Acts 18


In Corinth

¹After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. ²There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, ³and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. ⁴Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
⁵When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. ⁶But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."
⁷Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. ⁸Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.
⁹One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. ¹⁰For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city." ¹¹So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
¹²While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court. ¹³"This man," they charged, "is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law."
¹⁴Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. ¹⁵But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law--settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things." ¹⁶So he had them ejected from the court. ¹⁷Then they all turned on Sosthenes the synagogue ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatever.

Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos

¹⁸Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken. ¹⁹They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. ²¹But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. ²²When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.

Acts 18:1-22

Explanation:

Witness at Corinth and Return to Antioch (18:1-22)

First-century Roman jurisprudence at its best models for us what every state should be for the Christian: the protector of religious freedom and the promoter of religious toleration. At Corinth, the arena for the final stage of Paul's second missionary journey, Proconsul Gallio's decision sets a precedent of shielding the church from pagan and Jewish attacks and opens a decade-and-a-half-long period of opportunity for the gospel's progress.

The Saints' Practical Protection (18:1-8)

Paul, leaving Athens, travels fifty-three miles south-southwest to Corinth. Corinth was politically and economically the main city of Achaia, for it was ideally situated on the three-and-a-half-mile-wide isthmus between the Peloponnesian peninsula and the Greek mainland. Cenchrea was its eastern port city on the Saronic Gulf leading to the Aegean, while Lechaeum was its western port city on the Gulf of Corinth leading to the Adriatic. Thus Corinth (population 200,000) was a key commercial center at the juncture of north-south land and east-west sea routes. Having risen from ruins a little more than a century earlier, when Julius Caesar constituted it a Roman colony (44 B.C.), the city was now dubbed "wealthy Corinth" and had served since 27 B.C. as the capital of the senatorial province of Achaia. The cosmopolitan mix of "local Greeks, freedmen from Italy, Roman army veterans, businessmen and government officials, Orientals, . . . including a large number of Jews," lived in a "rip-roaring town" where, as Horace put it, "none but the tough could survive" (Epistles 1.17.36; Longenecker 1981:480).

To such a city, with all its peril and promise, Paul comes alone (1 Cor 2:3). Given that by the year 2000, we are told, there will be five hundred "world-class" cities (one million-plus population) and twenty-three "megacities" (ten million-plus population), we must have the same strategic eyes Paul had in choosing to evangelize Corinth.

Paul experiences Christian companionship in a common trade when he finds (NIV met) Aquila ("eagle") and Priscilla ("ancient or venerated woman"; this form is a diminutive of Prisca; compare Acts 18:26; Rom 16:3; 1 Cor 16:19; 2 Tim 4:19). Luke introduces Aquila as a native of Pontus, an area of north-central Asia Minor, bordering on the Black Sea, which formed an administrative unit with Bithynia. Aquila and his wife have recently arrived from Rome, having been expelled with all the Jews by Claudius (A.D. 49). Suetonius tells why--"since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus" (Claudius 25.4). Writing seventy years after the event, Suetonius may have assumed "Chrestus" was simply a local troublemaker; however, the dispute in the Jewish community over Jesus Christus (the names would have been pronounced similarly) was the real issue. Through the Roman Jews' resistance to the gospel and an emperor's edict, God's sovereign care worked to bring Paul and this couple together.

Their common trade is "tentmaking," or better "leatherworking." Most tents in that day were constructed of leather, but the meaning of skenopoios was extended (as was the case with the English "saddler") to refer to an artisan who produced a variety of leather articles. While Jewish rabbis were bivocational so that they would not have to charge for their teaching (m. 'Abot 2:2), other traveling teachers in the Hellenistic world received remuneration for their lectures. In Greco-Roman culture the manual labor of the artisan class was despised.

Paul engaged in leatherworking to offer his gospel without charge and model a good work ethic (Acts 20:34-35; 1 Cor 4:12; 9:15, 18; 1 Thess 2:9; 2 Thess 3:8). He probably used his workshop as a place of witness, as some Greek philosophers used theirs as a teaching venue (Hock 1979). His departure from the workshop and exclusive devotion to preaching after Timothy and Silas's arrival from Macedonia probably shows that he did not view his leatherworking as essential to his evangelism strategy (18:5).

Today "tentmaker" missionaries enter "creative access" countries through secular employment when there is no way to enter as a full-time missionary. If they keep Paul's motives in mind, they will be able to see their bivocationalism as beneficial to the spiritual health of churches they plant. Not only will they model a work ethic that is essential to sanctification, but they will avoid creating wrongful dependency, for they will be offering the gospel of grace "free of charge."

