Acts 19:1-20 ~ the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified

">

Acts 19:1-20 (New American Standard Version)

1 It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. 

2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” 

And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” 

3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” 

4 Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 

5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. 7 There were in all about twelve men.


8 And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. 10 This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

11 God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out.

13 But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” 16 And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. 

18 Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. 19 And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. 

20 So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.

I Know My Redeemer Lives, by Nicole Mullen

Paraphrasing Matthew Henry – Acts 19

19:1-7 “Paul found religious people, who believed Jesus as the Messiah. They had not been led to expect the miraculous powers of the Holy Ghost, nor were they informed that the gospel was especially the ministration of the Spirit. But they were ready to welcome to receive the Holy Spirit.

Paul said John never intended that those he baptized should rest permanently in the baptism - John offered through God – of repentance, but told them that they should believe in Jesus as Christ. To confess with their lips and believe in their heart that Jesus Christ’s sacrifice saved them.

They thankfully accepted the discovery, and were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. The Holy Ghost came upon them in a surprising, overpowering manner; they spoke with tongues, and prophesied, as the apostles and the first Gentile coverts did. All who profess to be disciples of Christ should welcome the seal of the Holy Ghost, the sanctifying influences, to the sincerity of their faith.”

God’s Holy Spirit is alive and well. A woman I work with saw the police investigate a travel fatality. Instead finding, she prayed and prayed with them and for them - and the woman who had been run over - survived and is off her walker. She is a valiant prayer warrior. The passenger in the car - turned out to be a former paramedic. He calmed the crowd down, just as an ambulance happened to drive past. The life flight was found pronto.

My cousin prayed for a miracle and one day the light shone through the window and healing was brought forth just for prayer to Jesus.

Recently a woman who has thyroid issues was suddenly, partially healed. In God's time.

A baby was prayed for and a phone call was made - The Arrow Project on Tomball's FM 2920 - they have christian fostering programs and adoptions for babies abandoned at birth for substance abuse. An adoption occurred.

Our pastor saw a 2 year old boy’s leg grow to become normal; the healing was with 200 people in a Catholic congregation as the boy was carried down the aisle and prayed for. Seeing the power of God, in this powerful prayer meeting, convinced our pastor of God's call to become an ordained minister.

We all know the Holy Spirit is alive and well when we are prompted in acts of unselfish kindness helping and praying for each other. We had been in Bourne, Texas for a marvelous wedding of a man who has civilly married his wife for the year the lived apart as he was in the Army and this weekend married again for his tour being over - in the Church.

Today my son Alexander and his girlfriend Ashley and I wanted breakfast in Waco. We headed to the Cafe Homestead. We really didn't know a thing about this Christian Community. We were going to be amazed and touched. The Heritage Traditional Crafts Village showcases a community of craftsmen who have returned, not to the past, but to the enduring values exemplified in handcraftsmanship. True craft requires more than skill: it expresses the craftsmen’s care and concern, their personal investment in everything they do. You can visit the shops of our crafts village, watch our craftsmen work, even attend classes to learn craft skills and, in all this, experience with our craftsmen the joy and fulfillment of returning to craft, the art of work.

 Unfortunately, Cafe Homestead and craft buildings are closed on Sunday. We were about to leave the driveway when the Christian Group about to volunteer for work for their Homestead Fair  asked us to share their breakfast. We carried it to eat on the beautiful porch to find the staff opening the closed restaurant for us to eat overlooking the garden. We were able to eat and have hot tea, amazing dessert and felt the love of the place coming from their Love for God blessing our day. It truly was a glimpse of the Open Gates of Heaven.  All good in our lives is a gift from God!!!

 Papyrus 46 - Hebrews 8 page

Hebrews 8
Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.

3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” 

6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.

7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said:

“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.
10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”

13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

What will we do as prayers are answer?

Father God, when Living Water is stirred, we will give Jesus our Thanks. We will say God Lives! He works, He Loves! And we look in expectation of all the Good You will continue to give. Blessed Jesus. Thank You. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

 <><