Paul and his followers begin ministry out of the school of Tyrannus. The seven sons of Sceva are emboldened to conduct exorcisms. Eliezer sinks deeper into the use of sorcery to get rid of Paul.
Acts 19:9-10, Joel 2:28-32; Jeremiah 31:31-34
…
“Don’t you dare drop it.” Harim yells out to a younger brother who struggles to keep the heavy sack in balance over his head. “Or you will be here all day picking up every last grain.”
“Instead of antagonizing him.” Yedaiah yells back. “Why don’t you help him, Harim? We all got to get these to market before the heat comes.”
The seven brothers labor to keep the bags of grain from falling off the rickety mule led cart.
“Stupid cart.” Harim lashes out. “I can’t believe it hasn’t just collapsed right here on the road.”
“At least we have a cart.” Yedaiah counters. “Could you imagine actually carrying all of these into town?”
“When I get older.” A younger brother offers. “I’m going to own all of this land.”
“Really?” Harim cautions. “You think you’ll be rich enough to own this? Where will you get said riches.”
Ignoring the question, the younger brother continues with his fantasy. “Yeah, and you guys will be working for me. I’ll lease my land out to you at a premium rate.”
“Oh that’s generous of you.” Yedaiah retorts.
“Father was right, my brothers.” Immer interrupts. “We shouldn’t be practicing in the safety of our home. We need to be doing this for real… out here.”
Intently looking at his brothers as the cart lumbers through a rutted path, Immer receives their nods of agreement.
Harim interjects, “Hey, you know that guy who has been preaching at synagogue?”
“That guy… you mean Paul from Syria? We’ve all heard him.” Another brother states the obvious. “What of it?”
Yet another brother points out, “I don’t know. I liked the other teacher.”
Harim nods. “Apollos from Alexandria… Now he was amazing. A brilliant rhetorician. Nobody has ever taught like him. Not in Ephesus anyway.”
The grooved road mercilessly submits to the rigid pavers where a large bump has fashioned itself over time. Harim yells out. “Let’s start pushing guys. Watch the left side. We don’t want to go that way and get stuck in that hole.”
Used to the routine, the brothers guide the mule and the cart to the right of the eroded path and safely upon the paved road.
Looking over at Yedaiah who has suddenly become introspective, Immir shoves him in the shoulder and asks. “What’s up with you?”
Yedaiah suddenly comes to attention and says, “Sorry, just was thinking about something.”
Harim cajoles. “What… you can think?”
Yedaiah smirks and replies. “Shut up.” Satisfied by this, he continues. “Do you think Paul was right?”
Surprised by the question, Immer nods for Yedaiah to continue. “What do you mean?” He asks.
“I mean…” Yedaiah goes on. “We were there when we heard those guys speaking in foreign languages…”
Another brother weighs in. “Yeah, I had no idea that Hermogenes and the other guy… what was his name? …knew that other dialect.”
“Phygelus.” Yedaiah replies. “I’m not sure that they did.”
Harim jumps in and asks. “What, are you saying, crazy? That he just made up a bunch of gibberish there on the spot?”
“No.” Yedaiah shakes his head. “If he was making it up, then why were some of those in the crowd so astonished? More importantly, why were they scared?”
“Because they thought Hermogenes was crazy too.” Harim chorts.
“No way.” Immer says. “Yedaiah’s right. They were freaked because some of them heard and understood what he was saying.”
Yedaiah waves his arms and says, “Hold on guys. All I’m saying is that what we saw was an act of God. What we witnessed was God’s hands on this guy Paul?”
“So what?” Harim replies. “What does that have to do with us?”
“It means.” Immer follows. “Think about it, you nitwit, if God’s hand is on Paul, then doesn’t that tell us he’s right?”
A newly sullen Harim grows defensive. “Right about what?”
“Right about Messiah’s coming. Right about God raising that man from Nazareth from the dead.” Immer responds. “Right about the Spirit of God coming upon us as the prophet Joel promised. It’s like he is able to speak with the command of God.”
