These small group Bible studies of Acts 19 contain commentary, discussion questions, and practical application. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.
Acts 19 Bible Study Guide – Sons of Sceva are Exposed as Charlatans
Outline
I. Paul ministers in Ephesus (1-10)
II. The Sons of Sceva (11-20)
I. Paul ministers in Ephesus (1-10)
Discussion Questions
• What had Paul said when he left Ephesus the previous time?
• What was the situation of the disciples in Ephesus?
• What were they disciples of and what had they believed?
• Why had they not received the Holy Spirit yet?
• Do all believers in Jesus have the Holy Spirit today? How do you know?
• What is the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in a person’s life today?
• What were the immediate signs of the gift of the Holy Spirit in this passage? Why were these signs important for the believers?
• How can you be filled with the Spirit?
• How can you grow in the fruit of the Spirit?
• What methods did Paul use to disciple people in Ephesus?
• Why did he withdraw?
• How could everyone in Asia (modern-day Turkey) hear the Word of the Lord in two years?
• Did Paul share individually with all of them?
• How is your church and you personally doing at sharing the gospel and discipling people?
• What can you do to be more effective at discipling?
Cross-References
Acts 8:14-17 – Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. Paul returned to Ephesus –
The last time he was in Ephesus, they asked him to stay. He couldn’t stay but told them he planned to return if it was God’s will.
Acts 18:21 – But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.
Now he came back. One mark of a faithful believer is keeping your word. That can be difficult to do for busy pastors and missionaries. They often have many obligations. But Paul had said he would try to return and so he did.
Reflect – Are you known as a person who follows through with his commitments?
2. Baptizing them in the name of Jesus –
Paul found a group of disciples there, but they had not yet received the Holy Spirit. Evidently, they had heard the message from John the Baptist and believed it, repenting of their sins. But they were not yet fully aware of Jesus and the salvation offered through Him. Their situation was similar to Apollos in the last chapter. One difference is that Apollos knew something of Jesus, while there is no evidence in this passage that these disciples had knowledge of Him.
It is not that surprising when we consider the situation at that time in history. There was no internet, radio, or TV. Even the Bible had not yet been completed. Information was scattered and not always complete. News of John and his ministry had gone to some of the Jewish diaspora. News of Jesus, His death, and resurrection had gone to others. Some had heard of one, some of the other, some of both, and some of neither. Only if a person traveled there and gave a full update would they have the complete picture.
Notably, these people had responded positively to everything they had heard about God. They believed and followed what they knew so God gave them more. God rewards steps of faith with more revelation.
Hebrews 11:6 – And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Some ask, “What about a person who believes in a righteous Creator God and wants to follow Him but has never heard about Jesus?” Here we see an exact example of that. God sent someone, Paul, to tell them more.
3. When do believers receive the Holy Spirit? – There are cases where people in Acts believed in Jesus, but did not immediately receive the Holy Spirit. The Samaritans in Acts 8 are one example.
Why did that happen?
This was a transitional period in which confirmation by the apostles was necessary to verify the inclusion of a new group of people into the church. Because of the animosity that existed between Jews and Samaritans, it was essential for the Samaritans to receive the Spirit in the presence of the leaders of the Jerusalem church, for the purpose of maintaining a unified church. – John McArthur
This example in Acts 19 is not the same situation. These people had not heard of salvation by faith in Christ and though their hearts were ready, they had not yet placed their faith in Jesus for salvation. In this passage they do, are baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit. As in other cases in Acts, the Holy Spirit is imparted when Paul (or Peter or John) lays hands on the believers. This serves as a very public stamp of approval by which God proves His supernatural power and salvation. He showed everyone watching that this was the real thing.
In the book of Acts, God often showed His saving power by confirming the presence of the Holy Spirit with signs such as speaking as tongues. This served to establish the credibility of the apostles and the gospel message they preached.
The church was built on the foundation of the apostles.
Ephesians 2:20 – Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.
If their credibility was not established, the message they preached would have been questioned as well. God therefore performed many signs at their hands to establish a strong foundation for the church.
