Acts 19:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.

NIV: While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples

NASB: Now it happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples.

CSB: While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples

NLT: While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers.

KJV: And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

NKJV: And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples

Paul has finally reached Ephesus for an extended stay. He had wanted to come years before, but was prohibited from teaching in Asia, the western-most province in modern-day Turkey, by the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:6–10). Instead, God gave Paul a vision through which he understood he was to go to Macedonia. Paul was able to visit Ephesus for a very short time at the end of that trip but wanted to return to Jerusalem as quickly as possible (Acts 18:19–21).

When Paul came to Ephesus during his first stop, he brought Priscilla and Aquila with him. The couple were refugees from emperor Claudius' persecution of the Jews in Rome and had met Paul in Corinth (Acts 18:1–3). Paul left them in Ephesus where they met Apollos, a very learned and gifted Jewish speaker from Alexandria. Apollos knew of the baptism of repentance preached by John the Baptist and some things about Jesus, but he apparently hadn't heard about the salvation Jesus offered. Priscilla and Aquila took him aside and fully explained how Jesus was the Messiah. Apollos accepted their explanation, became a powerful witness for Christ, and took Paul's place in Corinth (Acts 18:24–28).

The "disciples" Paul meets also follow John the Baptist; it's unclear if they learned about him from Apollos's earlier ministry or from going to Judea and meeting John personally. They respond to Jesus' story in the same way Apollos had. John was the last of the Old Testament-era prophets. His job since birth was to prepare the world for the coming of the Messiah. He preached that people needed to repent from their sins: to realize their actions were contrary to the will of God and to determine to change how they lived, believing in Jesus (John 1:19–28). Hundreds—perhaps thousands—heeded his call, including Jesus' future disciples Andrew and Peter (John 1:40–42). Now, decades after Jesus ascended into heaven, John's message is still preparing the way of the Lord (Luke 3:4).

Acts 19:1–7 continues the story of Paul's third missionary trip that began with his tour of the churches in central modern-day Turkey (Acts 18:23). Now, he is in Ephesus in the province of Asia in western Turkey. He had been in Ephesus for a short time before and will now stay for about three years (Acts 18:19–21; 20:31). His first encounter is with twelve men who know about John the Baptist and his baptism for repentance but not about Jesus, whom John promised would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11).

Acts 19 recounts Paul's three-year visit in Ephesus. He starts by revealing how Jesus of Nazareth has brought to life the kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit validates Paul's message by healing those struck with physical ailments and demon possession. Amazed by Paul's authority over evil spirits, so many magicians turn to Christ that the craftsmen who make idols fear for their livelihoods. They nearly incite a riot before the town clerk settles them down. Paul realizes his time in Ephesus has ended, and he travels to Macedonia (Acts 20:1).

Acts 19 is the meat of Paul's third missionary voyage. He has already revisited the churches in central modern-day Turkey (Acts 18:23). Now he returns to Ephesus for a three-year stay. After firmly establishing the church there, rescuing many from pagan magic and the worship of Artemis, he returns to Macedonia and Greece. A threat on his life sends him back up to Macedonia and across to Troas. He meets briefly with the Ephesian elders to tell them they will not meet again (Acts 20). When he returns to Jerusalem, he is arrested and, eventually, taken to Rome.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.