When Timothy and Silas arrive from Macedonia, they likely bring Paul a monetary gift (2 Cor 11:9; Phil 4:15). Paul can now be exclusively devoted to ("engrossed or absorbed in") preaching (literally, "the word"; compare Acts 6:4). Bivocationalism may be a good pattern for evangelistic church planting, but for Luke it is not the best. To be free to be fully engrossed in evangelism is best. Paul's work now is to engage in an apologetic (reasoned . . . trying to persuade) and proclamation (testifying) that "the Messiah is Jesus" (so the word order in 18:4-5; compare 17:2-3).

The saints' practical protection now takes the form of a co-opted meeting place. The familiar pattern of the gospel's confrontation with Judaism--proclamation, division, rejection, separation, further advance--occurs here in rapid succession (see comment at 13:42). Jews "oppose and blaspheme" the gospel and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is at its center. In an acted parable, "shaking out his robes," Paul disassociates himself from the Jews for several reasons. He wants to be clear of the judgment that their blasphemy will incur. He wants them to know that their rejection of the message places them in the same position as Gentiles: facing judgment. He wants to declare his freedom from any further responsibility for their eternal destiny (Neh 5:13; Lk 9:5; 10:10-11; Acts 13:46, 51). Using Old Testament phraseology (2 Sam 1:16; compare Mt 27:24-25), Paul's declaration says as much. Their guilt and coming punishment are their own responsibility.

Through with his mission to the Jews here, though he will continue it elsewhere (see Acts 18:19), Paul will now focus on the Gentiles. His base of operations will be the house of God-fearer Titius Justus, next door. Again God has providentially protected his mission by giving it an ideal venue for harvesting Gentile God-fearers. That harvest is not long in coming: first Crispus, the synagogue ruler, holding that highly visible position of supervising Sabbath services and maintaining order, and his entire household believed in the Lord (compare 16:15, 33). Then many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.

The Lord's Promise of Protection (18:9-11)

Earlier Paul has received guidance and encouragement in visions from the Lord (9:12; 16:9-10). Now the Lord appears to him at night again, with a threefold command attached to a threefold promise, all expressed in biblical language (Deut 31:6; Josh 1:5; Is 41:10; 43:5; Jer 1:7-9):

Do not be afraid (literally, "Stop being afraid")/I am with you

Keep on speaking/No one is going to attack and harm you

Do not be (literally, "become") silent/Because I have many people

in this city

For Paul--or for us--to be afraid is to doubt the last promise of the risen Lord (Mt 28:20). Though Paul has territorially moved beyond the Macedonian call (16:9-10), the Lord is here to guide, telling him to keep on speaking. He promises that no one will attack Paul to harm him (see fulfillment of this in 18:12-17; NIV turns the purpose or result expression into a parallel promise: to attack and harm). Persecution would aim to stop the freely proclaimed, life-changing gospel message (compare 4:18-20; 5:18-20, 28-29; 16:21; 17:7, 13). Therefore Paul is not to become silent. The Lord has already chosen many people (see comment at 15:14) for his own in this city. The Lord's predestination (13:48) not only guarantees a fruitful ministry but demands that Paul responsibly fulfill his obligation to witness. And that he does, teaching . . . the word of God in Corinth for a year and a half.

In light of the vision of Revelation 5:9-10 and 7:9-10--"a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb"--it is right for us today to claim the promises and obey the commands of Acts 18:9-10 for the eleven thousand people groups that have yet to hear the gospel.

The State's Precedent-Setting Protection (18:12-17)

The Jews mount a united attack on Paul (4:1; 6:12; 17:5), bringing him into court (literally, "to the judgment seat"). Lucius Junius Gallio, the proconsul who hears the case, was the son of Spanish orator and financier Marcus Annaeus Novatus, who, after the relocation of his family to Rome, participated in the highest and most influential circles of society. Gallio's brother Marcus Annaeus Seneca, a Stoic philosopher, politician and dramatist, was tutor to the young Nero. Gallio pursued a career in government and between his praetorship and admission to the consulate served as the governor of the senatorial province of Achaia. A series of inscriptions help us date his tenure fairly precisely and give us good extrabiblical evidence for placing Paul in Corinth between A.D. 49 and 51 (Barrett 1961:48-49). Seneca described his brother's affable personality thus: "No other human being is so charming to just one person as he is to all people" (Naturales Quaestiones 4A, preface 11). Paul probably appeared before Gallio at the beginning of the governor's tenure and near the end of the apostle's stay in Corinth (A.D. 51).

