Acts 19:18-20 18And many of those who became believers came, confessing and disclosing their practices. 19And many of those who had practiced magic arts, after bringing their books together, burned them in the sight of all, and they counted the value of them and found it was fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20So the word of the Lord continued to increase and grow in power.
As word spread about Paul, his miracles, and the words he spoke, an awe developed across Ephesus. He was having a big impact on a diverse and big city. The miracles were unique in many ways to the situation in Ephesus. God brings miracles through his faithful servants in special times and situations in order to demonstrate his power and truth. Many people had become believers (pepisteukotōn, a perfect tense participle) in the gospel. The Holy Spirit was obviously working in their lives, bringing new awareness and leading to changed behavior. The new awareness led to confessing (exomologoumenoi), a word that means to come to an agreement on a matter. As they learned more about the gospel and what it means to follow Jesus, they realized that their old lives were deceived and going in the wrong direction. They confessed their secret practices that did not agree with their new faith. This took tremendous courage and conviction.
They proved their sincerity and new devotion by gathering their books of magic. Book burning has been part of human experience for thousands of years. Books in the first century were written on parchment made of leather or papyrus, a form of paper made from leaves of the papyrus plant. It took a lot of effort to make the writing materials, and a long time to handwrite on them. These facts made the books expensive and rare. The topic of magic would have made the books even more valuable. The value of the gathered and burned books was equivalent to fifty thousand days of labor, assuming the silver piece was a drachma, which was equal to one day’s labor. To give up this much money took serious commitment and sacrifice.
The new believers in Ephesus provide a powerful model of conversion. They showed their faith in tangible ways by turning away from a common cultural practice. Their faith cost them, but they determined that the cost was worth it. As a result of their witness, the gospel of Christ spread, more people believed, and the church grew. God was doing a powerful movement in Ephesus. Many factors contributed to this success. God’s sovereign power and grace stand in the background, working through Paul’s faithfulness and courage. When the evidence was clear and convincing, people responded with repentance and commitment.