Introduction
Have you heard of the Welsh Revival of 1904-1905, a movement profoundly impacting Wales and beyond?
The central figure in the Welsh Revival was a man named Evan Roberts.
He was born in Loughor, Wales, in a devout Christian family.
Roberts developed a deep commitment to Scripture and prayer.
As a young man, he worked as a coal miner, often carrying his Bible underground.
The Welsh Revival began with Roberts’ fervent prayers for spiritual awakening.
When Roberts became a preacher, he emphasized four key principles in his ministry:
• Confess all known sin,
• Remove anything doubtful from your life,
• Fully obey the Holy Spirit, and
• Publicly confess Christ.
These simple, yet profound truths resonated deeply with people, sparking widespread repentance and revival.
Roberts’ preaching was marked by heartfelt prayer, spontaneous singing, and testimonies of transformed lives.
Entire communities experienced change.
Crime rates dropped.
Taverns emptied.
Relationships were restored.
Coal production stopped for a while.
The reason is that the donkeys were used to harsh treatment and profanity, but when the miners were converted, they stopped using profanity and treating the animals harshly. The donkeys did not know how to respond to kindness!
Over 100,000 people came to faith in Jesus in one year alone!
Ever since Jesus's resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the gospel has changed lives and transformed communities.
While on his third missionary journey, the gospel continued to advance through the ministry of the Apostle Paul.
Today, we will learn how the gospel continues to advance.
Scripture
Let’s read Acts 19:1-20:
1 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. 10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 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. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
Lesson
Acts 19:1-20 shows us several core truths that take place when the gospel advances.
Let’s use the following outline:
1. True Faith Comes from the Holy Spirit (19:1-7)
2. God’s Kingdom Grows Through Bold Proclamation (19:8-10)
3. Jesus Defeats Spiritual Darkness (19:11-16)
4. Repentance Brings Real Change (19:17-20)
I. True Faith Comes from the Holy Spirit (19:1-7)
First, true faith comes from the Holy Spirit when the gospel advances.
On his way to Syrian Antioch, Paul stopped off briefly at Ephesus.
He was well received there.
So, he left Priscilla and Aquila there while he continued to Antioch, where he gave his sending church a missionary report about his second missionary journey.
While he was away from Ephesus, Priscilla and Aquila heard Apollos speak.
They realized that he did not have a clear understanding of the gospel.
So, they took him to their home and helped him understand the gospel clearly.
Apollos then became a powerful preacher of the gospel and decided to preach in Corinth.
We read in verse 1a, “And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus.”
Paul took the most direct route to get to Ephesus.
When Paul arrived in Ephesus, Luke writes in verse 1b, “There he found some disciples.”
Although the term “disciples “usually refers to Christians (although not always), in this case it refers to followers of John the Baptist, as we shall see.
Luke records the exchange between Paul and the disciples.
Paul asked, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
The disciples answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
Paul followed up with a second question, “Into what then were you baptized?”
The disciples answered, “Into John’s baptism.”
Paul explained to the disciples what John’s baptism was: “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus”(vv. 2-4).
So, the disciples were not Christians, but they were waiting for the arrival of Jesus.
Astonishingly, they had not heard about Jesus and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.
Luke tells us what happened in verses 5-7:
5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
These twelve men were disciples of John the Baptist.
John baptized them.
They did not clearly understand Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit.
When Paul explained who Jesus was, they fully believed in Jesus.
The evidence of that was the Holy Spirit coming upon them.
Now, some people say that speaking in tongues and prophesying are evidence of a second work of grace.
This is based on mistranslation in the King James Version of the Bible, which has Paul asking, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?”
People reading this version of the Bible say that a person receives faith in Jesus and then receives the Holy Spirit at a subsequent point in time.
However, the word translated as “since” should be translated as “when.”
The Holy Spirit is the one who regenerates the sinner and enables true, saving faith in Jesus.
But we are still left with the issue of speaking in tongues and prophesying.
The Holy Spirit was poured out on different groups of people as the gospel went from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth.
The Holy Spirit was poured on the Jews on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-4).
Then followed three more outpourings of the Holy Spirit.
Next, the Holy Spirit was poured on the Samaritans through Philip (Acts 8:14-17).
After that, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles through Peter (Acts 10:44-48).
Finally, the Holy Spirit was poured out on dispersed Jews through Paul (Acts 19:6).
In this way, the Holy Spirit was testifying that the gospel was going to all people in all nations.
Now that the canon of Scripture is closed and all kinds of groups have received the Holy Spirit, supernatural sign gifts are no longer necessary to authenticate the gospel's spread.
The point here is simply that true faith comes through the Holy Spirit.
Going through religious ceremonies does not make one a Christian.
Your membership in a church does not make you a Christian.
The Holy Spirit alone regenerates you and makes you a Christian. And then you become a member of a church.
So, let me ask you: do you have true faith?
Has the Holy Spirit regenerated you?
II. God’s Kingdom Grows Through Bold Proclamation (19:8-10)
Second, God’s kingdom grows through bold proclamation when the gospel advances.
As was his custom, when Paul first went to a city, he went to the Jewish synagogue.
In verse 8, we read, “And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.”
The Jews believed they were God’s people and belonged to his kingdom.
But they had a misunderstanding about the kingdom of God.
Paul told them about the great King David and how David’s Greater Son Jesus had come and established the kingdom of God.
This was not a physical kingdom but a spiritual kingdom.
Entrance into the kingdom of God was not by birth but by the new birth.
“But,” wrote Luke in verse 9, “when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.”
Satan thought he had won a victory by getting Paul expelled from the synagogue.