The Jews bring an ambiguous charge. Who are the people Paul is persuading (better, "inciting")? Are they Jews or Gentiles? More to the point, are they Roman citizens? Against what law are they being incited to worship God? Is it the Roman law against proselytizing citizens for "foreign cults" (see note at 16:20-21; compare 17:7)? Is it the Jewish law as Gallio understands it (18:15)? Or is it an application of the edicts of Claudius that the Jewish people are to be treated as a collegium lictum--a legal, social and in this case religio-ethnic entity whose customs and practices are to be respected and whose lives are to be left undisturbed (Josephus Jewish Antiquities 19.278-91)? Possibly the Jews mean for Gallio to extend Claudius's edicts into their internal affairs. In their view Paul's teaching of the word of God is contrary to the Jewish law and creates an internal disturbance. In this sense he is violating the edict.

Before Paul can utter a word in his defense, Gallio decides not to render a verdict in the matter. God is fulfilling his promise of protection. Gallio evaluates how the charges relate to the spheres of necessary and discretionary jurisdiction. Using technical legal language (kata logon aneschomen hymon, "I would have been justified in accepting your complaint"), he says that some misdemeanor, open or violent wrongdoing, or serious crime, an offense involving fraud, deception, unscrupulousness (13:10), would be a legitimate matter for his jurisdiction. But the Jews have brought him controversial questions (15:2; 26:3) about words (literally, "a word"--the gospel message, 18:11) and not deeds, about names (messianic titles and Jesus' identity as the Christ, v. 5) and about [their] own law (a law-free gospel for the Gentiles, vv. 6-8). I will not be a judge of such things.

Here Gallio articulates two principles of church-state relations that, when lived out in any political structure, will pave the way for the gospel's unhindered progress. First, by saying that Paul is not accused of a misdemeanor or serious crime, Gallio declares Christianity's innocence before the state. Missionary activity is not illegal (contrast the Jewish leaders' assessment: 4:18, 21; 5:28). Second, by refusing to adjudicate an intramural religious dispute, Gallio declares that religious questions do not fall within the competence of secular state powers (Lk 20:25). For the fifties of the first century this was truly a precedent-setting decision. The decision of so eminent a proconsul would carry weight wherever such issues arose throughout the Empire (Longenecker 1981:486).

Yet there is a dark side to Gallio's lack of involvement. Not only does he eject the defendant and plaintiffs--possibly by physical force through the lictors--from the court, but he takes no action when the Jews begin to beat one of their own, Sosthenes. If Sosthenes is a Christian sympathizer (compare 1 Cor 1:1), then this breakdown of law and order within the collegium lictum is a warning that a state's hands-off policy in religious matters may simply make room for persecutors to continue opposing the gospel. Paul's instructions concerning prayer for state rulers should always be on our hearts (1 Tim 2:1-4).

Completion of the Mission (18:18-22)

Shielded by the state, Paul remains in Corinth for some time. Eventually, in full fellowship he left (better "said farewell to") the brothers and, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila, sails for Syria. This refers either to his final destination or to eastern territory that included Judea.

At Corinth's eastern port city, Cenchrea, seven miles southeast, Paul cuts his hair, signaling the beginning of the end of a Nazirite vow (Num 6; m. Nazir). Evidently he had begun this vow after either the Macedonian or Corinthian vision, as a sign of earnest beseeching of the Lord for success in the mission to which Paul had been called (Acts 16:9-10; 18:9-10). Now in thanksgiving Paul ends the vow and thus recognizes that the Lord made good on his promises. In our life of faith we too may be confident that what God calls us to do he will enable us to complete (Phil 1:6).

The first leg of Paul's journey involves a flying visit to Ephesus, politically and economically the leading city in the province of Asia--in fact the third largest city in the Roman Empire (population 250,000 plus; see comment at 11:19 on Syrian Antioch, the second largest city in the Empire). Jews had been resident there since early Hellenistic times. Quite a number had Roman citizenship, and the Romans upheld the Jews' rights consistently from Augustus onward (Josephus Antiquities 14.228-30, 234, 236-40; 16.162-66, 171-73; see Stern 1974:152). Though Paul receives a positive response to his synagogue preaching (dialegomai, 17:2, 17; 18:4; see note at 17:2)--he is asked to stay longer--he makes a hasty departure. Though the time is short, perhaps he is still intent on getting to Jerusalem by Passover. The sea lanes opened on March 10, and in A.D. 52 Passover was in early April (Bruce 1988:356). Or he is hurrying there to complete his vow. In any case, he expresses his intention to return if it is God's will (18:21; Rom 1:10; 15:32; 1 Cor 4:19; 16:7).

