The Lord Spoke 

Acts chapter 18

     "One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: 

Do not be afraid: keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you." 

(C)  Evidently opposition and hatred against Paul and the gospel were increasing. These same reactions to hate occur at times in the hearts of all God's faithful. See Elijah (I Kings 19:4) and Jeremiah (15:15). The promise of his presence is sufficient to deliver his saints from fear and to give assurance and peace necessary to accomplish God's will. 

In Ephesus 

Acts chapter 19

     "Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power." 

(C)  New believers were taught immediately to turn away from occult practices. One cannot be a true believer in Christ and at the same time deal with spirits or attempt to contact the dead. God condemns such as detestable (Deut. 18:9-13).