As we go into Acts 19, Paul has just started his third missionary journey and has arrived in Ephesus. It’s such a quick turn, it’s easy to miss:

When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. (Acts 18.22 – 23, ESV, emphasis mine)

In Ephesus we have another influx of signs and wonders:

And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. (Acts 19.11, 12, ESV)

And where God is at work, others want to get in on the act, resulting in one of scripture’s funny stories:

Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. (Acts 19.13 – 16, NKJV)

We’ve seen in our high-speed pass through Acts many times when “the word increased” or “the number of believers multiplied.” The word increased when the apostles refused to be distracted, even by a good cause (Acts 6.1 – 7). The number of believers increased when laypeople talked with Jews AND Gentiles (Acts 11.19 – 21).

Here in Acts 19, the display of God’s power over demons resulted in people lifting up the name of Jesus and turning away from occult practices.

And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 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. (Acts 19.17 – 19, ESV)

The final result?

So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. (Acts 19.20, ESV)