Author: missionspaul

Jesus and you

Acts 19: 18 “Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done.”

The seven sons of sceva fled the man with the demon and as a result a fear of God starts to grip the city. In this new season there was a move of new believers coming forward to confess their sins. We will see that all the sorcery and witchcraft will be repented from because they have witnessed the demon giving credence to the power of Christ which Paul was preaching.

Your relationship with Jesus can lead to the demonic testifying about that fact.

Your relationship with Jesus can cause the demonic to ambush itself.

Your relationship with Jesus can cause the fear of God to grip a community.

Your relationship with Jesus can cause a people movement.

Your relationship with Jesus can cause a move of confession of sins.

The relationship with Jesus is powerful.

 

Let us lift Jesus high

Acts 19:17 “When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honour. “

The deliverers are running for their lives naked and hurting badly.

The citizens haven’t seen or heard anything like this and their response was two things: they were afraid and they looked up to Jesus.

I don’t think there is a Church Pastor that wouldn’t want their town or city to be holding Jesus in high honour.

So how is Jesus lifted high?

• The darkness only shows the brightness and power of the light. The lower the hell the higher our Lord Jesus.
• The revelation of our knowledge of Jesus then lifts Him higher.
• Fear of the unexplainable leads to the worship of the awesomeness of Jesus.

So let us be prepared to walk through the valleys and the dark shadows.

So let us aim to know Jesus more and be known for knowing Him!

So let us display more of the unexplainable, more signs and wonders, pointing others to Jesus.

Jesus

Acts 19: 16 “Then 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.”

One against seven and the one was victorious.

They had probably a successful exorcism ministry. But now this demon is not fleeing but they are.

They had built their ministry on the aspects of spiritual power. But now this demon has stripped them of power.

They were familiar with their father’s priestly robes. But now this demon has left them naked.

There are many in the state that they were in.

They may find success, have powerful positions and even look the part with their fancy apparel.  But their power is limited and has no defence against the demonic.

There is nothing to equal knowing Jesus.

This relationship is our greatest defence.

It is all about Jesus.

Hell is scared of Jesus.

Hell is not scared of those who are not in relationship with Him.

So often we reduce Jesus to the miracle worker, to the cross, to the tomb, even to the resurrection. He is far greater than those descriptions.

He didn’t come to be the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world, He didn’t come to be the Saviour, the Forgiver. He is the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world. He is the Ancient of Days, the Creator, with the Father and nothing was made that has been made without Him.

We cannot contain Him to a time and a place and a nation. We cannot hold on to Him, He is beyond our grasp, we cannot understand all that there is to know about Him, He is beyond our capability to think. He is pre-existent, before Abraham was born, I am!

We can invite Jesus into our existence – but there is a far greater invitation. An invitation for us to live our lives in His pre-existence.

And you know Him! And Hell is scared of you for doing so.

You are known, but it is who you know that is of importance.

Acts 19:14 “One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?”

The demons obviously know Jesus. They know He has greater power over them.

“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” 1 John 3:8

In Matthew 8, the demons in 2 men shouted at Jesus, “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

They know about Paul. They know Paul knows Jesus. They know Paul speaks of Jesus in a way quite different to the sons of Sceva.

Today I write to those who are in Christ, you have more than knowledge of Him. He is more than a name. He is precious to you. You have surrendered your life to Jesus. You belong to Him. He is in your life and His presence is greater than the one outside of you.

You may be facing many attacks today of the enemy. The demons are never far from us. They plague us and never leave us alone until we rise in the authority Christ has given us.

Do that today. The demons know you. You are known in hell because your name is in heaven.

Matthew 10:1 Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

James 4:7 Submit therefore to God Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Luke 10:19 Jesus assures us: “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you”

You have authority.

You can resist.

You can overcome.

It is not what you know. It is not any ministry experience you might have.

It is because you know Jesus.

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! who took on flesh
Fulness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

 

Left-handed?

Acts 19:14 “Seven sons of one [named] Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.”

At first glance, it all appears honourable and good. The seven sons of a Jewish chief priest named Sceva were in the ministry of releasing people from satanic bondage.

There are many things that at first glance appear good.

If only we would pause long enough to ask questions, to wonder, to see past what we are looking at. Like what we can do right now in this verse.

Seven sons, the perfect number and maybe they utilised this in their presentation of their ministry. “It doesn’t get better than this!” is maybe the sign that it can. But on face value it is impressive.

