Acts 19:8–20: The Kingdom of God Prevails
Introduction
In the previous passage, we saw Paul’s ministry to some in Ephesus who had been prepared for, but had not yet believed upon, Jesus as the Messiah. In this next section, we see how Paul’s mission now brings him into contact with various kinds of Jews and Greeks. Some, through all this, believe. Others reject his message in different ways: some in ordinary (or natural) ways, and others in what we might call extraordinary (or supernatural) ways. For the former group, the rejection of the gospel is simple hardness of heart and unbelief. For the others, however, there is a complex story of paganism and the practice of magic that Luke brings to the foreground. In this passage, we see that the kingdom of God prevails over demonic magic.
Discussion Questions
1. What does Paul do in his ministry in the synagogue (v. 8)? Where have we seen him act in similar ways before in the Book of Acts? How long does he persist in this ministry? How does he shift the focus of his ministry once some remain hard of heart and reject his message (v. 9)? How should Paul’s actions inform the long-term, ordinary ministry of the church? How far does the message of the gospel reach (v. 10)?
2. Who did these “extraordinary miracles” (v. 11a)? By whose hands did God do these miracles (v. 11b)? What was unusual about these miracles, even from the more ordinary miracles that God typically performed through Paul (v. 12)? How do these miracles compare to the practice of magic in view through the rest of the passage? Why did the Jewish exorcists begin to incorporate the name of Jesus into their practices (vv. 13–14)? How did this work out (vv. 15–16)?
3. Why did these events bring such fear upon Jews and Greeks alike in the city of Ephesus (v. 17)? How does fearing the name of Jesus fit in with the gospel of Christ’s mercy? How might we be tempted to approach God if we did not fear him? What kind of changes do these events prompt those who had practiced magic arts (vv. 18–19)? How decisive of a break were they making with their former practices in the occult?
4. Through all this, why does Luke tell us that “the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily” (v. 20)? The word translated “mightily” is literally “according to power.” Why does Luke emphasize the power of the word of God? To what degree does interest and practice in the occult, and magic specifically, persist in the modern world? Why do you think this is? How does the word of the Lord promise to protect believers from the magic arts?