Here Paul and we learn that personal desires and divine guidance so interact that all our planning will be implemented only if it is part of God's sovereign design. This makes us at once more flexible and more confident as we face our future, and more thankful as we reflect on our past.

In a very abbreviated fashion Luke describes Paul's arrival at Caesarea, his "going up" and "coming down" from Jerusalem (8:15; 11:2; 25:1, 6-7) after greeting the church there, and his return to Antioch (compare 14:26-27). Paul models considerate communication, promoting the unity of the body and the continuity of the mission. Today too, the stability of the gospel's advance will be only as strong as the lines of communication with praying and supporting sending churches.

Acts 18


²³After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
²⁴Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. ²⁵He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
²⁷When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. ²⁸For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

Acts 19


Paul in Ephesus

¹While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples ²and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"
They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
³So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?"
"John's baptism," they replied.
⁴Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." ⁵On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. ⁷There were about twelve men in all.
⁸Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. ⁹But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
¹¹God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, ¹²so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
¹³Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." ¹⁴Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" ¹⁶Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
¹⁷When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. ¹⁸Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. ¹⁹A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. ²⁰In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
²¹After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. "After I have been there," he said, "I must visit Rome also." ²²He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.

Acts 18:23-19:22

Explanation:

The Third Missionary Journey (18:23--21:16)
The third missionary journey displays Paul at the height of his apostolic powers, fulfilling his calling as a guarantor of the church's gospel and its mission. Through Paul God proclaims a powerful gospel and performs extraordinary miracles, the signs of an apostle. Paul embraces an equally significant apostolic mark: suffering. How shall we apply to ourselves the encouragement and challenge of the example of the divinely empowered, yet obediently suffering, apostle?



Witness at Ephesus: Planting the Church (18:23--19:22)

In the business world competition is the name of the game: "Lead, follow, or get out of the way!" The religious/spiritual environment of first-century Ephesus was not much different. Nominal Christians clinging to "the baptism of John," Jews steeped in their tradition, pagans and even Christians practicing magic all seemed to be saying in their own ways, "Can you match this?"

Filling Out an Incomplete Gospel (18:23--19:7)

Paul's fifteen-hundred-mile journey begins with an orderly revisiting of churches in the region of Galatia and Phrygia (literally, "the Galatian region and Phrygia"). Luke is probably pointing here to the portion of Lycaonia in the province of Galatia and the ethnic region of Phrygia, also located within the province. Here Paul had planted churches during the first missionary journey (Acts 13--14; see note at 16:6). With exhortation Paul "shores up" all the disciples, making them firm to face persecution from without and false teaching from within (14:22; 15:32, 41; compare Ex 17:12 and Judg 16:26, 29 LXX). Paul's continuous practice should be ours: to continue to affirm and confirm converts in their faith so that they may become lifelong disciples.

Luke now catches us up on Apollos's ministry at Ephesus and Corinth in the interval between Paul's visits (18:24-28). Apollos (short form of Apollonius), an Alexandrian Jew, had evidently taken advantage of the education of that city and especially its Jewish community. Alexandria, known for its museum, library and ancillary learning facilities, boasted a Jewish population containing scholars who had produced the Septuagint and later counted Philo the philosopher among their ranks. Luke characterizes Apollos as learned and proceeds to specify his area of competence: a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures (literally, "being mighty in the Scriptures"). Luke further defines his expertise: Apollos has been instructed in the way of the Lord and is able to teach about Jesus accurately.

If Luke had not added the qualification he knew only the baptism of John, we would be inclined to think Apollos was a Christian, for he knew the gospel, the way of the Lord, which is to be identified with "things about Jesus" (compare Bruce 1988:358-59). When we understand with great fervor (zeon to pneumati) in the same way as Romans 12:11, "aglow with the Spirit," the picture of a regenerate Apollos lacking only Christian baptism seems complete. Luke normally presents Christian baptism as the outward sign that the inward reception of the Spirit at conversion has taken place (Acts 2:38-39; 9:17-18; 10:44-48). To present Apollos as having the Spirit without having obtained Christian baptism would be an anomaly. Of course some see the lack of reference to Christian baptism as an indicator that Apollos is considered to have the Spirit and therefore not to need the rite (Krodel 1986:355).

