Acts 19

(1) Apollos’s Followers Baptized into Jesus

While Apollos was in Corinth [Greece], Paul was passing through Western Turkey and stopped in Ephesus where he ran into some Jesus-followers. He asked them,

“Did you guys receive the Different Spirit when you believed?”

They said,

“No… we didn’t even know there was a Different Spirit!”

Paul asked,

“Then what were you immersed [baptized] into?”

They said,

“John’s baptism.”

Paul said,

“When John immersed people, he was immersing them into a changed mindset, but he would always tell them to believe in a Man who would come after him”

When they heard that, they got immersed into King Jesus’s domain. Then Paul placed his hands on them, the Different Spirit rested on them, and they started talking in different languages and prophesying! There were about 12 men who that happened to.

(8) Message Sweeps Western Turkey

After that, Paul went to the Jewish church and spent 3 months boldy speaking out, reasoning with them and persuading them towards God’s empire. But some of them eventually started becoming calloused to it and defiant. They started bad-mouthing the Way in front of everyone, so Paul left and brought the Jesus-followers with him.

Then he started reasoning with people at the Tyrannus school every day, which went on for 2 years until everyone in Asia [Western Turkey] had heard about the Ruler’s message, both Jews and non-Jews.

(11) Jesus Grows in Popularity

God was displaying His power through Paul’s hands in such extraordinary ways that people were bringing his handkerchiefs and aprons to sick people, and their diseases and burdensome spirits were leaving! Some of the traveling Jewish exorcists were even using King Jesus’s name over their clients who had bad spirits! They would say things like,

“I urge you by Jesus, who Paul talks about!”

One Skeva (Jewish high priest) had 7 sons who were doing that, and one time a bad spirit said to one of them,

“I know who Jesus is, and I know who Paul is—but who are you?”

Then the man with the bad spirit jumped on top them and dominated them so badly that they all ran out naked and wounded. That story spread so widely across Ephesus that both Jews and non-Jews knew about it. Everyone was terrified by that story, and Jesus’s name was being magnified. Lots of the Ephesians who became believers came and confessed things they had done. Many of them who used to practice magic brought their books and burned them out in public. When they calculated the cost of all their books, it added up to 192 years-worth of income [for someone working 5-day weeks]. Needless to say, the message was spreading in proportion to the Ruler’s power. 

(21) God Prompts Paul to Visit Jerusalem

After that, the Spirit gave Paul a desire to go to Jerusalem after visits to Macedonia [northern Greece] and Achaia [west of Athens]. Paul also said, 

“After I go to Jerusalem, I need to go to Rome too.”

Then Paul sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia while he stayed in Asia [western Turkey] for a while. 

(23) Craftsmen Riot Against Christians

During those days, there was never a dull moment concerning the Way.

There was a silversmith named Demetrius who specialized in making silver shrines of the goddess, Artemis, and that business was very profitable for the all the craftsmen working those jobs. One day, Demetrius called a meeting for workers in the industry. He told them,

“We all know that our livelihood depends on this business, and we all know that Paul is going around Ephesus and Western Turkey persuading people that gods made of human hands aren’t real. Not only is our industry in danger of being discredited, but there’s also a risk that people will look at our great goddess, Artemis, and view her temple as worthless! Everyone in Western Turkey and beyond worships her, yet she’s at risk of being dethroned from her magnificence!”

When the craftsmen heard that, they were infuriated and started shouting,

“Artemis of the Ephesians is awesome!”

The entire city erupted into pandemonium, and the mob rushed into the theater dragging behind them a Christian named Gaius and Aristarchus [Paul’s traveling companion from Macedonia].

Paul wanted to go talk to the mob, but his followers wouldn’t let him. Some of the leaders in that region were friends with Paul, and they repeatedly sent him messages, telling him not to step foot in that theater.

Some of the people in the crowd were shouting one thing while others were shouting something else—everyone was so mixed up that most of them didn’t even know why they were rioting. The Jews put forward a man named Alexander, so lots of people assumed the riot was somehow related to him. Alexander started motioning to the crowd so he could speak, but when the crowd realized he was a Jew, they spent the next two hours chanting,

“Artemis of the Ephesians is awesome!”

When the town clerk finally got the mob to settle down, he said,

“People of Ephesus! Everyone knows that our city is guarding the temple of the awesome Artemis and the statue that fell from heaven. Those facts are undeniable! So please… keep it down and don’t do anything reckless. You dragged these people here, but they aren’t robbing anyone’s temples or making fun of our goddess. If Demetrius and his craftsmen have a complaint against anyone, the courthouses are in open and officials are available. Let them duke it out in court! But if you’re looking for anything outside of court, you’ll need to settle it in the regular assembly. Because of today, our town is now in danger of being accused of rioting since there wasn’t a valid cause for this commotion! We’re not gonna be able to explain this uproar.”

After his speech, he dismissed the assembly.