Yedaiah thinks out loud. “If Paul harnesses the power of God, shouldn’t we call on that power as well? Doesn’t it make sense that we tap into the power of Jesus that Paul is talking about?”
Immir nods while holding up his father’s ring. “Think about it guys… We know there is power in this ring. We also know there is power in a lot of things we have available to us… but Yedaiah is right. We saw it with our own eyes that this Jesus that Paul is proclaiming is the all powerful one. We need to call on him.”
The others nod with some hesitation back at their brother.
“Great!” Immer follows. “Where should we start?”
Yedaiah shrugs and offers, “There are a lot of pagans out there plagued with demons. We wouldn’t have to walk far in the streets of Ephesus to see how we can help.”
“What interest do we have in the Gentiles?” Harim contends. “They are not our people.”
Immer nods, “He’s right.” He says. “We’re not here for the Gentiles that only want to destroy us.” He thinks for a while longer and then offers, “There are a lot of Jews right here in Ephesus that are overwhelmed by them. I say we start there.”
…
The apartment door slowly creaks open, revealing a sliver of utter darkness from the room behind it. Like a prisoner from its cell, any trace of light flees in desperation from the dank, blackened room.
“Eliezer.” The raspy voice says dismissively. “I’ve done what was needed. Why have you returned?”
“I’m here…” Eliezer gulps with difficulty while trying to keep a straight face. “…to see that you have carried out that which was promised.”
“And what of the evangelist?” The man replies.
“Well…” Eliezer concedes. “He has left our community.”
“Then we are finished here.” The voice replies and begins to shut the door.
Sticking his foot in the door before it closes, splinters of wood graze along the top of the skin. Eliezer winces and says, “Yes, but he is settling in our city and has taken a number of our people with him.”
The voice pauses then asks. “And what is that to me?”
“Our agreement was to have him removed… permanently.” Eliezer replies. “Furthermore, this man is not only a threat to us.”
“Why should he be of any concern to me?” The voice follows.
“He consults with the gods.” Eliezer replies.
“Everyone consults with the gods.” The voice indifferently rebuts.
Eliezer chuckles and replies. “Yeah… well, the most high god seems to be listening.”
Silence ensues, and the door remains cracked open. Not knowing what comes next, Eliezer takes this as his cue to enter into the darkened room behind.
The voice points over to a wooden stool and says, “sit.”
Eyes adjusting to a room lit by a single oil lamp, Eliezer familiarizes himself with the walls ladened with rings, rods, amulets with the remains of live insects upon them, polished stones and an entire shelf filled with papyri. He then looks across to see a hearty wooden table with a mortar and pestle resting on its top.
“Now…” The voice looks up at Eliezer from the other side of the table. “Tell me… everything.”
…
“What do you think, gentlemen?” Paul examines the larger room and continues. “I guess this is our new home.”
The others fan throughout the space, shrugging and nodding their heads.
“Should work.” Aquila says.
“Yeah, I think so.” Paul agrees.
Straining to uncover a blocked window, Epaphras grunts and finally lets up when the wood plank does not budge. “Gonna get hot in here in the afternoons,” he says.
“No time for napping,” Aquila jokes with a wink. “I’ll throw water on you if I see you drifting off to sleep.”
“Some ventilation would be helpful.” An unexpected voice chimes in from behind the men.
Paul turns and smiles when he discovers who it is. “Phygelus, hey what are you doing here?”
“Just seeing what the commotion is about.” Phygelus replies with a wink.
“Hey, look who’s here!” Epaphras grins and teases. “Man, if you’re letting the riff raff in, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to hang out with you guys anymore.” He rushes in to give Phygelus a hug.
“Everyone, gather around.” Paul yells out. “Phygelus, you too. Get over here.”
The men huddle around Paul. He smiles back at them and says. “Guys, listen up. Tyrannus’ managers have agreed to let us meet here in the afternoons, well after the morning classes have ended. It’s not perfect, nor is it a synagogue, but it will do. They’ve given us a pretty decent price, but they also have some rules that we need to abide by if we want to stick around.”
Aquila knowingly nods and follows. “Clean as you go, men. You break it, you buy it. You’re also responsible for anyone that you’re raising up in the faith. If they screw up or do something stupid in here, it’s on you. Understand me?”
Paul lets out a chuckle and replies. “You heard the man. Those are the basics for now…and we’re going to need to step up our contributions to pay for this room.” He stops to assess the discomfort. “Guys, if you’re going to commit to this, then you’ll need to put your money where your mouth is. Some in Thessaloniki were arrested on account of me and what Jesus was doing in that city, yet they gifted enough for me to minister in Corinth without having to do other work. Think about it! The poorest church gave me money to minister in a wealthy city because they believed in what God was doing through me.”
Aquila laughs and adds, “Yeah, they’ve put the Corinthians to shame when it comes to giving.” He then shakes his head in frustration when he sees a nervousness fall upon the faces before him. “Men, we need to finish what we’ve started here. Without a home to teach from, we won’t be able to impact this city like God wants us to. That takes money, guys. Your money!”
Paul continues: “Take a breath and listen. There is something larger happening here that requires our focus.” He pauses. “Men, you have responded to the Holy Spirit’s promptings within you. How do I know this? When I placed my hands on your heads and commissioned you at the outset, the Holy Spirit came upon you and demonstrated His power through you. You spoke in different languages that you yourselves didn’t know, as a God given testimony to those who were present, especially the synagogue’s leaders. Those present heard the blessings and the warnings of God in their own native languages. For those who have been against us, they heard through you that God is with Jesus… and Jesus is with us. Don’t you get it? God has already used you in a powerful way, but that is just the beginning of something much larger to come.”
Placing one hand upon Aquila’s head and another upon Epaphras’ head, Paul then looks up towards the ceiling and says to both. “Men, get closer right now. Do in kind to those around you. Make sure the chain is not broken.”
The others place their hands on the heads of those nearest to them.
Paul continues: “This is our commissioning. This is our new, God-given home. We are here to emancipate this city from the chokehold brought upon it by the Kingdom of Darkness. You are the light that will bring freedom to the anguishing souls of Ephesus, for where the Spirit of the Lord is… there is freedom.”
Paul beams as he sees the men gather closely around him. “Father in heaven,” Paul begins. “My Lord, we have providentially been removed from the synagogue, but as my brother here attests…” He gently shakes Aquila’s head, “…where you guide, you provide. You have brought us to this school to continue the good work that you have begun here in this city. Lord, we know you will be faithful to complete it until the day of your righteous return. Lord, we also know there are unseen principalities here in this city, forces at work behind the scenes that wish to do us harm, that keep this city from knowing you. Father, protect us from these ones. Keep us equipped, as if soldiers trained for battle, to keep alert at all times and to be ready to respond as your generous Spirit leads.”
…
We’re going to stop here for today:
With the intention of giving both warning and promise, the prophet Joel, who likely dates back to 835 BC during a time when Judah’s only Queen, Athaliah, was set on destroying the royal line of Judah.
As a quick sidenote, her son Ahaziah was killed by Jehu who was commissioned by God to clean up the mess that King Ahab and his family line caused.
Anyway, Joel was ministering during a pretty turbulent season. Israel was divided into two kingdoms during this time, Israel and Judah, so being a prophet of God in a factious nation was likely to be a short-term and less than popular position.
Why? In a quick answer, Israel’s leadership had moved away from the worship of God and began serving other local deities. The culture of Israel rapidly changed, including the focus and funding of new roles and even livelihoods. This cultural upheaval came as quite a blow to its people who longed to worship the God of Israel. Moreover, many Israelites tried to cross over into Judah and Jerusalem so as to worship, and this didn’t sit well with Israel’s leadership.
So Joel, as with some others, warned about how God was not pleased by this direction and that he was going to set things right by promising a future day of reckoning known as the “Day of the Lord”.
Woe for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, And it will come as destruction from the Almighty.
