Now on his third missionary journey, in Acts 19 the apostle Paul returns to the city of Ephesus, where he encounters twelve disciples of John the Baptist. Like Apollos at the end of the previous chapter (18:25), they had heard John’s teaching and had received his baptism, but they had not heard about the Day of Pentecost and descent of the Holy Spirit. They were waiting for the Messiah but had not yet been told of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. They weren’t Christians yet! So Paul updates their theology and they put their faith in Jesus. By their re-baptism, they are inducted into the new age of the Holy Spirit, and they begin to praise God in unknown languages and with ecstatic utterances. Their experience is almost identical to Pentecost (2:4). It was repeated when the Samaritans came to faith (8:14-17), and again with the salvation of a God-fearing Gentile household (10:44-48). Upon their conversion, Jesus brings the Spirit to all believers. But in Acts, each time a new people-group is reached in the outward expansion of the gospel (1:8), these miraculous phenomena provide outward verification that the Spirit has indeed been given (v 1-7). Paul’s ministry in Ephesus moves from the synagogue to a large auditorium, where he reasons from the Scriptures daily. Over a period of two years, those trained by Paul are sent out to plant churches in outlying regions (v 8-10). God was doing great and marvelous things in Ephesus, highlighted by some incredible miracles done by the apostle. But there was no manipulation or trickery going on with Paul’s ministry. Tragically, some will always try to seize hold of God’s power and turn it into a sideshow. And this is what happens in Ephesus, when seven brothers engage in some kind of deliverance ministry. Using the name of Jesus as if it were magical, these hucksters get pummeled by one demon-possessed man. The seven are publicly humiliated, but the gospel continues to spread, along with great respect for the name of Jesus. In a costly repentance, new believers burn their magic books, a radical sign that they were turning away from all evil, and all occult practices (v 11-20). Eventually, things got a little crazy when the craftsmen of Ephesus instigate a riot in protest of the Christian missionaries. The gospel of Jesus was putting a serious dent in their idol-making business. Ephesus was home for the temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Paul’s message was not only threatening the economy, but also the cultural and religious identity of their city! Thankfully, the disturbance is quieted by the town clerk, who delivers an effective speech and then sends everyone home (v 21-41). For further meditation: