyer

PRAYER: ‘It is no secret what God can do’…Do it again Lord!

²⁴ Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. ²⁵ He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. ²⁷ And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, ²⁸ for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. (ESV)

‘Apollos combined the eloquence of the Greek with the religious instinct of the Jew. A student from the great university at Alexandria, a convert to the gospel, deeply conversant with the Old Testament, gifted with marvelous eloquence, he was a strong ally of the Christian forces of his age. But he needed to know of the death, resurrection, and ascended power of Christ, and to experience the Pentecostal gift. Into all these he was led by Aquila and Priscilla. How wonderful is that holy wisdom which the Spirit of God gives to simple and humble believers, so that they can become teachers of men who are intellectually their superiors!’ F.B. Meyer

The Bible doesn’t actually say that Apollos was intellectually superior to Priscilla and Aquila, but it’s probably a fair inference to draw. It is certainly true that God has used simple, ‘ordinary’ saints to mentor those would become big names in the church. Certainly, in Corinth, Apollos’ name was to be up there with Paul and Peter’s (1 Corinthians 1:12). What a service Priscilla and Aquila performed for Apollos (and the wider church); and how teachable was Apollos. His openness to being taught led, it seems, to even greater, and more effective, ministry.

‘Aquila and Priscilla, husband and wife, appear several times in apostolic history and were important workers in the early church. They are always mentioned together because they were a team. Being Jews, they were expelled from Rome; as a result, they met Paul in Corinth and opened their home to him. Paul left them in Ephesus where they helped Apollos better understand the gospel (Acts 18:18-28). They returned to Rome where they had a church in their home (Rom.16:3-5). We do not know how they risked their lives for Paul; but their actions show how much they loved him. They were with Paul in Ephesus when he wrote 1 Corinthians (1 Cor.16:8,19), so perhaps it had something to do with the riot described in Acts 19. In his last epistle, Paul sent loving greetings to them (2 Tim.4:19). Every pastor is grateful to God for couples like Priscilla and Aquila whose hearts, hands and homes are completely given to the Lord.’ Warren Wiersbe

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. ² And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, ³ and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. ⁴ And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

⁵ When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. ⁶ And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” ⁷ And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. ⁸ Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. ⁹ And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, ¹⁰ for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” ¹¹ And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

¹² But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, ¹³ saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.” ¹⁴ But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. ¹⁵ But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” ¹⁶ And he drove them from the tribunal. ¹⁷ And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this. (ESV)

So we see once more the by now familiar pattern of Paul seeking to preach the gospel to the Jews, and finding rejection. Yet not entirely, because there was significant ‘fruit’ to be had in Corinth (8).

The vision granted to Paul (9,10), must have greatly strengthened and encouraged him to press on (11). The Lord knows just what we need to hear, and when, and He is able to communicate this to us. He knows just where you are, in your ‘Corinth’ of opportunity and difficulty. and He is able to give you all you need.

Verse 10 points to the wonder of God’s sovereignty in conversion (see John 10:16). Yet people are still involved. We are workers together with God.

Gallio’s indifference to the treatment of Sosthenes serves as a warning to us: our hearts can become hard in the face of the world’s great suffering.

‘Paul tells us, in 1 Corinthians 2:1-4 , that he entered Corinth with fear and trembling and made no effort to attract by human wisdom or eloquence. From the first he preached “Christ and Him crucified.”

Similarity in trade discovered friends who were to be of the utmost assistance; nothing in our life may be attributed to chance…

Constrained in spirit, Acts 18:5 , r.v. The heart of the Apostle yearned with irrepressible desire. He was weary of forbearing. God’s word was as a fire in his bones. The guilty city appealed to him and tugged at his heartstrings. So Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Do we participate in this soul anguish? Are our hands free of the blood of men? Are we prepared to suffer if only we may save others?

Gallio was a typical man of the world, intent upon matters of law and order, philosophical and cultured. But when questions of religion were in debate, he was absolutely indifferent. How vast the contrast between him and Paul!’