Acts 19
From Darkness to Light — Living the Power of Acts 19
Buckle up. There’s a lot happening in Acts 19, and it couldn’t be more relevant to the cultural moment we find ourselves in today.
1. Encountering the Holy Spirit: More Than Just Head Knowledge
As we journey through Acts 19, we meet a group of disciples in Ephesus who had never even heard of the Holy Spirit. They were baptized into John’s baptism—one of repentance—but they hadn’t yet understood or experienced the fullness of the gospel. Paul steps in and fills in the gaps: Jesus has come, died, risen, and now offers the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
When Paul lays hands on them, the Holy Spirit comes, and they speak in tongues and prophesy. This part of the story is powerful—but we have to be careful with how we interpret it. It’s descriptive, not prescriptive. It’s not saying, “Here’s step one, two, and three for every believer.” Instead, it’s showing how God met these men where they were and invited them into something deeper.
There’s no “Jesus plus” gospel here. We don’t need a second baptism or a special experience to be saved or used by God. But we do need to be filled with the Spirit—both continuously within (pleru) and sometimes supernaturally upon (plato). We haven’t “arrived” spiritually. We are still growing, still being saturated by the Spirit like a sponge soaking up water.
2. Power Without Relationship: The Danger of a Churched Unbeliever
Acts 19 doesn’t stop with spiritual awakening. It moves into spiritual warfare. Enter the seven sons of Sceva, who try to cast out demons “in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches.” The evil spirit responds chillingly: “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?”
And just like that, these men get beaten and sent running—naked and wounded. Why? Because they were wielding power without relationship. They knew of Jesus, but they didn’t know Him. It’s a warning for all of us who’ve maybe sat in church our whole lives but haven’t surrendered to the Lord personally. We can’t live on secondhand faith.
Knowing about Jesus is not the same as knowing Him. As one analogy put it: You can stand in a garage, look at a car, and still not be a mechanic. And you can read the Bible, know some verses, and still not walk in the authority that comes from relationship with Christ.
3. Spiritual Awakening and Cultural Clashes
When word spreads about what happened to the sons of Sceva, fear of the Lord falls on Ephesus. People start confessing their sins. They burn their books of sorcery publicly—books worth tens of millions of dollars in today’s terms. Revival breaks out, and the Word of God spreads in power.
But the gospel doesn’t just disrupt personal lives; it disrupts systems. A silversmith named Demetrius starts a riot because Paul’s preaching is cutting into his idol-making business. The gospel begins to touch economics, culture, and territorial strongholds. This is more than a personal issue—it’s cosmic.
We see a multilayered spiritual clash:
Personal repentance and spiritual freedom.
Cultural norms and religious traditions being challenged.
Economic strongholds being threatened by truth.
And ultimately, spiritual darkness being pushed back by the light of Christ.
Doesn’t that sound familiar? Our cultural moment is packed with noise, confusion, spiritual apathy, and open rebellion. And behind it all, there are spiritual powers at work. But just like in Ephesus, God is still speaking. He is still freeing. He is still shifting entire cities and people groups toward Himself.
4. From Darkness to Light: Our Calling Today
Paul went into the heart of darkness in Ephesus not because it was easy, but because it was necessary. In Acts 26, he says his mission was “to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.” That’s still our mission.
So we have to ask:
Are we aware of the footholds we’ve given the enemy?
Are we carrying things—physical, emotional, or spiritual—that need to be “burned” and laid down at Jesus' feet?
Are we walking in the authority that comes from knowing Christ, or are we still playing church?
We believe that in this moment, many in the church are waking up. We don’t want to be churched unbelievers—we want to be disciples of Jesus, walking in His power, filled by His Spirit, and living for His glory.
Let’s be people who help others move from darkness to light. Let’s proclaim Jesus boldly, live purely, and burn whatever idols keep us from intimacy with God.
The gospel is still shaking up cities. And it starts with us.
