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Name: Kenia Hill
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
According to the textbook, “The question of duty is the call to action and obedience”
(Cartwright & Hulshof, 2019, p. 177). The mission to Ephesus, which gets described in
Acts 19:11-22, provides a very remarkable illustration of how a servant ought to answer
with action in the call of God. Through faithfulness with God Himself in active
involvement with Ephesus, He showed people in teaching and also with miracles as
affirmation of His message. God worked through Paul to perform incredible miracles,
such as healing the sick and casting out demons, which demonstrated that his work was a
direct response to God's mission of spreading the gospel in that area (Acts 19:11-12).
Rather than waiting for opportunities, Paul boldly preached and acted in accordance with
God's will, showing that true obedience means taking initiative. The sons of Sceva do not
use the name of Jesus, and they, without faith, attempt exorcising demons. Well, this
really serves to contrast the great difference with Paul and the sons of Sceva is that they
had no real faith; Paul derived his authority from a living relationship to God Himself.
Indeed, obedience is not acts; it is life set in death to self for God's end. Moreover, the
sharp reaction of the Ephesians in repentance, confessing their sins, and burning their
occult books was an act of their own calling. The decisions they made were indicative of
obedience to God's call-to repent from idolatry and embrace the truth of the gospel. From
what the Ephesians heard Paul do to their responsive work, the passage draws importance
from serving God not merely hearing His call but rather going at once into immediate,
concise activities without delay in obedience. Discretion dictates belief in practice,
practice being the aligning of life with God's changing influence.
2. The Question of Character
The passage from Acts 19:11-22 has become important to me, as it begs the question of
what kind of person I am to be in deepening my faith and living the character of Christ.
The work of Paul in Ephesus serves as a strong example of such transformation, the way
the Holy Spirit influenced his life, and decisions he made to serve God faithfully. The
character of Paul is not a product of his personal capability but on being strongly
dependent on the Holy Spirit. The miracles Paul was able to perform such as healing and
casting out demonic spirits simply point to the fact that his strength comes from nobody
but God. This portrays the first aspect of character, which is the continuous work of
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Christ in a believer's life. Just as Paul was able to lean on the Holy Spirit to guide him
during his ministry, I also need to lean on the Spirit in shaping my character and directing
my actions. The aspect that really caught my eye was the failure of the sons of Sceva
regarding wise choices. They tried to do what Paul did in Jesus’ name but without a
personal relationship or dependency on Christ through the Holy Spirit. Their failure
shows that character does not have much to do with the external things we do but also is a
matter of our heart posture and its alignment with God's will. This introduces us to a
second component of character which is the choices I make in response to God's Word.
As I am growing to be each day to be more like Christ, the Holy Spirit brings me to make
choices that reflect God's righteousness and run away from my fleshly self-pleasing
desires, producing the fruit of the Spirit. Therefore, this passage calls me to develop a
Christlike character through the enabling presence of the Holy Spirit and the choices I
make in obedience to God's will.B
3. The Question of Goals
In Acts 19:11-22, we catch a cool glimpse of how God was moving among early
Christians. While Paul was in Ephesus, there were amazing miracles and Gospel-
spreading, this passage is underlining also the contrast between the true faith and shallow
ambition. Starting with the seven sons of Sceva in verses 13-16, attempting to exorcise by
using Jesus' name without a real relation with Him, Their motives are wrong; their
aspirations seem to be more to gain power and popularity rather than service to God.
Their embarrassing failure is a reminder that achievement without an honest-to-goodness
attachment to Christ is nothing but an empty pursuit. That again gives us something to
reflect upon: What's behind our drive? Are we motivated because we want to do the will
of God, or do we have self-serving motives like the sons of Sceva? Paul's success was a
result of obedience to God's call, which equated to the spread of the gospel and changed
lives. Similarly, our goals as Christians should reflect a commitment to fulfilling God's
purposes such as pursuing holiness, serving the church, sharing the gospel, rather than
simply chasing personal success or recognition. In the 18-20 verses, we find the
immediate response of the Ephesians when they turned to the gospel in repentance and
publicly destroyed their books on magic-a sure sign of the renunciation of earthly
ambitions for the kingdom of God. This transformed life depicts that their aspirations
were stirred by the Word of God to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
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4. The Question of Discernment
Acts 19:11-22 presents the fruitful Apostolic ministry of Paul in Ephesus, using God-
given power with miracles. On the one hand, this passage describes how relevant it is for
Christians to respond in wisdom to freedom and strength which God has given them.
Paul's miracles-especially the healings and the expulsion of demons with handkerchiefs
and aprons (v. 11-12)-were a testimony not only to the might of God but also to the fact
that Jesus Christ was in control above every other force. It is the wise believer who
recognizes this power should be used for the glory of God by spreading the gospel and
serving one another in love.Verses 18-19 show one of the better examples of discernment
leading to real change: many Ephesians realize how serious their new life is in Christ, and
they are setting aside old practices, specifically magic and sorcery. The burning of
magical books-the very symbols of a previous life-now starkly stands against a new
identity. This act is an act of discernment, realizing that part of their former culture did
not comport with Christian liberty and the call to a holy life. The discerning Christian
knows that true freedom in Christ is not about indulging one's own desires or conforming
to the culture around them but using that freedom in service to God and for the building
up of the body of Christ. In verse 20, we find the fruit of such discrimination: "the word
of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed." That is to say that whenever believers do
things God's way, the gospel will spread, and God's kingdom will grow. The one with
discernment uses his freedom for God's agenda, just as Paul did, regardless of cultural
hindrances or personal loss involved.
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References
Acts 19:11-22 ESV - - Bible Gateway. (n.d.). https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?
search=Acts%2B19%3A11-22&version=ESVB
Hulshof, Chris, and John Cartwright.BEveryday Bible Study. B&H Publishing Group, 15 June
2019.
