Using the Name of the Lord

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Simon Wants to Buy Power

Acts 19:11-20

The Message

Witches Came out of the Woodwork

^11-12 God did powerful things through Paul, things quite out of the ordinary. The word got around and people started taking pieces of clothing—handkerchiefs and scarves and the like—that had touched Paul’s skin and then touching the sick with them. The touch did it—they were healed and whole.

^13-16 Some itinerant Jewish exorcists who happened to be in town at the time tried their hand at what they assumed to be Paul’s “game.” They pronounced the name of the Master Jesus over victims of evil spirits, saying, “I command you by the Jesus preached by Paul!” The seven sons of a certain Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were trying to do this on a man when the evil spirit talked back: “I know Jesus and I’ve heard of Paul, but who are you?” Then the possessed man went berserk—jumped the exorcists, beat them up, and tore off their clothes. Naked and bloody, they got away as best they could.
^17-20 It was soon news all over Ephesus among both Jews and Greeks. The realization spread that God was in and behind this. Curiosity about Paul developed into reverence for the Master Jesus. Many of those who thus believed came out of the closet and made a clean break with their secret sorceries. All kinds of witches and warlocks came out of the woodwork with their books of spells and incantations and made a huge bonfire of them. Someone estimated their worth at fifty thousand silver coins. In such ways it became evident that the Word of the Master was now sovereign and prevailed in Ephesus.

For Reflection

Paul was in today's vernacular, a "Rock Star."  And as all rock stars, his persona was imitated  by all manner of pretenders.  Jealously and greed took control and when the perpetrates were outed they were enraged and committed atrocities as they came face to face with their inadequacies.

That's the bad news.  The good news is that the pretenders realized the power and gifts God had given to the twelve. The failure of the pretenders brought others to realize the true source of power and lead them to believe in the truth of Christ.

Pray

that you will employ the wisdom of God's truth.  Pray that you will be able to recognize the pretenders.  Pray that your faith will be so transparent that the pretenders will see themselves reflected in your witness and fall to their knees knowing the truth of Christ.