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The Prince Without a Name

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Romans: God's Power to Save | Video Devotional

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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkACT">
 <div class="chapter ch19" data-usfm="ACT.19">
 <div class="label">19</div><div class="s1">Paul in Ephesus</div><div class="p">1While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2and asked them, &#8220;Did you receive the Holy Spirit when#19:2 Or after you believed?&#8221;</div><div class="p">They answered, &#8220;No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.&#8221;</div><div class="p">3So Paul asked, &#8220;Then what baptism did you receive?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;John&#8217;s baptism,&#8221; they replied.</div><div class="p">4Paul said, &#8220;John&#8217;s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.&#8221; 5On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues#19:6 Or other languages and prophesied. 7There were about twelve men in all.</div><div class="p">8Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.</div><div class="p">11God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.</div><div class="p">13Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, &#8220;In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.&#8221; 14Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15One day the evil spirit answered them, &#8220;Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?&#8221; 16Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.</div><div class="p">17When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.#19:19 A drachma was a silver coin worth about a day&#8217;s wages. 20In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.</div><div class="p">21After all this had happened, Paul decided#19:21 Or decided in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. &#8220;After I have been there,&#8221; he said, &#8220;I must visit Rome also.&#8221; 22He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.</div><div class="s1">The Riot in Ephesus</div><div class="p">23About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 25He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: &#8220;You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. 26And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. 27There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.&#8221;</div><div class="p">28When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: &#8220;Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!&#8221; 29Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul&#8217;s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. 30Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.</div><div class="p">32The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: &#8220;Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!&#8221;</div><div class="p">35The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: &#8220;Fellow Ephesians, doesn&#8217;t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. 37You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.&#8221; 41After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkACT">
 <div class="chapter ch20" data-usfm="ACT.20">
 <div class="label">20</div><div class="s1">Through Macedonia and Greece</div><div class="p">1When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. 2He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, 3where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.</div><div class="s1">Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas</div><div class="p">7On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. &#8220;Don&#8217;t be alarmed,&#8221; he said. &#8220;He&#8217;s alive!&#8221; 11Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.</div><div class="s1">Paul&#8217;s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders</div><div class="p">13We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. 14When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. 16Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.</div><div class="p">17From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18When they arrived, he said to them: &#8220;You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.</div><div class="p">22&#8220;And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me&#8212;the task of testifying to the good news of God&#8217;s grace.</div><div class="p">25&#8220;Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,#20:28 Many manuscripts of the Lord which he bought with his own blood.#20:28 Or with the blood of his own Son. 29I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.</div><div class="p">32&#8220;Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33I have not coveted anyone&#8217;s silver or gold or clothing. 34You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: &#8216;It is more blessed to give than to receive.&#8217; &#8221;</div><div class="p">36When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkGEN">
 <div class="chapter ch20" data-usfm="GEN.20">
 <div class="label">20</div><div class="s1">Abraham and Abimelek</div><div class="p">1Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, 2and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, &#8220;She is my sister.&#8221; Then Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.</div><div class="p">3But God came to Abimelek in a dream one night and said to him, &#8220;You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.&#8221;</div><div class="p">4Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, &#8220;Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 5Did he not say to me, &#8216;She is my sister,&#8217; and didn&#8217;t she also say, &#8216;He is my brother&#8217;? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands.&#8221;</div><div class="p">6Then God said to him in the dream, &#8220;Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. 7Now return the man&#8217;s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.&#8221;</div><div class="p">8Early the next morning Abimelek summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very much afraid. 9Then Abimelek called Abraham in and said, &#8220;What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.&#8221; 10And Abimelek asked Abraham, &#8220;What was your reason for doing this?&#8221;</div><div class="p">11Abraham replied, &#8220;I said to myself, &#8216;There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.&#8217; 12Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. 13And when God had me wander from my father&#8217;s household, I said to her, &#8216;This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, &#8220;He is my brother.&#8221;&#8198;&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p">14Then Abimelek brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. 15And Abimelek said, &#8220;My land is before you; live wherever you like.&#8221;</div><div class="p">16To Sarah he said, &#8220;I am giving your brother a thousand shekels#20:16 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.&#8221;</div><div class="p">17Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek, his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again, 18for the Lord had kept all the women in Abimelek&#8217;s household from conceiving because of Abraham&#8217;s wife Sarah.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkGEN">
 <div class="chapter ch21" data-usfm="GEN.21">
 <div class="label">21</div><div class="s1">The Birth of Isaac</div><div class="p">1Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. 2Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. 3Abraham gave the name Isaac#21:3 Isaac means he laughs. to the son Sarah bore him. 4When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. 5Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.</div><div class="p">6Sarah said, &#8220;God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.&#8221; 7And she added, &#8220;Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away</div><div class="p">8The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10and she said to Abraham, &#8220;Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman&#8217;s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.&#8221;</div><div class="p">11The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. 12But God said to him, &#8220;Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring#21:12 Or seed will be reckoned. 13I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.&#8221;</div><div class="p">14Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.</div><div class="p">15When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, &#8220;I cannot watch the boy die.&#8221; And as she sat there, she#21:16 Hebrew; Septuagint the child began to sob.</div><div class="p">17God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, &#8220;What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.&#8221;</div><div class="p">19Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.</div><div class="p">20God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. 21While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.</div><div class="s1">The Treaty at Beersheba</div><div class="p">22At that time Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, &#8220;God is with you in everything you do. 23Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you.&#8221;</div><div class="p">24Abraham said, &#8220;I swear it.&#8221;</div><div class="p">25Then Abraham complained to Abimelek about a well of water that Abimelek&#8217;s servants had seized. 26But Abimelek said, &#8220;I don&#8217;t know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today.&#8221;</div><div class="p">27So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelek, and the two men made a treaty. 28Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, 29and Abimelek asked Abraham, &#8220;What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?&#8221;</div><div class="p">30He replied, &#8220;Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.&#8221;</div><div class="p">31So that place was called Beersheba,#21:31 Beersheba can mean well of seven and well of the oath. because the two men swore an oath there.</div><div class="p">32After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. 33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Eternal God. 34And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.</div>
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