Assaulting Stronghold of Satan

As we continue to read and understand Paul’s life, his work in the city of Ephesus is very encouraging to teach how he fought the strong hold of Satan and won over them. Before we learn about Paul’s work let’s get some background of Ephesus.

Background of Ephesus

It was a city held in the grip of superstition, demonism and darkness. Historian's record Ephesus was the citadel of Satan.

• Commercially - Ephesus was a very wealthy city, for it sat at the crossroads of the Roman Empire.

• Religiously - Ephesus was famous for the Temple of Diana or Artemis. Diana was the goddess of the earth and the goddess who controlled the sexual reproductive powers of men and women. Therefore, the greeks / jews worship of Diana was very sex oriented. This magnificent Temple of Diana was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

• Spiritually - Ephesus was the centre of witchcraft, demonism, the black arts, astrology and mystical practices of all kinds. This city was sold out to superstition and was enthralled with Satan and his devices. Spiritual and demonic darkness engulfed this whole city of Ephesus.

When you read Acts 19:1, he was guided by the holy spirit to arrive at Ephesus. God had a plan to bring Paul to Ephesus to Assault and break the strong hold of Satan.

'While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples ' Acts 19:1

The first thing he did after coming to Ephesus was to place hand on them and bless the group of twelve disciples with Holy Spirit. This way the power of holy spirit will fight along with Paul to break the strong hold of Satan.

'When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all. ' Acts 19:6-7

Fight against Spiritual Blindness

'Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ' Acts 19:8-9

• After Paul spending time with them to preach the kingdom of God “arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God”, they become hardened and publicly went against Christians(Christians were called “The Way”, thats what is said in verse “maligned the Way”), they maligned them as false God “some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way.”, the struggle of satan is to make Christ look false by blinding the eyes of people.

• Satan has spiritually blinded all men to the truth of Jesus Christ. Men may be educated, display culture, perform good works, be respectable citizens, but they are still spiritually blinded by Satan and are controlled in their philosophy by the god of this world. Religious respectability is the toughest nut to crack in all the Satanic kingdom of evil. It is difficult to get religious people to admit their bankruptcy before God and turn to Christ as a condemned sinner.

• These Jews were not involved in the mystical or magical powers that was practiced in Ephesus, but they were just as controlled by Satan as those Gentiles in Ephesus who bowed their wills to the devil. Satan's ace in the hole is always religion, for he seeks to blind many by religion, good works, tradition, ritual and culture. Paul explains this in 2 Corinthians 'And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ' 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

Lessons we can learn from Paul

Paul’s example gives three principles to apply

1. Paul stayed in the synagogue and evangelised for Christ until the Jews became violent in their opposition.

2. When Paul could no longer stay in the synagogue because it was affecting his attitude and the lives of other Christians, he withdrew.

3. Paul did not wait for the synagogue to expel him, but separated himself and the Christians from religious beliefs / false teaching. Notice Paul did not separate himself over traditions, ritual, opinions, philosophy of ministry, petty differences, but over doctrinal error and opposition to the truth of Jesus Christ as revealed to him by ChristHimself.

   1. Paul probably stayed about three years in Ephesus. He did so because there was much Satanic opposition to Christ, but he also needed time to train men who could assault the darkness of unbelief in that region.

   2. Effects of the struggles and hard arguments, he made some believe in Christ and they become his evangelist to spread the Word across. 'This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. 'Acts 19:10 “This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks” -- Due to Paul's teaching, all in Asia Minor heard the gospel of Christ. Of course, Paul did not reach all of Asia Minor himself. He won men to Christ and trained them in his Christian school (seminary) in Ephesus, and these men in turn went out to preach the gospel everywhere.

Fight against the superstition

As Paul continued there and mistered as he was led by holy spirit in Miracles and healing of sickness.