We encounter less difficulty, though, if we take Apollos to be a knowledgeable, fervent but unregenerate disciple of John the Baptist who believes Jesus is the Messiah but does not understand the present saving significance of his death and resurrection. Further, he is unaware of what Pentecost means for all who are baptized in the name of Jesus. The way of the Lord that he knows, then, is not the gospel, but God's way of salvation set forth in the promises of the Old Testament (Is 40:3-5/Lk 3:4-6; compare 1QS 8:13-14). The "boiling over of spirit" with which he speaks is the fervor of his own spirit (NIV) and not the Holy Spirit's glow. Apollos preaches boldly from the perspective of promise and preparation, an "underrealized eschatology" if you will, as if Ezekiel 36:25 had occurred but not verses 26-27.

The best analogy to Apollos today is a nominal, cultural Christian raised in the liberal theological tradition of the West. Such a person may display the same fervor and the same knowledge about the earthly Jesus' life and teachings. Whether in the "social gospel" of a prior generation or current calls to work for peace, justice, human rights and a safe, clean environment, there are echoes of the preparatory repentance preaching of John (Lk 3:10-14). These concerns rightly answer the venerable question "What would Jesus do?" But since they focus only on human effort, they trap the adherents in, at best, a life of humanly induced goodness and, at worst, the emptiness of dull religious practice. Salvation by grace and the blessing of the indwelling Holy Spirit are completely missed.

Priscilla and Aquila, having heard Apollos's preaching, invited him to their home (also possible: "took him aside") and explained to him the way of God more adequately. This couple's grace in considerately instructing Apollos out of the limelight and his grace in receiving their words mean that another person has entered the kingdom of the Messiah. Apollos needed and received "what all religious people desperately need--an experience of the substitutionary sacrifice of Calvary as the only basis of righteousness with the Lord, and an infusion of His Spirit as the only source of power to live life as He meant it to be lived" (Ogilvie 1983:271).

Complete in gospel and truly incorporated into the faith, Apollos desires to go to Achaia. The church encourages him and writes letters of commendation (compare 2 Cor 3;1). There Apollos proves a great help . . . by grace to the believers (1 Cor 3:6; 16:12; compare Acts 6:8; 14:26; 15:40; 20:32). Through a very effective apologetic ministry, completely refuting the Jews in public debate (compare 6:10), Apollos clearly demonstrates from the Scriptures (literally, "through the Scriptures") that Jesus was the Christ (literally, "that the Messiah is Jesus"--the word order shows the direction of the argument; compare 18:5).

Apollos now bears the unmistakable marks of a Christian: recognition and encouragement within the body of Christ, divine grace suffusing his natural abilities so that the effect is powerfully of God, and a clear witness to the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is the standard for any knowledgeable professing Christians who with ability and enthusiasm are trying to follow the teachings of Jesus in their own strength. If such persons are teachable like Apollos, they will learn the whole gospel and come to the Spirit and eternal life.

Luke picks up Paul's itinerary with the note that the apostle takes a hilly, higher-elevation route west to Ephesus. This was more direct than the regular trade route down the Lycus and Maenander valleys. Ephesus, "the principal trading center of Asia" (Strabo Geography 12.8.15), with its harbor and network of roads reaching into the interior, has caught Paul's strategic eye. It will serve well his purposes for penetrating a whole province evangelistically (19:10, 26).

From Paul's diagnostic questions and the response of the Ephesian disciples we quickly learn what Paul evidently suspects: these persons are not truly regenerate. Luke labels them disciples probably because at first their outward identification with the Christian believers led Paul to take them for true Christians. Does Paul's first question about receiving the Holy Spirit indicate that he sees none of the Spirit's fruit or giftings in their lives? The combination of questions certainly tells us that Paul assumes that saving faith, the reception of the Spirit and Christian baptism converge at conversion (see references at the discussion of Apollos, above, for Luke's accord with this view).

