Mighty in Ephesus

At Ephesus Paul asked some disciples if they had received the Holy Spirit. They had not even heard of the Holy Spirit and knew only John's baptism. Paul explained that John told people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus. They were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them.

Paul spoke boldly in the synagogue for three months. When some became hardened, he reasoned daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus. God worked special miracles by Paul's hands.

Seven sons of Sceva tried to use the name of Jesus against an evil spirit. The spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?" The man with the spirit overpowered them, and they fled. Fear fell on all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was honored. Many who had practiced magic burned their books. "So the word of the Lord was growing and becoming mighty."

Demetrius, a silversmith who made shrines of Artemis, gathered the craftsmen. He warned that Paul taught that gods made with hands are no gods, so their trade was in danger. The city filled with confusion, and the crowd rushed into the theater. For about two hours they cried out, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" The town clerk quieted them, told them to use the courts, and dismissed the assembly.