In essence, the Holy Spirit was saying, “I am here. I am real. I am powerful. These are my true messengers. I can change your life. Believe in Jesus.”
Reflect – Do believers now receive the Holy Spirit at salvation?
After the transitional period in Acts, all believers receive the Holy Spirit when they are saved.
1 Corinthians 12:13 – For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
This verse tells us that “all” have “one Spirit.” Everyone in the church has the Spirit.
Romans 8:9 – You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
This verse tells the same thing from the opposite perspective. If someone does not have the Spirit, they do not belong to Christ. Therefore, those without the Spirit are not believers and those with the Spirit are.
Ephesians 1:13-14 – In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
The Holy Spirit is a seal of our salvation. His presence guarantees that we belong to God and that He will hold on to us until we receive everything God has promised.
4. Paul discipling –
Paul continued teaching in the synagogue for three months. Once again, some opponents of the gospel started stirring up trouble. Rather than fight it head-on, Paul simply moved to a different location and kept right on.
Reflect – Was moving away from the synagogue cowardly? Was it retreating? Or was it wise? Why?
5. Everyone in Asia hears the word of the Lord in two years –
What happened next is amazing.
Acts 19:10 – This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
At that time, Asia referred to the Roman province of Asia Minor, which is modern-day Turkey. Within two years, everyone in this region heard the word of the Lord. That is an amazing thing in the pre-Internet era.
Reflect – How was this possible? What lessons can we learn from Paul about discipleship?
We learn that multiplication is more powerful than addition. Paul did not personally share the gospel with every single person in Asia Minor.
It is estimated that there were 2-4 million people in this region at that time. If Paul spent 16 hours a day, every day for two years, and shared for five minutes with each person he shared with, he could only share with 140,000 people. That is a very generous number, as it would be almost impossible stamina-wise or logistically for one person to continue that pace for two years.
What we see is not a one-person ministry. It is exponential gospel growth. That is the power of discipleship. People learned in-depth from Paul. They then returned to their cities and villages, taking the gospel with them. New churches were established. New relationships were formed. More discipleship groups would have launched. Paul’s disciples learned from him and would have used similar ministry methods such as preaching in public areas, sharing in synagogues, and one-to-one or small group discipleship.
Multiplication is far more powerful than addition. Jesus’ most effective ministry was to the twelve. These disciples ended up turning the world upside down. The time he spent with them had a far greater return than the time he spent teaching the crowds. Why is that?
Whatever ministry you have, it will be far more effective if you can multiply it by discipling others. Pastors should look to train up more leaders. Bible study teachers should look to train up more teachers. Evangelists should look to train more evangelists.
Paul regularly practiced this.
2 Timothy 2:2 – And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
It is far more effective to make two disciples who make two more who continue that process than to simply reach one hundred people for Christ who never reproduce.
Application – Consider a current ministry you are involved in. How can you shift into multiplication and discipleship instead of addition? How can you begin to train up others to replace you and expand the work if you move on? How can you plant more groups or ministries? What obstacles keep us from discipling others?
Small Group Activity
Ask groups to list:
• What Jesus did with the crowds
• What Jesus did with the twelve
• Compare the fruit and effectiveness of each type of ministry.
• Why did Jesus spend so much time on so few?
• Why do we admire crowds more than disciples?
Questions for the small groups
• How would the ministry look different if we measured success by reproduction?
• How did Paul focus more on depth than breadth?
• What are some obstacles to discipleship?
• How can you and your church shift more to multiplication from addition?
II. The Sons of Sceva (11-20)
Discussion Questions
• What unique miracles do we see in this passage?
• Why do you think God did these amazing things in Ephesus?
• What are your observations about the exorcists?
• What does an “itinerant exorcist” do?
• What power did they have? What power did they claim?
• Today, do people who aren’t followers of Jesus ever claim His name or power? Why do they do this? If they claim His name, then does that itself mean they are a believer?
• Why did Jesus not help these exorcists?
• What does this passage teach us about Satan?
• What does it teach us about God?
• How would you deal with it if you faced a demon-possessed man?
• What did the new believers do in verses 18-19 to live out the transformation that had taken place in them?