The disciples' response about the Spirit, which the NIV translates literally, should probably be taken to mean that they have not heard of the Holy Spirit's contemporary presence (compare Jn 7:39). If they do not know the Old Testament's witness to the Spirit's existence (Num 11:16-17, 24-29; Is 63:10-11; Joel 2:28-32), they certainly would know such a witness from the preaching of John the Baptist, whose baptism they had received (Lk 3:16). In fact, John's preaching of the imminent arrival of a Messiah in eschatological judgment tied closely together the baptism "with the Holy Spirit and with fire." His followers, even if they had heard about Pentecost, probably would not have seen it as the fulfillment of John's prophecy, for the purifying fire of final judgment had not immediately followed Pentecost. As Paul's corrective steps show (Acts 19:4-6), these disciples, like Apollos, are at best nominal Christians, and at worst simply disciples of John. In either case they are living without either the truth or the power of the Christian gospel.

How many professing Christians today could make the statement these twelve made: we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit? Perhaps they heard the good news of the Spirit's presence but did not really hear it, because they were resistant or not ready. Maybe they have not been taught a whole gospel, so that they do not expect to find the Spirit active today.

Paul's corrective is to preach the gospel to the twelve by pointing out the preparatory and therefore partial nature of the baptism of repentance and of John's message pointing to the Messiah who was to come. Though the Gospels never explicitly state that John called for faith in Christ, the status and role he gave to Jesus certainly imply it (Lk 3:16-17; Jn 1:27; 3:23-30). Paul makes the point that Jesus is this "coming one."

To receive the gospel qualifies one to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and this is what the twelve do (Acts 2:38-39). This is no "rebaptism," for after the triumph of Easter and the provision of full salvation blessings at Pentecost, a preparatory baptism of repentance is more than incomplete--it is obsolete (Lk 16:16; Eph 4:5).

Not as part of baptism but in order to communicate to these twelve that they are now incorporated into the church and the Spirit has indeed come, Paul lays hands on them (compare Acts 8:17). The Lord in his mercy gives outward manifestations, "other languages" (the NIV margin should be followed if the parallel to Pentecost [2:4] is to be fully shown) and prophecy, confirming to them that full salvation blessings are indeed theirs now.

As we reflect on conversion experiences at Pentecost, in Samaria and at Caesarea with Gentile God-fearers, what is unique to the various first-century situations and what is normative for all time? Unique items, given to demonstrate to various groups and to Jewish Christian observers the direct incorporation of various groups of non-Jews into the body of Christ, are the apostolic laying on of hands and the extraordinary manifestations of the Spirit's presence, speaking in other languages and prophecy. Necessary precedents having been set, there is no need in God's economy for their normative repetition in every Christian's experience (Acts 15:7-11). But "repentance, faith in Jesus, water baptism and the gift of the Spirit . . . belong together and are universal in Christian initiation" (Stott 1990:305; Lk 24:46-47; Acts 2:38-39).

Separating from Unbelieving Tradition (19:8-10)

Following the strategy perfected on his previous journeys, and in fulfillment of his promise (18:21), Paul engages in synagogue preaching. For three months he speaks boldly, holding nothing back (20:20, 27). Arguing persuasively (literally, "reasoning and persuading"), he pursued his customary method of rhetoric in formal address and the give-and-take of dialogue (see comment and notes at 17:2-4). Marshaling arguments from the evidence--Old Testament promises and New Testament eyewitness reports of fulfillment--he removed all obstacles to his hearers' being convinced (18:4). Luke sums up his message's content as the kingdom of God. Later, reporting Paul's farewell discourse to the Ephesian elders, Luke is more expansive: Paul's message was "repentance" toward God and "faith in our Lord Jesus" Christ, "the gospel of God's grace" (20:21, 24). These themes in cosmic, ethical, sanctification and soteriological dimensions all speak of the reign of God in the lives of those for whom Jesus is Lord.

The Jews' reaction--becoming obstinate (literally, "being hardened" or "hardening themselves"; compare Ex 8:15; 9:35; Ps 95:8; Acts 7:51) and refusing to believe (literally, "disobeying"; see comment at 14:2)--shows the negative effects of rejecting the gospel over a period of time. We cannot remain neutral; we are either softened toward or hardened against an oft-repeated message. Their rejection was expressed in a public maligning of Christianity (the Way). This may mean a formal rejection, since publicly translates a phrase that literally means "before the assembly." Paul's withdrawal is also described in semiformal terms. He took the disciples may present a type of self-excommunication (aphorizo; Lk 6:22).

