Power in the Name of Jesus — Miracles, Repentance, and Revival (Acts 19:1–20)
Have you ever heard about people who believed in God but were missing something important?
In Acts 19:1–20, the Apostle Paul visits Ephesus, a large and important city. What he finds is a group of people who believed in God, but they hadn’t heard the full message about Jesus or the Holy Spirit. What happens next is amazing—people are healed, evil spirits are cast out, and many turn away from sinful practices to follow Jesus fully.
Let’s look at what happened.
A Group of Believers Who Needed More
Paul met some men in Ephesus who said they were believers. He asked them:
“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
They said, “No, we’ve never even heard of the Holy Spirit!”
Paul found out that they had been baptized by John the Baptist, who preached about repentance, but they didn’t yet know about Jesus as the Savior.
So Paul explained that Jesus is the one John was pointing to—the promised Messiah who saves people from their sins.
After hearing the truth, they were baptized in the name of Jesus, and when Paul laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all.
Paul Preaches Boldly
Paul stayed in Ephesus for several months. First, he went to the synagogue and spoke boldly about God’s kingdom. Some people believed, but others became stubborn and refused to believe.
So Paul moved to a place called the lecture hall of Tyrannus, where he taught daily for two years. This way, everyone in the region—both Jews and Greeks—heard the word of the Lord.
God Did Miracles Through Paul
While Paul was in Ephesus, God gave him the power to perform amazing miracles. People were healed and freed from evil spirits—even when they touched handkerchiefs or aprons that Paul had used!
This showed that the power didn’t come from Paul himself, but from Jesus.
Imitating God’s Power Doesn’t Work
Some people tried to use the name of Jesus like a magic word. A group of men, known as the seven sons of Sceva, tried to cast out an evil spirit by saying:
“In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out!”
But the evil spirit answered them:
“Jesus I know, and Paul I know about—but who are you?”
Then the man with the evil spirit attacked them and beat them up so badly they ran away naked and bleeding.
This event shocked everyone in Ephesus. It made people realize that the name of Jesus is not something to use lightly or without truly believing.
Many Turn Away from Sin
After all this happened, fear and respect for God spread through the city. Many people who had practiced sorcery (magic and witchcraft) came forward and confessed what they had done. Some even brought their scrolls and books of magic and burned them in public.
The value of the scrolls was very high—a huge financial loss—but the people didn’t care. They wanted to leave their old lives behind and follow Jesus completely.
And because of all this, the message about the Lord kept spreading and growing in power.
What We Can Learn from Acts 19:1–20
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Belief is just the beginning—there’s more to know and experience
The men Paul met believed in God, but they needed to hear the full message of Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit. -
The Holy Spirit is for all believers
When we follow Jesus, we don’t walk alone. God gives us His Spirit to guide and empower us. -
God’s power is real, and it can’t be faked
The sons of Sceva learned that you can’t use Jesus’ name without knowing Him. It’s not a trick—it’s a relationship. -
Real faith leads to real change
The people of Ephesus burned their old ways to follow Jesus. When we truly believe, we leave behind what doesn’t honor God. -
The Word of God is powerful
As more people listened and believed, lives changed, and the gospel spread even more.
Final Thought:
In Ephesus, God’s power wasn’t just something people talked about—it was something they saw and experienced. And as hearts changed, so did the whole city.
The same Jesus who worked in Ephesus is still at work today—changing lives, breaking chains, and drawing people to Himself.
Acts 19:1-20 (WEB)
19:1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus and found certain disciples. 2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”They said to him, “No, we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”3 He said, “Into what then were you baptized?”They said, “Into John’s baptism.”4 Paul said, “John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Christ Jesus.”5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke with other languages and prophesied. 7 They were about twelve men in all.8 He entered into the synagogue and spoke boldly for a period of three months, reasoning and persuading about the things concerning God’s Kingdom.9 But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. 10 This continued for two years, so that all those who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.11 God worked special miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out. 13 But some of the itinerant Jews, exorcists, took on themselves to invoke over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did this.15 The evil spirit answered, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” 16 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. 17 This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived at Ephesus. Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18 Many also of those who had believed came, confessing and declaring their deeds. 19 Many of those who practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. They counted their price, and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord was growing and becoming mighty.