Their father, the Jewish chief priest, brings credibility. He knows the law of God, he has risen through the ranks, he is respected. There is nothing quite like knowledge and experience coupled with age to bring the esteem and honour into a situation.

It looks perfect and it looks credible. But there is one other detail which is not a weakness, it is not a sin (though I did find a website as I researched this word which ridiculously said it was, there is some rubbish on the internet!), but it is something hidden that a person needs to be aware of. The name of the father was Sceva. The meaning is ‘left-handed’.

The Old Testament has 3 mentions of left handed people, they all appear in military stories and all come from the tribe of Benjamin. They all caught their enemies by surprise because though expecting an attack from the right hand, the deadly hit came from the left and in one story the warriors were ambidextrous.

Now if you think this means we have to be aware of left-handed people then you really need to go and write articles for the website I found! That is not what I am saying.

But I believe we do need to slow the chapter of our lives down enough to examine everything and even the people that come our way. A left-handed warrior is deadly when you are expecting a right-handed one. Sometimes we can believe the good in a person and overlook an important area. Not everything is what it appears. We can choose to walk with people that we do not truly know. We can praise and yet be walking into a trap. For example, one of the most generous women that ever came into a church that I pastored, came only for a short season, but made a huge impression. The lady went around giving out money like she was printing it! Consequently she ended up being very popular! Later we discovered that she was illegally staying in the country and that she was a fraud and very much in debt. Why was she generous? She wasn’t, it just looked like generosity. It was manipulation, gaining friends, wanting the attention. She had a fundamental flaw that was being met under the guise of her generosity.

Not everything is what it seems. That’s my point. Not everyone is what they seem. Words tumble out, knowledge, experience, and a following, it all looks too good to be true perhaps. Sadly sometimes, it is. There is usually a sign that you overlooked. A name like Sceva that you wondered, ‘what does that mean?’ but you were so caught up in the heat of the moment that you let the signs go, you gave the benefit of the doubt.

Slow it down, don’t become sceptical, but do pray for wisdom. Many have fallen at the hands of a Sceva.

Again I love left-handed people. I have a friend who is left-handed. But I know in my life I need wisdom more than ever to look for what I do not see at first glance.

The call

Acts 19: 13 “Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, ‘In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.’

In this melting pot of Jewish occult and magical practices we are introduced to a group of itinerant exorcists. Though the Jews held to the abomination of magic by God in Deuteronomy 18, they also had many examples of their forefathers for example, Moses, who was able to match and surpass the magic of the Egyptians.

The call to Jesus is a call to a relationship not a ritual.

The call cannot bypass the caller, Jesus works through those who call not outside them.

The call to Jesus to act will not result in the glory being taken from Him or even shared with Him.

The call to Jesus cannot come through the filter of another’s experience of Him.

The call to Jesus is a call of surrender, it will not strengthen your popularity and make you successful.

Hankies and aprons – our best efforts

Acts 19:12 “… even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to those who were ill, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.”

Paul didn’t touch the cloths for the purpose of healing. He didn’t pray over them and bless them. He didn’t send them out after an online payment. He didn’t teach others the art of the prayer cloth ministry. Paul didn’t have anything to do with the handkerchiefs and aprons. God did it.

God was moving in this Ephesian occultic culture.

God was verifying Paul’s preaching.

We are used to such phenomena in the New Testament. The woman caught the tassels of Jesus robe and received power to her sick body (Matthew 9:20-21). Peter’s shadow would heal people (Acts 5:15). So we are not surprised by Luke the doctor’s account.

So how did this happen?

God didn’t announce this was what He would do.

It must have started with someone inquisitive and brave enough to give it a go.

Perhaps this is easier if your culture is one of charms and magical weird happenings anyway.

Someone was so concerned for a sick loved one, whether in body or tormented in mind or spirit, they wondered if this would help.

Handkerchiefs were sweat rags used to wipe the face and aprons were work overalls that provided protection.

Did this someone visit Paul in his tent-making workshop and see the handkerchiefs of sweat from Paul’s brow and the discarded aprons on the floor and think I wonder if …?

Did this someone bring their own or the hankies and aprons of their sick loved one, with the intention of doing something that perhaps they had seen occultists try?

Luke doesn’t say and maybe that is not the important message.

