Much Ado About Ephesus
Paul’s promise to come back to Ephesus if it was God’s will was kept as it was indeed God’s will. A lot happened at Ephesus and some of it has been used as an example for ministry today (for good or ill).
We know that Apollos went to Corinth and it seems that Pricilla and Aquila left also. We find Paul later sending them greetings in the letter to the Romans so apparently they were able to return back home. With these gone Paul finds a group of disciples who know the baptism of John but don’t really know about Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. Present day Pentecostals use this encounter to argue that the fulness of the Holy Spirit is,or can be, a separate experience from salvation. It seems to be a point well made.
It was here that God did many miracles through Paul, “so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” This is the foundation for some present day “ministers” to sell healing cloths. I would say that this point is far more dubious. Clearly God can use a cloth or even Peter’s shadow as a point of contact for healing; however, I have a hard time picturing Paul hawking these things. In the words of Peter at Samaria, “How dare you think you can buy the gift of God for money!”
We’re not done yet. There were evil spirits being driven out and the seven sons of Sceva tried to do it and got a beating for their trouble. Exorcism is real, though it is not a widely discussed matter in the scripture. One thing is certain, casting out demons is not at all a matter of simply learning the right incantation to say over the person being exorcised. They know Jesus and they have heard about Paul but unless that’s got something to do with you...look out!
And then there is book burning. In this case it was a matter of burning scrolls used for sorcery. It has been used as a patter for burning everything from Beatle records to Harry Potter books. I’ll just say this, it is one thing for a person to feel a conviction concerning things they should rid from their lives and just doing it. It is another thing for a “leader” to provide coercion, no matter how well intended. The Beatles made a lot of money off of those record burnings when people thought better of it later and bought replacement records.
All of this and we haven’t even gotten to the riot yet. Well, I shall write again tomorrow - if it is God’s will.
1 comment:
Well done Ronnie. We tend to take the latest fad and run...and satan (little s) sits back and laughs because we swing the other way so as not to be associated with the nuts. Tom McKenny would say...pull both ends of a wire and the point of tension is found in the middle. So it is with these things...I think. In 1970, I was convinced...not by the Holy Ghost to burn every album I had...and I had some albums. I did need a disassociation from my rock and roll, hedonistic lifestyle...but, well you laid it out.
As I stated starting out...well done Ronnie.
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