19:9,10
Over time, resistance to Paul built up. Some will accept the gospel gladly, others will continue their rebellion against God, and become even harder hearted. These people “publicly maligned the Way” and so Paul left. He went instead to the “lecture hall of Tyrannus”. He stayed there for two years, and was able to reach “all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia”. I suspect we should not take “all” absolutely literally, but rather as meaning that everyone had the chance to hear.
19:11,12
“God did extraordinary miracles through Paul”. As mentioned earlier, the earlier parts of Acts give quite a lot of time to miracles, but this drops off as we progress through Acts. However, this verse, amongst others, shows that this does not mean that the number of miracles occurring dropped off, just that Luke’s emphasis has changed. We then read that “even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and evil spirits left them”. We should be aware that “strange” things can happen. However, we should have our focus on the right thing, namely the Lord and the work of the Holy Spirit. If we think that someone will get healed because we take a handkerchief to a “man of God”, we are mistaken. God may use that method, but faith in the Lord is the key ingredient. But if we think miracles and healings are no longer for today we are being very unbiblical.
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