Mission Yearbook: Author offers reflections on ‘the AI mirror’ during lecture

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Mission Yearbook: Author offers reflections on ‘th...: Image Dr. Shannon Vallor Delivering the Anita and Antonio Gott Lecture at  Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church  in New York City recently, Dr. ...

Bible Readings for March 26, 2026

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for March 26, 2026: Let's read the Bible together in the next year.  Today, our passages are  Deuteronomy 5:1–6:25; Luke 7:11-35; Psalm 68:19-35; and Prove...

Mission Yearbook: Documentary ‘Evicting the American Dream’ is now streaming on Amazon Prime

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Mission Yearbook: Documentary ‘Evicting the Americ...: Image "Evicting the American Dream" has already been shown in several communities across the country. It's now available for s...

On the Road from Jerusalem: A Study of Acts (Christ and Culture - Acts 19:1-41)

In our Wednesday morning Bible study, we're using the Acts of the Apostles to discuss the growth of the earlier church from its birth in the city of Jerusalem to Paul’s arrival in Rome. During our time together, we’ll look at the following:

• Session 1 - Preparing for the Journey (Acts 1:1-2)
• Session 2 - Transition (Acts 1:3-26)
• Session 3 - Birth (Acts 2:1-47)
• Session 4 - The Work Begins (Acts 3:1-26)
• Session 5 - When Faced with Opposition (Acts 4:1-37)
• Session 6 - But... (Acts 5:1-42)
• Session 7 - Problem Solved (Acts 6:1-15)
• Session 8 - When Something Bad Happens (Acts 7:1-60)
• Session 9 - Step Two (Acts 8:1-40)
• Session 10 - Saul (Acts 9:1-43)
• Session 11 - Clean People (Acts 10:1-48)
• Session 12 - Phase Three Begins (Acts 11:1-30)
• Session 13 - Even Above Kings (Acts 12:1-25)
• Session 14 - The New Kid Takes the Stage (Acts 13:1-52)
• Session 15 - Approaching a New Community (Acts 14:1-28)
• Session 16 - Issue Resolved (Acts 15:1-41)
• Session 17 -  A New World (Acts 16:1-40)
• Session 18 - Know Your Audience (Acts 17:1-34)
• Session 19 - The Big Time (Acts 18:1-28)
• Session 20 - Christ and Culture (Acts 19:1-41)
• Session 21 - Farewell (Acts 20:1-38)
• Session 22 - Jerusalem (Acts 21:1-40)
• Session 23 - A Personal Testimony (Acts 22:1-30)
• Session 24 - The Plot Thickens (Acts 23:1-35)
• Session 25 - The Way Continues (Acts 24:1-27)
• Session 26 - Different Singer, Same Song (Acts 25:1-27)
• Session 27 - A Message to God’s People (Acts 26:1-32)
• Session 28 - Will He Make It (Acts 27:1-44)
• Session 29 - Without Hindrance (Acts 28:1-31)

In our twentieth session, we looked at Acts 19:1-41 and discussed Paul in Ephesus. The discussion and passage are below.

Acts 19:1-41 [New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition]

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Then he said, “Into what, then, were you baptized?” They answered, “Into John’s baptism.” Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied, altogether there were about twelve of them.

He entered the synagogue and for three months spoke out boldly and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. When some stubbornly refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way before the congregation, he left them, taking the disciples with him, and argued daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.

God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that when the handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, their diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit said to them in reply, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered them all, and so overpowered them that they fled out of the house naked and wounded. When this became known to all residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, everyone was awestruck, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised. Also many of those who became believers confessed and disclosed their practices. A number of those who practiced magic collected their books and burned them publicly; when the value of these books was calculated, it was found to come to fifty thousand silver coins. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

Now after these things had been accomplished, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go through Macedonia and Achaia and then to go on to Jerusalem. He said, “After I have gone there, I must also see Rome.” So he sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he himself stayed for some time longer in Asia.

About that time no little disturbance broke out concerning the Way. A man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the artisans. These he gathered together, with the workers of the same trade, and said, “Men, you know that we get our wealth from this business. You also see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost the whole of Asia this Paul has persuaded and drawn away a considerable number of people by saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be scorned, and she will be deprived of her majesty that brought all Asia and the world to worship her.”

When they heard this, they were enraged and shouted, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” The city was filled with the confusion, and people rushed together to the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s travel companions. Paul wished to go into the crowd, but the disciples would not let him; even some officials of the province of Asia who were friendly to him sent him a message urging him not to venture into the theater. Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. Some of the crowd gave instructions to Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed forward. And Alexander motioned for silence and tried to make a defense before the people. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours all of them shouted in unison, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” But when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Citizens of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple keeper of the great Artemis and of the statue that fell from heaven? Since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. You have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. If therefore Demetrius and the artisans with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges there against one another. If there is anything further you want to know, it must be settled in the regular assembly. For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” When he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

Bible Readings for March 25, 2026

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for March 25, 2026: Let's read the Bible together in the next year.  Today, our passages are  Deuteronomy 4:1-49; Luke 6:39–7:10; Psalm 68:1-18; and Prover...

Mission Yearbook: North Carolina town marks one year since Hurricane Helene with day of hope and healing

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Mission Yearbook: North Carolina town marks one ye...: Boone, North Carolina, recently observed the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene’s impact in Western North Carolina with Hope After Hel...

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, March 22, 2026

During this season of Lent, we're moving through a sermon series entitled “Preparing for Easter.” In these five services, we're considering how we might get ourselves ready to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We’re focusing on the following:

• February 22 - Fasting
• March 1 - Forgiving
• March 8 - Repenting
• March 15 - Praying
• March 22 - Loving

On Sunday, we finished this series by looking at how we can prepare for Easter by loving. Below is a video of the service, a presentation of the sermon, and the program & bulletin for the service. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.