“How did they know what was going on?”
Well, I think firstly, they saw Jesus do it first-hand when he was on the earth, and Jesus told the disciples that they had the same power to do it (through Him, of course). So Jesus told them all about it, and word spread from there. This is actually one of the main points I will be making in a future post on the Book of Acts Church – they KNEW Jesus personally!

“Do we have demon possession today like they had it then?”
Yes, Absolutely! I have a friend that spent three months in African on missions, and he told me stories about people running around naked, tearing clothes off… chasing them on motorcycles… and becoming violent while they were doing a VBS. At one point they all fled for their lives from the demon possessed people. But if people were like that in America, we’d stick them in an Asylum – where they do Satan no good at all. So in America, it would be in the demon’s best interest to possess people in a more subtle manner that would then effect more people. Things like drug use and self mutilation could certainly be a result of demonic activity, but keeps a person out in public still. (I’m not saying everyone that does drugs or cuts themselves is possessed, but I am saying that it could definitely be a factor).

2) The Jews were God’s chosen people. Anybody that wasn’t a Jew was a Gentile (any different race), and therefore NOT God’s chosen people. When Jesus died for our sins, he died for the sins of ALL, including Gentiles. That’s why Romans says that God does not have favoritism – there is no slave nor free, Jew or Gentile … He died for ALL.

But since the Jews had been following God (on and off) directly since Abraham and they had been anticipating the arrival of the Messiah for centuries, it would only make sense to FIRST go to the Jews and say, “Hey, the Messiah … you know… the Messiah we’ve been waiting for… well he finally has come. He was Jesus and this is what happened…” But when most Jews rejected the Messiah, they continued on to preach to the Gentiles as well.

Not all Jews looked down on the Gentiles. For those who did, it was more of a pride thing I think. Like, “WE are the Jewish… God’s chosen. You are not.” Peter even had that view for quite some time until Paul straightened him out and God gave him a vision.

Here’s a side-note: What was it about the Gentiles that was looked down upon by the jews? Were they a different race? Poor? Or just a sinful crowd? Why would it be OK to avoid them at first, and not spread the word to their area? They also were open to the word, once it was taught to them.