• Special Extraordinary Miracles - 'God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 'Acts 19:11 The Ephesians were very superstitious and deeply involved in the magical or mystical powers, Satan and demons had performed many miracles in that city, so God now had to perform special miracles through Paul. They were unusual / extraordinary miracles performed to authenticate Paul's message of Christ by the holy spirit to defeat the strong holds of satan, so that will make the satan’s miracles to be fake.

• Sicknesses Healed - '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. ' Acts 19:12
  

  • Satan can and does bring sickness. Not all sickness is Satanic but some is and this kind of sickness can be healed.

  • Apparently most if not all of the diseases that Christ healed through Paul were due to Satanic influence.

  • The unusualness about these miracles was that handkerchiefs and aprons (rag cloth aprons placed around the waist) were taken from Paul and when these were touched by the sick, they were healed because the evil spirits came out of them. These of course were spectacular miracles and caused the people to talk about the power of Christ.

Lessons we can learn from Paul

1. God cared about the city of Ephesus and wanted to counter the superstition by giving Paul the Holy Spirit power of healing

2. With the power of a Holy Spirit it’s no match to satan superstition as some of these healing were very powerful to make people talk about that.

Fight against the demons

'Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 'Acts 19:13-14

• We read a Jewish Chief priest “Seven Sons of Sceva” - using Jesus name driving evil spirits, even though he was not baptised or did not accept Jesus. These seven sons were either sons of a father who was an apostate Jew who had given himself over to the occult and now claimed to be a priest in the order of Diana, or he was a Jewish high priest who was so corrupted that he and his sons were exorcists. These seven sons apparently saw Paul cast out demons in the name of Christ and thought that they too would cast out demons in Christ's name. This was a real testimony to the power of Christ since normally the exorcists would use incantations, spells or charms in the casting out of evil spirits. 'One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. ' Acts 19:15-16

• Apparently demon said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” They received a funny and strange response from this demon possessed man. One of the manifestations of demon possession is extraordinary physical strength. The demon possessed man took out after the seven, single handedly, routed them, tore off their clothes, and they jumped out of doors and windows and ran through the town as streakers.

Lessons we can learn from Paul

1. The name of Christ and the power of Christ is given to only to Christian to cast out a demon, its available to us and we don’t need intermediaries to get this from Christ.

2. No human power can dislodge a demon, only by using the name of Christ the strong hold of satan can be dislodged.

3. We still have the seven sons of Sceva with us today who are trying to change men but they have different names. You can call them “philosophy” or “psychology” or “sociology” or “communism” or “education” or “science” or even “religion.”

4. You can call them different names but not one of them has the power to change the heart of man or deliver him from slavery to Satan. Only Christ can change people’s lives and give them a spiritual dimension.

Conclusion

'When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. ' Acts 19:17-20

1. “When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.” --

• This incident, because of the humor involved, became known all over Ephesus and both Jews and Greeks heard about it. It became known that Jesus Christ was more powerful in the spiritual realm than demons.

• Christ had more power in the invisible world than Satan. Christ's name was sanctified and magnified in the minds of men.

• A good dose of fear fell upon Ephesus, but it did not stop with non-Christians only. A realization of Christ's power in the spiritual realm brought wayward and disinterested Christians to a new dedication

2. “Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done”

• Power of christ makes us embolden - This is what happened in Ephesus, people who followed Christ or practiced christ got the spirit to turn away from Fear and practice Christianity more boldly.

3. “A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas”

• Fear of God broke all the chains and people who practised sorcery not only turned away from them. They went to burn them publicly.

• People who practiced sorcery were bankrupt - As no one would turn to them as they realise the true power of God thru Jesus christ and the spirit kept them away to go to them for help 'And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. 'Acts 19:26

4. 'In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. ' Acts 19:20

• It took a long time for Paul to break the strong holds of Satan he stayed for more than 3 yrs to get to this.

• If we are fighting any battles of Satan it will be broken one day, stay put on what you do. God is powerful and mightier than Satan. It can be in your family / work or social environment but he is mighty to break wall that you are fighting.

• Continue to trust God and keep doing what he asks you to do, he has plans to do the break things at the right time.