So
the word of the Lord was growing and becoming mighty.
Acts 19:20
Acts 19 [11.] God worked special miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and the evil spirits went out. But some of the itinerant Jews, exorcists, took on themselves to invoke over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did this.
Acts 19 [15.] The evil spirit answered, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” The man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived at Ephesus. Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. Many also of those who had believed came, confessing, and declaring their deeds. Many of those who practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. They counted their price, and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord was growing and becoming mighty.
Acts 19 [21.] Now after these things had ended, Paul determined in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”
Meaning:
This short sentence closes the account of events in Ephesus that showed the power of Jesus’ name. The sons of Sceva were defeated when they tried to use his name as a spell (Acts 19:13-16), believers confessed their deeds (Acts 19:18), and those who had practised magic burned their costly books in public (Acts 19:19). Luke then steps back and gives his verdict on it all.
- “So the word of the Lord”
Luke does not say that Paul was growing in fame or that the church was becoming powerful. He says the word of the Lord was growing. The message about Jesus is the real hero of Acts. Jesus had compared the word to seed: “The seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11). Like seed, it has life in itself. “The word of God is living and active” (Hebrews 4:12).
- “Was growing”
This is one of several progress reports in Acts. After the choosing of the seven, “The word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied” (Acts 6:7). After the death of Herod, “the word of God grew and multiplied” (Acts 12:24). After the decrees of the Jerusalem council, the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in number daily (Acts 16:5). Each report follows a time of conflict or danger, and each shows that opposition did not stop the word. Paul wrote in a similar way that the Good News was “bearing fruit and growing” in all the world (Colossians 1:6).
- “And becoming mighty”
The word “mighty” suggests strength that prevails over opposition. In Ephesus the word of the Lord overcame magic, the fear of spirits and the profitable trade in spells. Its strength was not shown by force, but by changed lives: people gave up practices worth fifty thousand pieces of silver because they had found something better. God had promised through Isaiah, “so is my word that goes out of my mouth: it will not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please” (Isaiah 55:11).
The Significance of Acts 19:20
- Trust in the word
Churches and believers are tempted to rely on clever methods or impressive personalities. Acts shows that the word of the Lord, faithfully taught, carries its own power. Paul’s part was to teach daily; God gave the growth.
- Growth through repentance
In Ephesus the word grew as people confessed sin and turned from hidden practices. True spiritual growth always includes giving up what dishonours God, even at real cost.
- Hope in times of opposition
The next scene in Ephesus is a riot. Luke’s summary reminds readers that, whatever happens, the word of the Lord keeps advancing.
Cross-References:
Isaiah 55:11: "it will not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please," God’s promise about his word.
Acts 12:24: "But the word of God grew and multiplied." An earlier progress report in Acts.
Hebrews 4:12: "For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword," The living power of the word.
Colossians 1:6: "even as it is in all the world and is bearing fruit and growing," The spread of the Good News.
Conclusion: After the defeat of the sons of Sceva and the public burning of magic books, Luke sums up: the word of the Lord was growing and becoming mighty. The growth belonged to the message itself, which overcame magic and changed lives at great cost. This verse encourages believers to trust the living word of God and to let it lead them to repentance and fruitfulness.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible