November 28, 2017

Insights on Today's Reading

Acts 18:19-28 - In Paul's travels he enjoyed the fellowship of Priscilla and Aquila, two believers who learned from Paul but also encouraged him.  Later they would meet another man, Apollos, who had also become a believer but was ignorant of some of the further teachings that would be revealed in the New Testament.  Priscilla and Aquila would take Apollos aside and "explain to him the way of God more accurately" verse 26.

Acts 19 - Paul met some men in Ephesus who had not yet heard of the Holy Spirit.  So Paul took the opportunity to instruct them.  (This is an important point to be raised in the Book of Acts:  God's revelation of truth was progressive.  Not everyone in Acts 1 was aware of all the teachings that would eventually come, primarily through Paul, in the rest of the New Testament).  Paul would spend a long time in Ephesus preaching and bringing many people to the Lord.  The "burning of books" in verse 19 should not alarm you.  Those books were teaching witchcraft and the occult and needed to be destroyed.  In Ephesus an uproar came as a result of Paul's teaching against idolatry.  The city had been given over to the worship of Diana, also known as Artemis, a supposed goddess who came down from heaven.  It was an example that wherever Paul went either a riot or a revival broke out and often both happened simultaneously!