– Joel 1:15
Along with warning Israel about the Day of the Lord, Joel also called them to get right with God and return to the proper worship of him, which would require reconciliation between the two nations and having an open border between them for worship. The current leadership of Israel wasn’t too keen on doing this for several reasons, and Joel would have his work cut out for him.
However, Joel not only warned of a future day of judgment. He also included a promise whereby the Spirit of God would become more active in the lives of those who seek him out and place Him at the forefront of their daily activities.
“Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike. And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth—blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and terrible day of the LORD arrives. But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.
– Joel 2:28-32
The Apostle Peter yelled out this exact verse from inside the temple courts in Jerusalem during the Feast of Weeks… a celebration of the firstfruits and the harvest season to come… Pentecost. In front of a huge crowd of Jewish pilgrims from all over the known world, Peter shared this message in response to the Holy Spirit supernaturally communicating through several followers of Jesus. These Galilean disciples likely knew Aramaic, Hebrew and maybe a little Greek, and they found themselves speaking about both the judgment and promises of God in foreign dialects known only among the pilgrims who have travelled there from far away lands. At a pivotal moment, Peter’s sermon would cut all of these witnesses to the core and spark the beginning of what would rapidly become a wildfire known as the church.
In essence, Peter was saying the “Day of the Lord” had come, but not in a way that Israel had expected. The promise of the Holy Spirit’s pouring out of himself would come before the final judgment of God. Thank God it did!
What do I mean by this? Yes, God promised a future day of reckoning where He would make all things right and reward his followers for their faithfulness. The problem was that faithfulness wasn’t that common. While Law abiders were in abundance, Jesus questioned the deeper heart conditions of these Law abiders who lost sight of their first love, namely a desire to live pleasingly to God and to wholly reflect his character. “Their hearts were not in it,” we might say. Jesus affirmed a corrupted heart condition that was characteristic of all Israel (humanity really) which desperately needed an intervention of God to bring about change. A day of reckoning without a supernatural change in the human condition would result in the bleakest of outcomes for humanity and the Kingdom of Heaven. Judgment carried out upon a people without first extending a lifeline would have had terrible implications for the world.
But, that is not how God worked things out. No, a heart transformation where forgiveness of sin would be permanently extended and where God would implant his desires and wishes upon those seeking him out would first be offered to an otherwise hopeless humanity.
This new approach, or New Covenant, was not original with Jesus, though he would be the one to make it happen. It was predicted well beforehand by both the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel who similarly warned the people of Israel and Judah about the coming Day of the Lord when God would rectify the world’s woes. They also predicted the promise of the coming day when God’s people would experience the permanence of forgiveness from sin as well as the permanent writing of God’s wishes upon the hearts of humankind. All would know the Lord and permanently experience his presence.
“The day is coming,” says the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the LORD.
“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the LORD. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the LORD. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”
– Jeremiah 31:31-34
What we learn through the ministry of Jesus and Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 is how this New Covenant is put into play before God’s promised day of judgment occurs.
Fortunately, we have Hebrews chapter 8 to walk us through a better understanding of how Jesus has ushered in this New Covenant reality. Through his priestly mediation as God’s representative who operates from a place of full authority–that is, from God’s right hand–Jesus brings about the avenue to rectify humanity’s corrupted heart problem.
When the Holy Spirit shows up in Acts Chapter 2, some fifty days after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the followers of Jesus as well as thousands of Jewish pilgrims would have sensed that God was finally doing what the prophets and Jesus promised he would do.
Let’s wrap things up for today. I hope this paints a larger picture of what motivated Paul to minister like he did. Like Paul, we are to be ministers of this New Covenant promise that was predicted long ago and fulfilled through the death and resurrection of Jesus. The New Covenant allows for the Holy Spirit to come upon us and empower us to live lives that are fully pleasing to our maker, God.
He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.
– 2 Corinthians 3:6
May you be motivated like Paul who was God’s agent of the New Covenant promises. May God use you to invest in others so that He changes them just like He changed you from the inside out. Ever empowered by the Holy Spirit who has come upon you as a result of Jesus’ work of personal sacrifice and protection from the judgment of God. Let’s move forward together.