Acts 19:1-20

Devotionals, Articles, and Bible Study Resources on Acts 19:1-20

1While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the interior and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples
2and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” “No,” they answered, “we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3“Into what, then, were you baptized?” Paul asked. “The baptism of John,” they replied.
4Paul explained: “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.
6And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
7There were about twelve men in all.
8Then Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.
9But when some of them stubbornly refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way, Paul took his disciples and left the synagogue to conduct daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
10This continued for two years, so that everyone who lived in the province of Asia, Jews and Greeks alike, heard the word of the Lord.
11God did extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul,
12so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and the diseases and evil spirits left them.
13Now there were some itinerant Jewish exorcists who tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits. They would say, “I bind you by Jesus, whom Paul proclaims.”
14Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
15Eventually, one of the evil spirits answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”
16Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. The attack was so violent that they ran out of the house naked and wounded.
17This became known to all the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, and fear came over all of them. So the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.
18Many who had believed now came forward, confessing and disclosing their deeds.
19And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books and burned them in front of everyone. When the value of the books was calculated, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.
20So the word of the Lord powerfully continued to spread and prevail.
— Acts 19:1-20

Related Resources from Heartlight

Devo: A Year with Jesus

"Dear Beloved, In today's reading, you will find Paul arriving in Ephesus. Ephesus was a remarkable and important city in Paul's world. But the people..."

Devo: Unstoppable!

"A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying,...."

Devo: Unstoppable!

"While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers...."

Devo: A Year with Jesus

"Dear Friend, To understand your verses today from the book of Acts, you need to be aware of two challenges facing My early followers in Ephesus. The..."

Devo: God's Holy Fire

""Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" [Paul] asked them. "No," they replied, "we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." ... Paul said,...."

Devo: Unstoppable!

"[In Ephesus, next] Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God. But some...."

Devo: God's Holy Fire

"While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the..."

Devo: Unstoppable!

"God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they....."

Devo: Unstoppable!

"While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers...."

Article by Phil Ware

How strong is the pull in your life? We shouldn't play around with sin because it opens the door of heart to evil and satan.

Devo: God's Holy Fire

"When Paul placed his hands on [the people he had just baptized], the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied."

Cross References for Acts 19:1-20

Cross References Provided by Open Bible

The Berean Standard Bible

The Berean Standard Bible (BSB) is a modern, clear, and faithful translation based on the best available Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. Ideal for reading, study, and sharing, it entered the public domain in 2023. For more information, visit berean.bible.