As always, Paul's withdrawal leads to further advance, for he now reasons daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus (either the teacher or the proprietor). The Western text has an interesting time reference, "from the fifth to the tenth hour" (Acts 19:9). The Mediterranean "siesta" occurred from the fifth hour (11:00 a.m.) onward, and we know from Acts 20:34 that Paul worked at his trade while in Ephesus. This gives us a picture of a tireless apostle and an eager audience. Each is willing to give up the normal time of rest in order to speak and hear of the kingdom.

Only where there is such commitment to teach and such hunger to receive the word of the Lord will there be advances like that portrayed in the next verse. For two years, during a mission lasting as Bruce estimates from fall 52 to summer 55 (1988:366), Paul keeps up this pace, and as a result--probably via his converts--an entire province hears the gospel (Col 1:7; 2:1; 4:13). The churches of the prison epistles, the letters to Timothy and the book of Revelation are proof of the mission's effect (1 Cor 16:19; Rev 2--3).

Mastering Magic (19:11-20)

The private side of paganism in the ancient world was the attempt to manipulate spiritual forces via magical incantations, ritual acts and paraphernalia in order to ward off evil and bring well-being. Ephesus was a city most hospitable to magicians, sorcerers and charlatans of all sorts. Attached to the statue of Artemis, the city's chief goddess, were certain symbols, ta Ephesia grammata, which had been turned into a magical formula (Plutarch Moralia 706E; 85B; Arnold 1989:15-16).

In a divine initiative, God weds extraordinary miracles with the spread of the Word of the Lord throughout Asia, a territory that Satan had firmly and manifestly in his grasp. We have met such strategic "power advances" before in Acts: in Jerusalem and its Judean environs, Samaria, and Macedonia (5:16; 8:7; 16:16-18). Now, at the climax of Paul's efforts as a missionary free to move about as he will, Luke presents another. These evidences of the presence of the reign of God (19:8) in liberating wholeness occur through a unique means. The application of handkerchiefs (soudaria, sweatbands for the head; compare Jn 11:44; 20:7) and aprons (better "belts"--simikinthia, a loanword from the Latin semicinctium; Martial Works 14.153; Petronius Works 94.8; Leary 1990), carried away from contact with Paul's skin during his leatherworking, bring healing and release from evil spirits (compare Lk 8:43-48; Acts 5:15).

The skeptic and the mimic will immediately draw the wrong conclusions about these happenings: either they did not occur, or they should be copied. Neither response is the intention of Luke or the rest of biblical teaching (Stott 1990:306). Paul, by his own testimony, was a miracle worker; this was part of his credentials as an apostle (Rom 15:19; 2 Cor 12:12; Gal 3:5). These healings did occur, but to imitate them--as some media evangelists have been wont to do with "prayer cloths" or other "prayed-over" trinkets sent through the mail--is to reduce miracle to magic, or impersonal manipulation (contrast Lk 8:43-48). Following James's instructions is still the best way to call on the Lord for healing (Jas 5:14-15).

Power encounters can sometimes lead to syncretistic responses (Acts 8:19). Though the Old Testament expressly forbade dabbling in the occult, Jews in ancient times played an important role in mediating the magical wisdom of the East to the Greco-Roman world (Lev 20:6, 27; Deut 18:10-11; Josephus Jewish Antiquities 8.45-49; Lk 11:19). In fact, some Jews were apparently familiar with the magic formula "the Ephesian letters" (Testament of Solomon 7:1-8; 8:11). So it is not surprising to find seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, acting as exorcists. Since the high priest was the only one permitted to utter the "unpronounceable name of God" and enter his presence in the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, it makes sense that these brothers would use that title as part of their "hype" (m. Yoma 3:8; 5:1; 6:2; compare Mastin 1976).

The sons' syncretistic appropriation follows the time-honored practice of piling name upon powerful name so as to create incantations strong enough to require spirits to do one's bidding. One such conjuration goes "I conjure you by the god of the Hebrews/Jesus, IABA IAE ABRAOTH AIA THOTH ELE ELO . . ." (Betz 1986:96). The name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches is these men's newest and most potent "power name" (compare Eph 1:21).

As the evil spirit responds to their attempted exorcism, the power encounter is transformed into demonic manhandling. Neither the exalted Lord Jesus nor Paul is directly involved. Yet the results reveal the unquestioned superiority of Jesus, whom Paul preaches. The demon displays spiritual insight: he knows both Jesus and Paul (compare Lk 4:34, 41; 8:28), but he does not recognize the magicians.

From the mouth of a demon we learn the valuable lesson that Jesus will not allow his name to be reduced to a magical formula (Ex 20:7). Only those with a personal relationship with Christ and who invoke his name in humble faith are in the correct position to see God act to drive out demons.

