Ephesus was a city steeped in paganism and superstition. Many of the citizens participated in forms of magic. But when the gospel came, they learned the error of their dark practices, and they made the choice to change their ways. And their change was not half-hearted. In Acts 19:19 the Bible tells us that, “…a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.”
This action shows the repentance and devotion of the Ephesians. First, their repentance was absolute. They didn’t just stop looking at their books or hide them away—they burned them! They removed the evil influence from their lives. And this was no light thing—the possessions they parted with were valuable, but not as valuable as their souls. We can all learn lessons of repentance from the Ephesian Christians.