In Acts 19:14-20, we see people giving us an example of how to give up sin to follow God’s will and have others hold them accountable for sticking to it. If Jesus is Lord of our lives, that should result in giving up the ways of the world or sin, no matter the cost. When we make Jesus Lord and “extol” Him—which is to worship and put him first—the natural next step is to align our lives with him (Acts 19:17). While this will often have a worldly cost, that must not stop a believer from aligning with God’s will for them (Acts 19:18). This decision is costly for all believers, and an act of obedience is not taken lightly in God’s eyes.

It is very helpful to make this decision publicly because it holds you accountable to what God is calling you to do (Acts 19:19). By looking at the text and the culture context of Acts 19:14-20, we will better understand what it means to make Jesus Lord of our lives by worshiping him and aligning our will with His Will.

Putting Jesus First in Acts 19:14-20

In this text, we see a historical account of a response of the people of Ephesus to a failed exorcist by Jewish leaders. When they see the lack of authority of these Jewish leaders in the face of a demon possessed man (Acts 19:15-16), they recognize the true authority of Jesus in verse Acts 19:17. They extolled the name of the Lord Jesus, which means to praise greatly or hold in high honor. 

This shows an understanding of Jesus’s authority and that He is above all, so that provokes a response from the Ephesians to put Jesus above all in their lives (Acts 19:18). Which is to put Jesus in His rightful place. This means to lay down their worldly ways and pick up the ways of Jesus. We see them do this in verses Acts 19:18-19, where they confess and divulge their practices and burn their magic books in the sight of all.

Related Article: Is Belief in God Reasonable?

Having Others Hold Them Accountable 

It is key to see that they confess and take action in public. This shows us a model of healthy accountability. When believers “burn the books” of their old ways publicly, they have the Church to stand with them and hold them to that commitment and keep them from turning back. 

No Cost Should Keep Us from Giving Up Sin

They also do this without regard to cost (Acts 19:19). This shows us two things, one that they are all in without concern for the worldly cost, and secondly that they are choosing to not enable others to sin. These people could have chosen to sell instead of burn these books to earn money for themselves or even to give to the poor, but that would result in someone else practicing this sinful magic. The value of the books would come to a total value of approximately $6 million US They would rather burn up an unholy fortune than let that unholy fortune continue in their land. As a result, “the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily” (Acts 19:20) because of their obedience to extol the name of Jesus. This teaches us how to worship Jesus through honoring him with our actions.

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What Lead to Them Giving Up Sin?

In the earlier parts of Acts 19, we learn that Paul has been doing ministry here in Ephesus for two years at this point and that everyone in the region has heard the word of the Lord (Acts 19:10). This shows us that they are aware of who Jesus is, but not all have chosen to accept yet. 

Respect Can Lead to Extolling but Not Always

As a result, witchcraft is still very present in the region. However, because of the extraordinary miracles God was doing through Paul, including casting out evil spirits (Acts 19:11-12), people began to respect the power and authority of Jesus (Acts 19:13) although some still did not make him Lord of their life. So much so that in Acts 19:13, some Jewish exorcists attempt to use the authority of Jesus against a demon, but without letting Jesus have authority of their own life.

This gives us greater insight into the response of the Ephesians discussed earlier (Acts 17-19) to the resulting beating and defeat of these failed exorcists. Since these people have now seen a failed exorcist from people that respect but do not submit to Jesus and have seen successful exorcists by Paul through Jesus. 

This leads to them understanding the need for respect and submission to Jesus’s authority in their own lives. Now that they have this right understanding of Jesus, this leads them to the response we see in Acts 17-19, and should lead us to a greater submission to God’s will for our own lives through accountability to the Church. ​​If there is an area where you are respecting, but not extolling Jesus, take a moment to confess that to God and invite other brothers and/or sisters into this area for support.

Related Article: What Mark 5:14-20 Teaches us About Following God in Uncertainty

The Cultural Context of Acts 19

Later in this chapter, we gain some cultural context of this city’s focus on pagan gods, especially Artemis and magic overall (Acts 19:23-28). Which helps us understand the context Paul was ministering in and why he would have faced opposition. Furthermore, Craig Keener states that Ephesus was known for its trade in magic and the need for exorcisms in The IVP Bible Background Commentary. They would have been familiar with exorcisms, even familiar with using God’s name or other Jewish writings to attempt to call out demons, but what is new is the ultimate authority of Jesus, who Paul represents. 

When the Ephesians came to see and understand the authority and power of Jesus (Acts 19:11-12) attached to the teachings Paul delivered (Acts 19:9-10) a holy reverence fear came upon them and they made Jesus Lord of their lives and put off their old ways. They fully wanted what Jesus offered, so they divulged their practices and burned their books publicly. Showing that they were done with their old ways and wanted to have others hold them to it. In the same way, we must put off our old ways and have people hold us to those commitments.

Don’t Wait to Confess Sin to God

The closer the act of confession to God to the act of sin, the more spiritually mature you are. If you feel like you have to give it time before going to God, that shows a lower understanding of God’s unfathomable Grace (Psalms 103:12). This also allows us to better walk through why we sinned with God as discussed above with accountability partners. While, of course, God doesn’t desire for us to sin (1 John 3:6-7), He desires more to be in relationship with him. If we let sin cause us to step away from God, the devil wins. If we go back to God immediately, God’s grace wins. This is because nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:31-35), and if we act as if something could separate us from God, then we are not taking God at his word.

By no means am I saying you should let sin abound (Romans 6:1-2), but just encouraging you to go back to God as quickly as possible and get brothers and sisters around you to help you grow in holiness through accountability. 

Also, know no matter how far you may have stepped into sin, God’s love can redeem you and your story. Learn more about God’s redeeming love here.

How to Apply Acts 19 to Your Life

To conclude, this historical passage tells us about people who came to recognize who Jesus was and desire to trust and submit to him. This meant leaving behind their old ways no matter the significant cost (Acts 19:18-19). They did this publicly as a statement of public repentance as a way to state their new identity and a desire to be held up to the standard of someone belonging to the Way (the Way is what Christianity was called first) which led to the Gospel continuing to spread (Acts 19:20). 

This passage helps us learn the importance of biblical ethics and the tenacity we should fight for them. Furthermore, spiritual formation is the process of becoming more like Christ. To do this, we must adhere to Jesus’ teachings and have the Church hold us accountable to make progress towards sanctification. We see this exemplified in this passage as a model to live by in our own spiritual formation. 

To practically have a working accountability system, see how I suggest structuring accountability in this article, How Do You Do Effective Christian Accountability.

In addition to accountability, another way to grow in spiritual formation is to prioritize the right things. Learn more about Christian Priorities in this article here.

Let me know in the comments below what else stands out to you in this passage, if you have any other helpful tips for accountability, or any other thoughts you have.