By Robert Olsen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Christian Studies, University of Mobile
MOTIVES
Acts 19:11–20
God’s Power (11–12)
For his third missionary journey, Paul went back to Ephesus and encouraged believers along the way. While in Ephesus, many miracles were performed through Paul so that even items like handkerchiefs that touched Paul were able to be used to heal the sick and cast out demons.
Sometimes we see people peddling “holy Items” on TV commercials that say that if you purchase the item, blessings will come. Don’t be fooled by this. God’s power is available to all Christians because the Holy Spirit resides in believers.
In Paul’s day — before the Gentiles had access to Scripture — God would use other means to show His power. These items were not special because of Paul but because of God’s choice to use them as a means to spread the word about His power.
Today, we don’t need these items because we have the Word of God, and power comes through the gospel in His Word. As Christians we need to focus on sharing the gospel through God’s Word, not through trinkets and gimmicks. Although God uses miracles today, particularly in areas that do not have Christian influence — and He is free to use His power however He sees fit — we know that there is power in the gospel, and we need to focus on preaching this.
False Motives (13–16)
The power of God was made known by a group of exorcists, the seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva. They realized that Paul’s power came from Jesus, so they decided to try to cast out a demon using the “Jesus that Paul preaches.” The demon-possessed man replied, “I know Jesus and I recognize Paul — but who are you?” The man then proceeded to beat the men so brutally that they ran from the house naked and bleeding! Word of this filled the local people with fear, and Jesus’ name was held in high esteem.
The problem with the sons of Sceva was that they were not true believers. The Holy Spirit did not reside in them, and so the demon had no fear of them.
This is a lesson for us. We do not need to fear demons since they cannot harm us. In addition, God is not Someone who can be used for personal glory or gain. This applies to exorcisms as much as it does to preachers who use a prosperity gospel to swindle money from believers to pad their own pockets.
God’s Authority (17–20)
On account of the demon attack, many locals were filled with fear. Recognizing the power of Jesus’ name, many sorcerers and magicians burned their scrolls and books and some became Christians.
This event isn’t exclusive to the Book of Acts. There are many accounts of witch doctors and shamans, upon realizing that God is more powerful than the demons they serve, switching their allegiance to God. Similarly, we ought to recognize God’s power in our own lives.
We often are filled with anxiety over our health, bills, politics and international events, but God is in control of all of these things. It is essential that we give our anxieties and fears over to God and realize that “God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). We need to recognize God’s power over all things so that we find contentment in God, not in our circumstances.
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