Acts 19
The story of the exorcists is interesting. They tried to channel the power to cast out evil spirits by acknowledging that the teaching came from Paul and the source of power was Jesus. That they were unsuccessful demonstrated the importance of authority being duly given. The equivalent today might be if an investigator tried to give a blessing by invoking the power of that priesthood which the missionaries had taught them about.
It is interesting to read how much power the Lord manifest through His disciples after His death. some people were healed by having Peter’s shadow pass over them. Others we healed by receiving handkerchiefs that Paul sent to them. Was this because of how firmly God was trying to implant Christianity into the mortal world? Was it because in the world at that time purple were more able to develop a purer strain of faith than we manage in our day? (I refer to the faith both of the apostles and those who were blessed by their shadows and handkerchiefs.) Was it because the stories have been magnified by retelling so that some nuances we lost or or similarly powerful examples today have yet to bubble to the surface? I think all those are legitimate possibilities.
The situation with the worshippers of Diana shows how challenging it is to interfere with someone livelihood. It is easy to be closed to truth when you living seems to be in peril.
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