2. Paul asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”They said, “We have never even heard of a Holy Spirit!”
3. So he asked, “What kind of baptism did you have?”They said, “It was the baptism that John taught.”
4. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of changed hearts and lives. He told people to believe in the One who would come after him. That One is Jesus.”
5. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6. Then Paul laid his hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came upon them. They began speaking different languages and prophesying.
7. There were about 12 men in this group.
8. Paul went into the synagogue and spoke out boldly for three months. He talked with the Jews and persuaded them to accept the things he said about the kingdom of God.
9. But some of the Jews became stubborn and refused to believe. These Jews said evil things about the Way of Jesus. All the people heard these things. So Paul left them and took the followers with him. He went to a place where a man named Tyrannus had a school. There Paul talked with people every day
10. for two years. Because of his work, every Jew and Greek in Asia heard the word of the Lord.
11. God used Paul to do some very special miracles.
12. Some people took handkerchiefs and clothes that Paul had used and put them on the sick. When they did this, the sick were healed and evil spirits left them.
13-14. But some Jews also were traveling around and making evil spirits go out of people. The seven sons of Sceva were doing this. (Sceva was a leading Jewish priest.) These Jews tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus to force the evil spirits out. They would say, “By the same Jesus that Paul talks about, I order you to come out!”
15. But one time an evil spirit said to these Jews, “I know Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”
16. Then the man, who had the evil spirit in him, jumped on these Jews. He was much stronger than all of them. He beat them and tore their clothes off, so they ran away from the house.