While Paul taught daily In Ephesus for 2 years, Paul’s ministry was manifestly accompanied by the unrivaled power of God as Paul’s hands were used by God to accomplish “extraordinary miracles,” even to the point of handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched Paul’s skin being used by God to miraculously heal the diseased and to expel evil spirits from the afflicted.
Traveling Jewish exorcists in Ephesus thought they could replicate Paul’s “magical formula” to expel evil spirits from those possessed, attempting to command evil spirits in the name of THE Jesus Paul proclaimed. Specifically, a Jewish priest named Sceva had 7 sons who were trying to do this. In a dramatic encounter, they quickly realized that they had no authority over this evil spirit, who knew they were not aligned with Jesus or Paul. The possessed man sprang upon them and beat them nearly to death.
Such an extraordinary event caused great fear in the entire region, and it resulted in a great reverence for the name of Jesus. It also prompted Ephesian believers to make a complete break from their occultic practices they were still involved in. They confessed these sins and openly shared their private magic ways. A significant number of Ephesian Christians gathered their dark magic books and burned them in a massive public display against the forces of evil. In all these things, the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily!
What was Ephesus like in the days of Paul? Who were these sons of Sceva? Why did the evil spirit respond in the way he did? How much money were these burned books worth? You can listen to this teaching on Acts 19:11-20 by clicking on the following link: But Who Are YOU?!?
