The Question of Duty: Acts 9:11-22

1 Name: BIBLE STUDY PROJECT: APPLICATION TEMPLATE Passage: Acts 19:11-22 What points of application can be made using the “Four Questions for Application?” State and explain 1 point of application for each of these four questions. Your explanation for each of these points should be 1 paragraph (200-300 words) in length, clearly connected to a part of this passage (by way of a verse quotation and/or citation), specific to this passage, and relevant.

1. The Question of Duty The question of duty is exemplified through Acts 19: 11-22, which documents the extraordinary miracles of Apostle Paul. The passage highlights how God performed extraordinary miracles through the Apostle Paul, including healing the sick and exorcising demons. While Apostle Paul was human, his willingness and ease in allowing God to use him manifested in great miracles so that even handkerchiefs that he had touched would be used to heal the sick (Acts 19:11-22). As a result of Paul's ministration, many people turned to God, turned away from their evil deeds, and declared the supremacy of Jesus Christ, from whom Paul derived his power to heal. This is an example of the duty of Christians to allow God to use them for greater impartation. The question of duty demonstrated in the passage can be understood through the lens of being used by God to do extraordinary things as well as serving the purpose of spreading the Gospel as Paul did. Ideally, Paul was called by God to turn away from his sinful nature and be spared the good news. In the same way, both Christians and non-Christians have the duty to obey God and partake in the noble job of spreading the good news and winning souls for the kingdom of God. God qualifies people whom He chooses to serve Him, just like the way

2 He chose Paul. Correspondingly, humans should be ready and willing to fulfill the work assigned

by God. Just as the way Apostle Paul allowed the Holy Spirit to guide him, Christians too have the duty to allow the holy spirit to use them in fulfilling the great commission as explained in the Gospel of Matthew ( Matthew 8: 19-20) 2. The Question of Character As explained above, Acts 19:11-22- explains the great works that Apostle Paul performed through the power of the Holy Spirit. The question of character is demonstrated through the transformation of people who believed and were influenced by the miracles. For example, some people who practiced sorcery before encountering the Holy Spirit burned their scrolls publicly after the encounter ( Acts 19:19). The scrolls burned down were valuable, implying that a change of character involves doing away with the old ways and embracing righteousness. Burning of the scrolls and repentance also implied that salvation is not a mere concept but rather an in-depth practice marked by a change of character and renunciation of the old practices. This marks a new identity in Christ Jesus, marked by a willingness to let go of ungodly practices and the ease of embracing the principles of the kingdom. Overall, the passage demonstrates the implications of faith on character. It also exemplifies how transformation manifests in a change of character. It also demonstrates the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in changing human beings from ungodly ways to embracing righteousness. For example, the group of sorcerers who burned their scrolls in public demonstrates the effects of the holy spirit in convincing people to change their ways and how faith manifests in the physical. This is a reflection of the broader theme of transformation of character that the Acts of Apostles are grounded on.

3 The Question of Goals The works of Apostle Paul in Ephesus, as reported in Acts 19: 11-22, demonstrate the achievement of the overarching goal of spreading the Gospel that the apostles of Jesus Christ were commissioned to. The passage shows different milestones in the achievement of the goal of spreading the good news and winning people to the kingdom of God. For instance, it started with the Apostle Paul preaching the Good News, performing extraordinary miracles in the name of Jesus, and influencing people to turn to Jesus, renounce their old ways of life, and embrace the teachings of Jesus Christ. Eventually, the goal was achieved when sorcerers burned their scrolls in public and chose the ways of the kingdom of God. Such genuine repentance confirms the Apostle's achievement of the goal of spreading the Gospel. Apostles of Jesus Christ also have the goal of transforming lives. This implies sensitizing human beings on the goodness of God and the power of the holy spirit against the opposing spiritual forces. This leads to people choosing the spirit of God over other spirits. This was achieved through the transformative teachings and works of Apostle Pual in Ephesus that were seen by those present as well as spoken of to a greater audience by those who witnessed. This complemented a greater reach and impartation of the Gospel.

The question of Discernment The question of Discernment is perfectly illustrated in Acts 19:11-22 through the activities of the sons of Sceva, who attempted to perform miracles as Paul did. They attempted to cast out demons in the “name of Jesus who Paul preached” ( Acts 19:13-16). The demons answered them that they only knew Jesus and Paul but did not know the sons of Sceva. The evil spirits in the man they were trying to heal over-empowered them and injured them. The incident shows the importance of the spirit of Discernment between the power of the holy spirit and other

4 spirits. If only the sons of Sceva had the spirit of Discernment, they would have identified the true source of the power that Paul was using to exorcise demons. The spirit of Discernment is clearly identifiable in Paul's ministry, where he demonstrated real spiritual warfare and the greatness of Jesus Christ over other powers. According to verse 17, Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus were seized with fear and held the name of the Lord Jesus in high honor after witnessing the miraculous works of Apostle Paul ( Acts 19:17). True Discernment is evident in Apostle Pual through his guidance by the Holy's spirit, personal conduct and integrity, spiritual insight and understanding, and ability to recognize false teaching (Aquino, 2017). Discernment can be explained as the God-given ability to judge and understand things that are not obviously visible to human beings, allowing a believer to distinguish truth and deception and identify spiritual realities behind the physical phenomena.

References Aquino, F. D. (2017). Spiritual formation, authority, and Discernment. The Oxford handbook of the epistemology of theology, 208-220.