• Is there anything that is holding you back in your walk with Jesus that you need to get rid of?
Cross-References
Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
1 John 4:4 – Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
2 Corinthians 4:4 – In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of
the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
James 5:16 – Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
Matthew 18:8-9 – And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.
Ephesians 4:22-24 – To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. Extraordinary versus ordinary –
Acts 19:11-12 – And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
God was the one doing miracles. It wasn’t Paul, but God did use Paul as His instrument to accomplish these miracles. God did these miracles to establish the credibility of the gospel and its messenger, Paul. The gospel of Jesus, who died and resurrected as a substitution for our sins, was a totally new idea for the people Paul shared with. The miracles showed that the gospel was true and was the power of God.
Romans 1:16 – For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.
Though He doesn’t always use the same methods (Hebrews 1:1-13), the same God who did those miracles in the book of Acts is still working today. When you share the gospel and work to build God’s kingdom, He is with you.
Reflect – How has God shown His power in your life?
Extraordinary miracles
The word “extraordinary” shows that the miracles recorded here were not ordinary. Miracles like that are not a daily occurrence everywhere all the time. Even as miracles go, they were very unique. People were being healed just by touching a handkerchief that Paul had touched.
The Bible is filled with supernatural signs, wonders, and miracles. God often led His people or confirmed His message through them. At the same time, He didn’t always use those methods. More often, He uses ordinary means to lead us.
Reflect – What are some of the ordinary means God uses to guide us and confirm His power and existence to us?
One example of God using both extraordinary and ordinary means to guide people is the magi who visited Jesus after His birth.
The wise men had seen the star. It was no ordinary star. It guided them to Israel and eventually directly to the house where Jesus was. Normal stars don’t do that. God placed this supernatural sign in the night sky specifically to lead the magi to Jesus. They ended up being the first recorded examples of Gentiles encountering Jesus and the first people who ever worshipped Him.
But this extraordinary star did not guide them every moment. Look at the text.
Matthew 2:9-10 – After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
The star wasn’t guiding them every moment. They saw it back in their home countries. But by the time they came to Jerusalem, they did not see it. It had led them for part of the journey, but not the full journey.
Yet they didn’t give up or turn back. They continued seeking the Lord. They were asking around in Jerusalem and at the palace to find the way. As they searched, they heard the prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
It was this verse from Micah 5:2 that led them to start from Jerusalem toward Bethlehem.
Micah 5:2 – But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
So He led them not only by miracles, but through the Word. As they continued their journey, the star, once again, appeared. When it did, they were overjoyed. God had not abandoned them.
God guides us, but He may only show us one step at a time. He shines the light on our next step, not necessarily on the end of the journey. His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.
Sometimes His leading is more obvious and perhaps miraculous. Other times, it may simply be a timely Bible verse or word of encouragement from a friend.
If you are seeking God, He will show you what you need to know when you need to know it. He gives us what we need for today, not necessarily for tomorrow.
Application – Extraordinary answers to prayer, signs, testimonies, and wonders are awesome. We enjoy seeing God at work in amazing ways. But we should not turn our focus from God to the shiny things that He does. We should not become infatuated with the flashy at the expense of the ordinary.
In the Bible, sometimes hundreds of years passed without major recorded miracles or divine signs. During those years, God was not absent. He still communicated with His people through His Word and often through prophets.
Our relationship with God is something like a marriage. Much of my communication with my wife is simple day-to-day stuff. We talk. We take walks together. We do chores together. We don’t go on a date every day. A date is something special. Though dates are good, a relationship of only dating likely does not have much substance. It is sharing real life together and walking through it side-by-side that forms the backbone of the relationship.
Our day-by-day relationship with God is important and special, but always flashy. Prayer, worship, and Bible reading are the staples of our Christian life. Do not overlook these. Neither should you become discouraged if you don’t see amazing signs and wonders every day. They are called “extraordinary” for a reason.
2. The sons of Sceva –
These were “itinerant Jewish exorcists.” It seems that this group of seven men advertised that they were able to drive out demons. Possibly, they were in it either for money or to build up their reputation or following.
However, they were charlatans. They were pretenders who lacked any actual authority over the demons.