However, instead of having Sabbath interactions with the Jews, Paul could now proclaim the gospel daily.
No one knows who Tyrannus was.
He may have been a teacher or lecturer.
His name means “Tyrant,” and so it was probably a nickname from his students.
Regardless, one of the ancient Greek texts says that Paul could lecture in the hall of Tyrannus from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
People generally started their day at 7:00 a.m.
Then, at 11:00 a.m., they took their break for the midday meal and a siesta. They resumed their work at 4:00 p.m. and worked until 9:00 p.m.
So, Tyrannus allowed Paul to use his lecture hall during the heat of the day when most people had lunch and a nap.
In verse 10, Luke tells us, “This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.”
One scholar estimated that if one sat through all of Paul’s lectures for two years, one would have the equivalent of a seminary education in theology.
It is no wonder that the Ephesian Church became such a strong church.
Don’t let opposition to the gospel stop you from finding other ways to share the gospel.
George Whitefield was ordained in the Church of England.
His preaching caused a stir wherever he preached.
People were converted under his preaching.
Eventually, he was no longer allowed to preach in church buildings.
No matter.
He took to the open fields.
Instead of preaching to dozens of people, he preached to thousands, and sometimes even to tens of thousands.
Whitefield preached for a little over 34 years. He preached an average of 10 sermons per week. Over his lifetime, he delivered more than 18,000 sermons.
God’s kingdom grew through the bold proclamation of George Whitefield.
Let me encourage you to find ways to share the gospel boldly.
III. Jesus Defeats Spiritual Darkness (19:11-16)
Third, Jesus defeats spiritual darkness when the gospel advances.
In verses 11-12, Luke tells us, “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 doing miracles through Paul.
He was authenticating Paul as his divine messenger.
Now that the Canon of Scripture has been closed, we no longer need miracles to authenticate God’s messengers.
Then, Luke tells us about a somewhat humorous incident.
Some Jewish exorcists invoked Jesus’ name and tried to cast out evil spirits.
But the evil spirit in the man did not respond as the exorcists had hoped.
The man beat all the exorcists and chased them out of the house naked and wounded.
Only Jesus defeats spiritual darkness.
He did this, of course, when he ministered on earth.
He cast out demons.
He empowered his apostles to carry on his work of defeating spiritual darkness.
John Bunyan (1628-1688) was a Puritan preacher imprisoned for proclaiming the gospel.
He faced significant spiritual opposition throughout his life, particularly during his 12-year imprisonment for preaching the gospel.
Despite the harsh conditions, Bunyan remained steadfast and defeated spiritual darkness.
He used his time in prison to write some impactful works, the best known of which is The Pilgrim’s Progress.
After the Bible, The Pilgrim’s Progress is the second most popular book in the English language.
When you face spiritual opposition, don’t despair.
Trust in Jesus to defeat spiritual darkness.
IV. Repentance Brings Real Change (19:17-20)
Fourth, repentance brings real change when the gospel advances.
Luke notes the reaction of the people in Ephesus in verse 17, “And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.”
More than that, Luke notes, “Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver” (vv. 18-19).
The believers brought anything that had to do with spiritual darkness and burned it.
They realized that they did not want to be involved in anything that compromised their walk with Jesus.
What does that look like for you as a Christian today?
Get rid of pornography.
A 2022 survey showed that 62% of men in the US reported a habit of watching pornography.
Get rid of improper drug use.
Break ties with relationships that pull you back to your pre-Christian, sinful habits.
The point is that the gospel not only brings faith but also repentance.
That means not just saying, “Sorry.”
It means changing the way you think, talk, and act.
Repentance brings real change.
John Newton was born in 1725.
His mother died when he was young.
He lived a life of rebellion and sin.
He became deeply involved in the slave trade, earning a reputation as “The Great Blasphemer” for his profanity and debauchery.
However, his life dramatically turned in 1748 during a violent storm at sea.
While aboard the ship Greyhound, Newton faced what seemed like certain death as the storm raged.
In desperation, he cried out to God for mercy—a moment that marked the beginning of his spiritual transformation.
Surviving the storm, Newton attributed his deliverance to God's grace and began to reflect deeply on his life and faith.
He repented and turned away from his sinful ways, eventually leaving the slave trade and dedicating his life to Christ.
Newton became an Anglican minister and a passionate advocate for the abolition of slavery.
He is best known for penning the hymn “Amazing Grace,” which reflects his profound gratitude for God's mercy and forgiveness.
Newton once said, “I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.”
Repentance brings real change.
Luke then gives us a summary statement in verse 20, “So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.”
This is like a chapter break for Luke.
Six times in his book (in 6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20, and 28:31), Luke tells us that “the word of the
Lord continued to increase” or words similar to that.
Conclusion
After his resurrection, Jesus commissioned his disciples—and therefore his church—to make disciples of all nations.
From 120 disciples in Jerusalem to 3,000 converts on the Day of Pentecost, the gospel has continued to advance all over the world.
Today, over 2.4 billion people profess to be followers of Jesus.
There are professing Christians in every country of the world.
However, there are still many groups—the Bible refers to them as “nations”—without a single, professing Christian.
Millions of people profess faith in Jesus each year.
But there are still billions of people who have never heard of Jesus.
So, what is our part?
First, pray.
Pray that the gospel will reach the unreached people groups who know nothing about Jesus.
Second, share the gospel with family, friends, and strangers.
Third, give financially.
Support our Missions Ministry with your financial support.
And finally, consider becoming a missionary.
Ask God to show you if and how he can use you to continue to advance the gospel. Amen.
