'I MUST VISIT ROME ALSO'

Passage: Acts 19:11-22

Key verse: 21

NIV

11 God did extraordinary miracles(A) through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured(B) and the evil spirits left them.

13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits(C) tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus(D) whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus,(E) they were all seized with fear,(F) and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.[a] 20 In this way the word of the Lord(G) spread widely and grew in power.(H)

21 After all this had happened, Paul decided[b] to go to Jerusalem,(I) passing through Macedonia(J) and Achaia.(K) “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.”(L) 22 He sent two of his helpers,(M) Timothy(N) and Erastus,(O) to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia(P) a little longer.

Read full chapter
Footnotes
  1. Acts 19:19 A drachma was a silver coin worth about a day’s wages.
  2. Acts 19:21 Or decided in the Spirit
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Sons of Sceva

11 And (A)God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 (B)so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and (C)the evil spirits came out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish (D)exorcists (E)undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, (F)“I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, (G)“Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all[a] of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and (H)the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, (I)confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord (J)continued to increase and prevail mightily.

A Riot at Ephesus

21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit (K)to pass through (L)Macedonia and Achaia and (M)go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, (N)I must also see Rome.” 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of (O)his helpers, (P)Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia (Q)for a while.

Read full chapter
Footnotes
  1. Acts 19:16 Or both
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. The power of God's word (11-20)

In Ephesus, God worked mightily through Paul. Others, seeking their own glory, tried to imitate him, but were only shamed. After the seven sons of Sceva were humiliated because of their self-glory seeking, the people of Ephesus were seized with fear of God; Jesus' name was held in high honor. Many people believed, confessed their sins and repented. The fruit of their repentance was very evident. God's work is not done by special methods, but through special men who love God, believe his word absolutely, and seek his glory alone.

2. Paul's decision (21-22)

When Paul concentrated his efforts on disciple-making in Ephesus, God worked throughout all Asia Minor. Now, Paul decided to visit Rome, the center of the Gentile world. But first, he had to make a dangerous visit to Jerusalem with an offering from the Gentile churches. God's church must learn a giving spirit, a sense of history and missionary vision (Ro 15:23-33).

Prayer: Lord, help me to love you, to obey your word, and to seek your glory, not my own.

One Word: 'I must see Rome also'--world vision