Seeing Paul’s success, they sought to copy what he was doing. They invoked Jesus’ name as a formula that they believed would force the demon into compliance. Although they named Jesus, they clearly did not know Him or have a relationship with Him. He was their golden ticket, or so they thought.
This ploy went wrong in spectacular fashion. The demon did not recognize their authority, saying, “Jesus, I know and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” The man then attacked them and drove them away, injured and naked.
The event served to show all of the people in the area the true power of God while exposing fakes.
Reflect – What lessons can we learn from this story?
A. Demons are powerful. Demons are supernatural. It is not wise to toy around with them. The man possessed by a demon was empowered by him to extreme violence. It seems that he possessed superhuman strength. While true believers need not fear demons, we should not underestimate them.
B. Our battle is against spiritual forces, not flesh and blood. An evil spirit was behind that wild man’s actions. Sometimes a demon, who is unseen, is behind an evil thing that we see.
Ephesians 6:12 – For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
C. Demons do recognize God’s authority. They fear God (James 2:9). This does not mean that they want to follow Him or submit to Him. But it does mean that they are not allowed to do whatever they want (Job 1-2). Some limitations are placed upon them.
God can extend that authority to people as He did in the case with Paul.
D. Formulas and rituals do not automatically convey God’s power. The sons of Sceva seemed to believe the power was in the words they spoke. All they had to do was invoke Jesus’ name and the magic would happen.
That is not how it works.
Matthew 7:21 – Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
We are called to abide in Him.
John 15:4 – Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
You will not enter heaven just by saying Jesus’ name, reciting a verse, going to church, or being baptized. Rituals do not save. Wearing a cross or carrying a crucifix does not automatically convey God’s power or protection.
He sees the heart. He knows our motivations. He desires us to be in fellowship with Him, to have a real relationship with Him.
Jesus’ power is His. You can’t access it through a formula. Nor will He be deceived by a pretender.
He knows His sheep.
John 10:14 – I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.
Application – Focus on your relationship with God, not on rituals for the sake of rituals. Bible reading is a means to bring us closer to Jesus. It is not the end goal. Church is not something to show off, but is a place we go to worship Him and become more like Him. Be careful not to elevate a ritual over the Person or the gift over the Giver.
3. Many turned from their pagan practices to Jesus –
God used even the selfish acts of charlatans and demons to accomplish his purposes. This encounter between the sons of Sceva and the demon-possessed man served a clear contrast between the impotence and deceit of the world and the true power of God.
The result, partially but not only due to this, was that many people turned to Jesus. You can see that their belief is genuine. They did not merely add Jesus to their pantheon of gods. Their lives were immediately changed. These new believers turned away from their magic arts and superstitions and turned to Jesus.
They brought books to be burned. The Greek word is for scrolls. Most likely, they included magic spells and incantations, occult formulas, astrological charts and the like. In that pre-printing press time, books were not cheap. One magical scroll likely cost several days or a week’s worth of wages.
The total value of the items brought was calculated at 50,000 pieces of silver. One piece of silver was equivalent to one day’s wages. Thus, in modern terms, the burned scrolls were worth around $5,000,000.
Coming to Christ cost them something. Salvation is a free gift, but following Jesus requires sacrifice (Luke 12, Romans 12:1).
Reflect – Why didn’t they just sell the books and pocket the money?
Keeping the books would open the door to all kinds of temptations. Selling them would spread the evil further. But burning them showed a radical change of direction and total break with the past. The believers recognized that Jesus was more valuable than anything they owned.
Reflect –
• Is there anything you need to get rid of that is holding you back in your walk with God?
• What is hardest for you to let go of because it provides security, comfort, pleasure, or control apart from Jesus?
• How can we intentionally replace what we give up with deeper dependence on Christ rather than leaving an empty space?
• If Jesus told you to sell your possessions and give the proceeds to the poor and follow Him, how would you respond?
Meet the Author: Jason Dexter has been serving the Lord overseas in the 10/40 Window for more than twenty years, making disciples, teaching the Bible, and equipping believers to understand and apply God’s Word. These Bible studies were written by him, not by AI.
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