WCF - THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
Study Number 34: Acts 19 v 23 - 20 v 1
26 Nov 1989
Last week we considered how Ephesus became a centre for mission equipped by the Holy Spirit. Two things in particular helped this to happen.
1. Emphasis on instruction and teaching so that everyone grew more adequate in their understanding of the Way of the Lord.
2. Dependence on God's Holy Spirit, using the gifts He supplied, to advance God's kingdom.
Both these principles should be evident in our experience also if we are to see God's work accomplished in the way He desires.
This week we will consider how Satan had established in Ephesus a centre of opposition to God's kingdom. The coming of the Gospel to Ephesus caused a confrontation between the forces of darkness and God's kingdom. See how Satan's defences crumble before the power of the Gospel. See also how his forces rally in counter-attack.
Evil spirits (demons):
• were once angels who worshipped God and served Him;
• have a leader, Satan, who led them in rebellion against God;
• were thrown out of Heaven;
• continue to oppose God's purposes, in the spiritual realms and on Earth;
• are destined for God's judgement and wrath.
They seek above all to damage and destroy all that speaks of God, His ways and His glory. In particular they seek to damage and destroy individual people, communities of people, nations, and indeed the entire human race. They operate in many ways, including:
• seeking to influence the decisions of national and community leaders;
• leading nations into spiritual darkness, bondage and misery;
• trying to destroy communities through corruption;
• promoting crime, murder and warfare;
• encouraging people to become slaves of their own desires, through love of money, possessions, food, drink, sex, drugs, etc;
• enticing people to rebel against God's rule in their lives;
• offering alternatives to the worship of God, through occultism, witchcraft, satanism and false religion;
• seeking to control people;
• deceiving people, seeking to confuse and mislead those who sincerely seek after God;
• seeking to render ineffective the prayers of God's people;
• persecuting God's people.
The message of the gospel is that Jesus, God's Son, came to destroy the works of Satan and his evil spirits. He died and rose again in order to set people free to live for God. In particular:
• Jesus has complete authority over the evil spirits, including Satan;
• Jesus sets people free from the domination of evil spirits, in order to make them whole;
• Jesus' disciples are protected from evil spirits by His blood;
• Jesus' disciples can oppose evil spirits in His Name;
• through the gospel, God delivers whole communities from Satan's evil grip;
• the Holy Spirit fills God's people and equips them to destroy Satan's work;
• the prayers of God's people enable God's will to be done;
• God's angels to continue to serve His purposes.
• There are unseen spiritual battles affecting our lives and our service for God.
• Be filled with the Spirit.
• Serve the Lord using the resources He provides.
• Pray with persistence and faith in God.
• Resist the enemy, being confident of the victory.
• Watch out for the enemy's tricks; defend the most vulnerable entry-points.
Copyright © S P Townsend
