Acts 19:13-16\u00a0<\/b>–\u00a0Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits\u00a0tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, \u201cIn the name of the Jesus\u00a0whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.\u201d\u00a014\u00a0Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.\u00a015\u00a0One day the evil spirit answered them, \u201cJesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?\u201d\u00a016\u00a0Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cSome Jews who went around driving out evil spirits\u00a0tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, \u201cIn the name of the Jesus\u00a0whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.\u201d<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 People are always looking for programs, for systems, and for ways that work for other people and then to copy or imitate them in hopes that it works for them.\u00a0 Too often trying to imitate other people, other pastors, or other churches is much the same thing.\u00a0 Some things God tells us to imitate (John 13:12-15, 1 Peter 2:21, Hebrews 13:7, 2 Thessalonians 3:9<\/b>).\u00a0 We should model our lives first of all after Christ, then maybe one of the Apostles, or perhaps someone more contemporary who walk, or walked, with Christ.\u00a0 Unless we\u2019re talking about Jesus, we should can gain from Godly examples, but we should not fashion ourselves to be clones.\u00a0 We know that God has made us all unique, that is unique people, unique churches, and unique small groups.\u00a0 What one person or group is called to do does not mean that God would have us all to do.\u00a0 Though taking this verse somewhat out of context, but still the principle is useful to us, people who do such things are exhibiting \u201chaving a form of godliness but denying its power…\u201d<\/i>\u00a0\u00a0(2 Timothy 3:5<\/b>)\u00a0 Churches that blindly follow programs and policies because these have worked for another church are missing the point.\u00a0 The programs and policies are not what caused a church to be blessed, it is God who blessed these things to bless the church.\u00a0 The source of the blessings is not the program or policy but the source of the blessing is God Himself.\u00a0 It is like going to the coast to enjoy it and God provides a wonderful encounter with Himself.\u00a0 Then the blessed person thinks the location is blessed and tries to go back to the same location at the same time to get another encounter with God.\u00a0 That person errs in thinking that the location provided the encounter with God.\u00a0 The blessing of the encounter with God was something that the Lord gave.\u00a0 The location had nothing to do with it, it could have occurred on the beach, a mountaintop, or in a prison cell. So it is that churches err.\u00a0 It is not that they could see a great book or program that has blessed another church, then pray to God whether He would bless their church in the same manner?\u00a0 If God directs, and He may, then by all means do it.\u00a0 But all leaders of churches must remember that doing something that works for another church does not, in and of itself, mean it will work for their church.\u00a0 Likewise, people need to be wise about why something has worked for another person.\u00a0 If one has not been gifted by God to be an NBA center, then another should not have a goal of their career being an NBA center unless they are also likewise gifted by God.\u00a0 Similarly, spiritually, we all should follow general biblical principles about how to live for Christ, but we should seek out the individual and specific ways God leads us to serve Him.\u00a0 Not everyone is a pastor, a teacher, or a worship leader.\u00a0\u00a0 Some are Sunday school teachers for adults or for children.\u00a0 Some are ushers or perhaps handymen or tradesmen who can donate their time and abilities.\u00a0 We all serve God in different ways.\u00a0 Churches are called by God to meet their community needs in different ways.\u00a0 It is not the program, principle or dynamic personality of an individual that should guide us.\u00a0 What should guide us is the Holy Spirit within.\u00a0 We should learn to know His voice and His leading.\u00a0 That is what we follow.\u00a0 Everything else may work miracles for some, but for others will lay dormant on the ground. Only follow God as He calls, whether for congregation of person.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 This is who these seven men announced themselves of being.\u00a0 It is likely this was a misrepresentation to promote themselves.\u00a0 There seems to be no proof that there was ever a chief priest named Sceva.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne day the evil spirit answered them, \u201cJesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?\u201d\u00a016\u00a0Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 These men were spiritually ignorant brutes. Among us today are many who do not know the Lord and are the same as these seven, trying to discern or imitate what they cannot because they have not received Jesus and so do not have the Holy Spirit within them.\u00a0\u00a0 People who think being loving, or nice, or kind, or generous, or courageous, or even dying for another empowers them to be considered worthy of God\u2019s favor are deceived (Ephesians 2:8-9<\/b>).\u00a0 Though the Word of God calls for Believers to have these characteristics, they will only benefit those who come down the one road that leads to the Father and that road is Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0 These seven men did not understand that it is not the actions, or the location, or the person that provides blessings and power from God, it is only God.\u00a0 These demons did not cower or obey the words the words of Paul when these men said them, because they were not Paul who had the Holy Spirit within, but these men did not.\u00a0 The demons knew what these men did not. \u00a0The power they wanted was granted only by God, whom they did not know. \u00a0These men were beaten and ran away in shame because instead of seeking God through Jesus, they sought to have power by their own design.\u00a0 Everyone today who seeks to live a good life and be worthy of heaven without knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord will one day be carried away by angels from the presence of God and be thrown into eternal punishment (Matthew 7:21-23, Revelation 21:15<\/b>).\u00a0 But those who understand that miraculous power and blessings in this life and that spending eternity with God only comes only through loving and serving Jesus in this life we have before our physical death (Revelation 21:3-4<\/b>).\u00a0 After that, it is too late.<\/p>\n
Family, praise God that we know that all blessings and all good things come from God (James 1:17<\/b>).\u00a0 That whether we pray and the sick are healed, or the demons are exorcised, or the child gets the toy that it wanted, the blessing is from our good, our loving and are wonderful God.\u00a0 Praise God!\u00a0 Thank you Jesus!\u00a0 Praise God!<\/p>\n
Psalm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/i><\/p>\n
Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; And what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Numbers 6:24-26<\/b>\u00a0\u201cThe\u00a0Lord\u00a0bless you and keep you; 25\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0turn His face\u00a0toward you and give you peace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Acts 19:13-16\u00a0–\u00a0Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits\u00a0tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, \u201cIn the name of the Jesus\u00a0whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.\u201d\u00a014\u00a0Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.\u00a015\u00a0One day the evil spirit answered…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[82,1841,104,1700,100,101,94,1874,90,17,711,757,2036],"class_list":["post-1947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-acts","tag-ephesians","tag-hebrews","tag-james","tag-john","tag-matthew","tag-micah","tag-numbers","tag-peter","tag-psalm","tag-revelation","tag-thessalonians","tag-timothy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1947"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1947\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1948,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1947\/revisions\/1948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}