The evil spirit's mastery of the sorcerers now turns physical. Galvanized by superhuman strength, the demon-possessed man pounces on them and overpowers them (ephallomai, often indicating overpowering by superior spiritual beings; 1 Kingdoms 10:6; 16:13; Moulton and Milligan 1974:269). They receive such a beating that they barely escape with their lives. The magicians, powerless to command the demon, are defenseless against his assault.

From "power advance" to syncretistic response to demonic manhandling to respect and repentance: such is the progress of power encounter at Ephesus. Fear seizes (literally, "fell on") all who hear about the incident, and the name of the Lord Jesus is accorded respect. Here again, demonstrations of divine power do not automatically produce conversions (see comment at Acts 9:35, 42, where they do). They do, however, demonstrate the reality of the Lord's spiritual power and its superiority to, and difference from, magic. Realizing that Jesus' name is not to be manipulated, the populace is now in a better position to hear the good news of repentance and forgiveness of sins declared in that name (Lk 24:47). And for Christians who have believed for a while (perfect tense of pisteuo so indicates), it is now time for a final break with their past.

They make the break in word by coming and openly confessing (literally, "confessing and announcing") their evil deeds, their magic practices, possibly revealing the spells themselves. Then they collect books of magic spells and burn them. Their repentance is costly. Fifty thousand drachmas, the fees for all the formulas in the books, was thirty-five thousand dollars in today's U.S. currency. The repentance is complete: these believers have removed any temptation to go back to the old life.

Today the temptation is still present to syncretize a newfound faith with pre-Christian ways of using "power" to cope with life. Whether it be worship and manipulation of the new power levers of secularization--money, education, science, technology--or the traditional practices of occult magic in their time-honored or New Age form, those who live under Jesus' Lordship must sooner or later come to terms with any compromise in these matters and follow the Ephesian Christians' example of making a clean break with their "power" past.

In a summary statement declaring the gospel's complete triumph over the competition, Luke stresses the life-giving nature of God's saving message by personifying it: The word of the Lord spread (literally, "grew") widely and grew in power (Acts 6:7; 12:24). Luke highlights the power of the message through adverbial phrase and verb (kata kratos, NIV widely; ischyen, NIV grew in power, possibly "prevailed"; compare Lk 1:51; Eph 1:19; 6:10). Luke's theology places proclamation of the gospel message at the center of any "power advance" in the church's mission, and so should ours.

Preparing for Future Advance (19:21-22)

To set in bold relief the final episode at Ephesus, Luke, as he has done before (18:21; compare 15:36), breaks in with an overview of Paul's future movements expressed though his desires. Though there is a description of the intervening stops on the itinerary--Macedonia, Achaia, Jerusalem--the emphasis is on the final destination, Rome (23:11; Rom 1:13-15; 15:30-32). The NIV presents these plans as simply Paul's human desires and purposes: Paul decided. This translates the admittedly ambiguous phrase "he purposed in the spirit" (his spirit or the Holy Spirit?--compare the equally ambiguous Acts 20:22 and the definite 21:4). When this phrase is taken in combination with the must of the next sentence (dei, a term often used by Luke to indicate divine necessity--for example Lk 4:43; 9:22; 17:25; 22:37; Acts 1:21-22; 3:21; 9:16; 23:11; 27:24), Luke seems to be declaring Paul's conviction by the power of the Spirit that it is God's will for him to continue pursuing his calling by preaching the gospel in Rome. Once the northeastern portion of the Mediterranean basin is evangelized, there will be no more room for the apostle to the Gentiles to work (Rom 15:23). What better way to fulfill a calling to all the nations, to "kings" and the small and the great, than to proclaim the message of the kingdom at the very center of it all, the capital of the Empire? Through his converts, in centrifugal fashion, he can then reach to the ends of the earth, even the regions of the west, including Spain, which he also hoped to evangelize personally (Acts 9:15; 26:22; Rom 15:24). Ever the strategic thinker, ever under the Spirit's guidance, Paul plans for this divinely ordained "new Macedonia." And he works his plan by sending Timothy and Erastus to get a collection for him to take to Jerusalem (Rom 15:26).

Today the church desperately needs to listen to visionary strategists whose "mission advance and church growth" eyes help them define and articulate the task in doable terms. They call the church to finish the task: "It can be done; it ought to be done; it must be done--a church for every people and the gospel for every person."