Memory Text: Acts 19:20 NKJV “So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.”

Sunday, September 25 Ephesus – Jesus Versus Diana
Acts 19:24-28 MKJV “24 For a certain silversmith named Demetrius was making silver temples of Artemis, providing not a little trade [for] the craftsmen. 25 And assembling the workmen about such things, he said, Men, you know that from this trade is our wealth. 26 And you see and hear that, not only at Ephesus, but almost all Asia, this Paul having persuaded, he has perverted a huge crowd, saying that those which are made with hands are no gods. 27 And not only is this dangerous to us, our share coming into dispute, but also the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be counted for nothing, and her magnificence is also about to be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worships. 28 And hearing, and becoming full of anger, they cried out, saying, Great [is] Artemis of [the] Ephesians.”
Acts 19:28 COMMENTARY BY JAMIESON, FAUSSET, AND BROWN Great is Diana of the Ephesians--the civic cry of a populace so proud of their temple that they refused to inscribe on it the name of Alexander the Great, though he offered them the whole spoil of his Eastern campaign if they would do it

Monday, September 26 Ephesus – Aquila and Priscilla
Acts 18:2-3 KJ21 “2 There he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus and lately come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome. Paul went unto them, 3 and because he was of the same craft, he lodged with them and worked; for by their occupation they were tentmakers.”
Acts 18:3 COMMENTARY BY WILLIAM BURKITT Observe..[that] the apostle had learned a trade, tent-making, before he was called to the ministry, and he wrought upon it occasionally after he was a minister. The most learned among the Jews did always learn some handicraft trade, it being a tradition amongst them, "That he that doth not learn his child a trade, teaches him to be a thief." So that although their children were designed for students, yet they did learn some trade. Accordingly St. Paul having learned to make tents, (much used in those hot countries, by soldiers and others, to keep off the violence of the weather,) he works at Corinth, upon his trade for his own subsistence.
Acts 18:18-19 KJ21 “18 ¶ And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila, having shorn his head at Cenchrea, for he had made a vow. 19 And he came to Ephesus and left them there, but he himself entered into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.”
1 Corinthians 16:19 KJ21 “The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.”
Romans 16:3-4 KJ21 “3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus, 4 who have for my life laid down their own necks, unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.”

Tuesday, September 27 Apollos at Ephesus
Daniel 1:7 KJ21 “unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, Shadrach; and to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.”
Daniel 1:7 COMMENTARY BY ADAM CLARKE This change of names, Calmet properly remarks, was a mark of dominion and authority. It was customary for masters to impose new names upon their slaves.
Acts 18:24-28 ESV “24 ¶ Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.”

Wednesday, September 28 Paul at Ephesus
Acts 19:18-19 ESV “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.”
Acts 19:19 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES The precise value is not material. It was a large sum; and it is recorded to show that Christianity had power to induce men to forsake arts that were most lucrative, and to destroy the means of extending and perpetuating those arts, however valuable in a pecuniary point of view they might be. We are to remember, however, that this was not the intrinsic value of these books, but only their value as books of incantations. In themselves they might have been of very little worth. The universal prevalence of Christianity would make much that is now esteemed valuable property utterly worthless--as, e.g., all that is used in gambling, in fraud, in counterfeiting, in distilling ardent spirits for drink, in the slave-trade, and in attempts to impose on and defraud mankind.

Thursday, September 29 Dept of Paul’s Ministry
Acts 20:18-35 NRSV “18 When they came to him, he said to them: "You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, enduring the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. 20 I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house, 21 as I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus. 22 And now, as a captive to the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me. 24 But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace. 25 "And now I know that none of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again. 26 Therefore I declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son. 29 I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified. 33 I coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You know for yourselves that I worked with my own hands to support myself and my companions. 35 In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’"”

Friday, September 30 Further Study
Revelation 2:1-7 NRSV “1 ¶ "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2 "I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be false. 3 I also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for the sake of my name, and that you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember then from what you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this is to your credit: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.”
Ellen G. White, Acts of the Apostles, p. 282 – “On his arrival at Ephesus, Paul found twelve brethren, who, like Apollos, had been disciples of John the Baptist, and like him had gained some knowledge of the mission of Christ. They had not the ability of Apollos, but with the same sincerity and faith they were seeking to spread abroad the knowledge they had received.”
Ellen G. White, Acts of the Apostles, p. 286 – “Paul saw that "a great door and effectual" was opening before him, although there were "many adversaries." 1 Corinthians 16:9. Ephesus was not only the most magnificent, but the most corrupt, of the cities of Asia. Superstition and sensual pleasure held sway over her teeming population. Under the shadow of her temples, criminals of every grade found shelter, and the most degrading vices flourished.”
Ellen G. White, Acts of the Apostles, p. 288 – “In accepting Christianity, some of the believers had not fully renounced their superstitions. To some extent they still continued the practice of magic.
Ellen G. White, Acts of the Apostles, p. 292 – “The company of believers who met in the school of Tyrannus were an inharmonious note in the festive chorus, and ridicule, reproach, and insult were freely heaped upon them. Paul’s labors had given the heathen worship a telling blow, in consequence of which there was a perceptible falling off in the attendance at the national festival and in the enthusiasm of the worshipers. The influence of his teachings extended far beyond the actual converts to the faith. Many who had not openly accepted the new doctrines became so far enlightened as to lose all confidence in their heathen gods.”
Ellen G. White, Acts of the Apostles, p. 293 – “The fact that Paul and some of his companions were of Hebrew extraction made the Jews anxious to show plainly that they were not sympathizers with him and his work. They therefore brought forward one of their own number to set the matter before the people. The speaker chosen was Alexander, one of the craftsmen, a coppersmith, to whom Paul afterward referred as having done him much evil. 2 Timothy 4:14. Alexander was a man of considerable ability, and he bent all his energies to direct the wrath of the people exclusively against Paul and his companions.