I think perhaps this is:

The signs of the sweat of your brow, the pressure and strains of this world and even the efforts you have taken to protect your life only reveal that there are times when our bodies lay defeated. We are limited and powerless. But God is extraordinary. God can and does move into the area of our burnout strength and our used attempts at trying to preserve our lives in order to demonstrate His power.

Today, invite this powerful God of all gods, your God, into your brokenness where you cannot do anymore and see His power re-energise your body, mind and spirit.

Finally, perhaps you can think of this:

You may have many meagre attempted efforts lying around your life. God can use the ‘throw-aways’, the discards, the burnt-out ministries for His glory. Nothing will be wasted. He can and will use you again.

 

 

He does the extraordinary!

Acts 19:11 “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul”

He does not do the ordinary. He does the extraordinary through the ordinary.

He is not a human being (Numbers 23:19). He works through, in and for us humans.

Today you may be facing your greatest threat. A powerful enemy may have come against you.

But it is not what you are facing that is important but who that is in you that counts.

Think about who is in you today …

God who expresses His wrath every day (Psalm 7)

God who has set the moon and stars in place (Psalm 8)

God whose voice strikes with flashes of lightning (Psalm 29)

God who gathers the waters of the sea into jars (Psalm 33)

God who brings desolations on the earth (Psalm 46)

God who reigns over the nations (Psalm 47)

God whose chariots are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands (Psalm 68)

God who is incomparable (Psalm 89)

God who is from all eternity (Psalm 93)

God whose fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side. (Psalm 97)

Psalm 68:35 You are awesome O God in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

He is a great and awesome God

Where is He? = In His Sanctuary

Where is He? – In His Church

Where is He? = In your life

“When I look at the night sky and see the work of Your fingers-the moon and the stars You have set in place-what are mortals that You should think of us, mere humans that You should care for us?” (Psalm 8:3, 4). “O Sovereign Lord! You have made the heavens and earth by Your great power. Nothing is too hard for You!” (Jeremiah 32:17).

What are you facing today? God does the extraordinary. He always has, from the outset. He didn’t just put a few stars in the sky. He did far more than that. He did the extraordinary! Using a very rough estimate of 10 trillion galaxies in the universe. Multiplying that by the Milky Way’s estimated 100 billion stars results in the extraordinary: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars, or a “1” with 24 zeros after it. The God who is in you and with you today, did that! He did that extraordinary powerful thing!

What is difficult today? Nothing too difficult for God!

What are you facing? God will help you.

No need too great.

No problem too big or too small.

No enemy too powerful.

Nothing in us can constrain Him.

No task is too big for Him.

Nothing.

He extravagantly does the extraordinary.

 

Influence

 

Acts 19: 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

How was this possible?

For 2 years in one place, the lecture hall of Tyrannus, Paul presented the gospel. So how was it possible that the whole province of Asia heard the gospel?

It must have been because of the power of multiplication.

Ephesus was a place where many were passing through. And as they passed through in some way they came across the preacher in the Tyrannus hall. They engaged with his message, became convinced and moved on. As they moved on they went throughout the province of Asia.

The power of multiplication says this: you may be in one place, an ordinary place, but it can be a place of great influence and your work can expand in such a way that your effectiveness far outweighs your effort because other people naturally work for you whether consciously or sub-consciously.

But you have to begin one place first. You have to commit to that place. May today see you do your daily work with the same commitment for tomorrow your influence could have multiplied to a level you never thought possible.

Sometimes it is right to leave

Acts 19:8 “But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.”

It is okay to leave. Sometimes it is essential.

Those he tried to reach were obstinate, unmoveable in their positions.

They just would not believe.

In fact they rubbished the Christian movement.

It was hopeless. So Paul left them.

He had given it 3 months of his best work but then enough was enough.

He took people with him that he wanted.

He continued his ministry.

He found a new place.

Why stay around the unmoveable, those whose will was set against God’s and who refused to change?

You have a short life. Why hang around those who don’t want you? It is time to leave, to move on.

Sometimes things have to end. Groups need to be closed down. People need to be changed. Positions need to be wound down.

If you don’t let things die or if you don’t walk away then you will never be in the place for a new season and a new adventure with God. We all want a new outpouring from God but unless we move away from the politics and the religion then we will never be in the right place to receive what we want.

So take up the courage today and leave.