Acts 19 - Power in Jesus' Name

Acts 19

1. What stuck out to you from this chapter?

Besides the continued persecution Paul faced motivated by malice and greed, the story of the powerful evil Spirit really captured my attention in this chapter. Number one, it was a good reminder of the reality that evil spirits do exist and do possess people. Secondly, it was a good reminder that there is great power in Jesus' name. Third, word of this incident got out and it sparked a revival and repentance from sorcery. It is unclear to me if these "seven sons of Sceva" were actually believers, or if they were Jews who were "trying out" Jesus' power. It almost seems like the latter, where it would have been like, "I know a guy who has met Jesus and does cool things in His name, and I want to do that too." Maybe the story would have ended differently if they actually had the Holy Spirit in them and knew Jesus personally.

2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?

In James, we are taught that faith without works is dead. It's not just about a head-knowledge type of belief that Jesus is the Son of God. James makes a very good point that "Even the demons believe that [there is only one God] - and shudder." I love that statement, and the accounts of this story and others in the gospels confirm that demons know exactly who Jesus is, but do not submit to him as Lord. The evil spirit in Acts 19 not only knows about Jesus, but is also very familiar with Paul. It's like Paul got on the demons' most wanted list or something. :)

3. What does this mean for my life?

Even with all of the persecution that Paul and the other disciples faced, they never come out in retaliation. The worst it gets was in the last chapter when Paul had enough hard-hearted rejection from the Jews and declared that he would go to the Gentiles instead. For me, I have to be careful to maintain a life of integrity, even in the face of disagreement. It's easy to get passionate about social issues, doctrinal issues, or practical ministry philosophy issues, but it's never okay to go out of your way to degrade another person. I think of Philippians 3 when Paul says, "I want to know Christ, the power of his resurrection...and share with him in his sufferings." He would rather let himself be persecuted than somehow tarnish the name of Jesus. That's what I want for my life. I wish more of our politicians would embody that.

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

I'm not a church expert, but I know there are many Pentecostal and other Charismatic churches that insist that every true Christian must be able to speak in tongues. It seems like this passage would be a pretty good illustration of that point. I understand that speaking in tongues is one of many Spiritual gifts named in the Bible, and even Paul said, "I desire that all of you would speak in tongues like me." That implies to me that not every believer spoke in tongues. Was that just because they didn't have enough faith (I ask that sort of tongue-in-cheek)? But ultimately, what is the relationship between being a believer, receiving the Holy Spirit, and speaking in tongues?

In Christ,
Dan