Acts 19

Apollos was weird because he was one who was bold and God-fearing, but he didn't quite get it about Jesus. Here, Paul meets up with people similar to Apollos. These people have only received the baptism of John and don't even know about the Holy Spirit. Paul tells them about Jesus and they believe and are baptized.

Once again, there are a number of Jews who oppose Paul. Paul teaches about Jesus in a lecture hall for two years. Eventually, all Jews and Greeks living in Asia hear the word of God. We also learn that God's miraculous work through Paul is so powerful that handkerchiefs that have touched Paul are brought to the sick to make them well. This sounds similar to earlier when some people lay the sick next to the path of Peter so that Peter's shadow could possibly touch the sick to make them well.

In this chapter we also read about the seven sons of Sceva. They hear Paul casting demons out of people in the name of Jesus, so these seven sons of Sceva want to do the same thing. So they enter into this ghost-buster business, but they don't seem to be followers of Jesus. One time when they try this, the evil spirit acknowledges Jesus and Paul, but doesn't recognize these seven sons of Sceva. The evil spirit beats them up so badly that they flee the house naked and bleeding.

People in the city recognize the power of Jesus and many believe. Many of them had previously practiced sorcery and they all gathered their scrolls to be burned. The number of scrolls burned was great.

Having many people burning their scrolls and turning towards Jesus leaves fewer people following idols. Some people who gain their income from idol worship are worried now and they cause a riot. They gather a large crowd and grab a few disciples into a theater where there is much shouting and chanting. At one point they shout "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians" for two hours. They wouldn't even let the followers of Jesus make a defense for themselves.

The town clerk, who is probably like the mayor, doesn't find anything really wrong or necessary to do from this event. He tells the people to bring issues before a proper assembly if there is in fact one. Then he dismisses the crowds. So I guess whatever the crowd wanted to have happen against the followers of Jesus didn't happen.