GIVING HONOR TO JESUS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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 honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.

In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

Acts 19:17-20

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

When Jesus finished His earthly ministry, a ministry marked with teaching and healing and death and finally resurrection, God brought Him back home to the heavens and when He did, He did one very important thing. He honored His Son.

Jesus had lived a perfect, sinless human life and carried out everything just as His Father God had expected. And so once back in heaven, God elevated His Son to the highest place of authority, sitting Him at His right hand and putting Him in full power over everything in heaven and on earth. This is why Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Unfortunately, a majority of people down below on earth haven’t realized nor acknowledged Jesus’ supreme greatness. For if they truly did honor Jesus, we would see sin disempowered because no one would want to dishonor or disgrace the Lord who reigns and rules over them.

So how do we get a world population to change their view and, in turn, their ways?

Often times, a major event is needed, one grounded in consequences for not paying proper tribute to Jesus.

In yesterday’s message, we saw such an event and as we look at the outflow of that event today, we see where it gained the attention of many who needed to change their ways.

You’ll recall where this started. Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva decided to go around and try to drive out demons from possessed people, claiming they were doing so in the name of Jesus, the Jesus that the Apostle Paul had been teaching of. But there was only one problem. The men had not accepted Jesus as their Savior. They didn’t place their faith and hope in the very Son of God who had been placed in authority over them. And since they didn’t have any connection to Jesus short of knowing how to discredit His name for their own glory, the Holy Spirit was absent in their lives. They had no inherent power to drive out demons or do anything else in Jesus’ name.

And so when they went into the home of a man possessed with an evil spirit, they found themselves confronted by the demon before being assaulted by it. What was so interesting about this encounter between the seven men and the evil spirit was that the demon knew Jesus more than the men did. The evil spirit knew that it didn’t stand a chance against Jesus or anyone who truly came in His name but as for those who weren’t in Jesus, it was game on. The seven men were in that latter category and found themselves beaten and left bleeding and fleeing for their very lives. Evil had triumphed for the moment in the absence of Jesus.

So what happened next? How would other respond to this happening where a demon had its way with people claiming to represent Jesus when they really had nothing to do with Him at the time?

Well, we see there was a quantum impact, especially among others who were engaged in sinful spiritual practices.

For as the demon’s attack “became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus”, the scriptures tell us the people “were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.” No one wanted to experience the same dominance of evil over them and so they turned to the One who would triumph over evil every single time. It’s a shame that it took seven men to get beaten by a demon for this to happen but sometimes that’s what is necessary to gain attention.

Note here that it wasn’t just enough for the people to say they held the name of Jesus in high honor. They needed to also show it through their actions.

So we read where “many of those who believed” came forward to openly confess their sins. For when people truly realize the authority of Jesus and seek to honor Him, repentance will always follow. In the case of those who had practiced sorcery and chose to openly show penitence for what they had done, we read where they “brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly.” And just in case one might not see this as much of a sacrifice, the scriptures tell us that the scrolls carried a lot of value, fifty thousand drachmas in this case. One drachma was worth around one days wages so you can see how this was a major public sacrifice by the repentant sorcerers. They no longer needed the scrolls because they now had Jesus and He was all they needed. From that point forward, any work they would do would be done in accordance with His will and power.

This was just one example of people deciding to trade in their former ways for the ways of Jesus and as our passage ends, we learn that the word of the Lord “spread widely” through Ephesus and “grew in power” as a result.  

Through this, we learn that honoring Jesus first involves realizing His greatness and authority over all things. This then leads to repentance and a willingness to trade in any sinful behavior for a behavior that shows respect and reverence for His holy Name. Finally, when this happens, one person at a time, then the word of our Lord will spread widely and grow in power through the One who is power.

As I close this message, I believe God’s word is calling us all to self examine ourselves and ask how we are doing when it comes to honoring Jesus with our lives. Are we fully sacrificing for Him as He has already fully sacrificed to save us? Or are we holding onto sinful behavior that only serves to dishonor the almighty King of kings and Lord of lords?

Perhaps we would all be well served to commit to this plea from David, a man after God’s heart, who said:

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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FAKE COPYCATS

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In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.

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

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.

Acts 19:13-16

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

“Accept no substitutes.”

It’s a phrase that has been around for a long time, mostly used in advertising circles. Of course, the idea here is that there is no better product than the one being touted and so one should “accept no substitutes”.

In our world today, just as in biblical times, there are plenty of suitors for one’s belief system. There is a broad misperception out there that there are a lot of atheists in the world but the truth is that almost everyone believes in something at a spiritual level. It’s just that there is only one legitimate place to place one’s faith and trust - the Lord God Almighty and His Son Jesus our Savior - and one should accept no substitute.

Or as Jesus put it, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

As we turn to our scripture passage today from our continued look at Acts 19, we find some Jews trying to mimic the legitimate work that Paul was doing in the name of the Lord and finding out the hard way that no one can replicate what the Lord does through those who dedicate themselves to Him.

For the scriptures tell us that the copycat Jews, identified as seven sons of the Jewish chief priest Sceva, were going around Ephesus “driving out evil spirits” from the demon-possessed while proclaiming they were doing so in “the name of the Lord Jesus”. We read their specific words as they would say:

"In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.”

It sounded legitimate on the surface but the proof would be found in the outcome. And as we see what happens next, the fake copycats were quickly exposed.

For one day while they were attempting to drive out demons, one evil spirit within a possessed man had this to say:

“Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?”

Now, anyone who was truly coming forward in the name of Jesus would be known by the evil forces as legitimate, not because of the power they held but the power of the Lord they represented. Demonic forces feared the mere sound of Jesus’ name. But the seven sons of Sceva had no association with Jesus or Paul. They were merely pretenders and impersonators, and so they got what they had coming to them.  

For lacking any genuine connection to Jesus, the men were powerless against the evil spirit that overpowered and gave them a severe beating. We read where they “ran out of the house” where the possessed man lived, “naked and bleeding”. They learned there were consequences in store for counterfeit Christians.

Friends, today there are still a lot of fake copycats out there, religions who claim to speak in the name of Jesus but couldn’t be further from Him within their illegitimate belief system. Like the seven sons of Sceva, they too will one day experience the wrath of the Lord and suffer the penalty for their sinful actions.

So how can you avoid those who seem bona fide on the surface but are phony at their core?

First, know the Word of the God. You can always validate anyone who claims to come in the name of Jesus by applying the scriptures to them and what they profess.

You also need to allow the Holy Spirit to take the lead in assessing legitimacy. For the Holy Spirit will always expose anyone who is disingenuous in representing Christ.

Allow the Lord to advise and counsel you through His Word and Spirit, and you will always be assured to identify fake Christians whenever you encounter them.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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FINDING YOUR PLACE

Can I pray for you in any way?

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In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 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. 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.

God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

Acts 19:8-12

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

God will always put you where He wants you to be.

It’s a tried and true axiom for anyone to follow. All you need to do is trust God in every way in life and commit yourself to follow His lead.

As we look at the Book of Acts and the Gospel work of Paul and other apostles, we see this axiom executed to perfection. When God’s salvation-sharing messengers traveled, there were places they allowed to go while God forbade others. There wasn’t necessarily any reason given for why some locations were in play and others not but our Lord isn’t required to offer up any justification. He is God and when He calls us to do something in His name, we are to do it. Period.

The apostles got this, particularly Paul who did the most journeying of anyone, embarking on my one, not two, but four missionary journeys. As we turn to our passage for today, we find him in the midst of his third.

You’ll recall from yesterday’s message that Paul is in Ephesus, a return trip after visiting the church there on his second missionary journey. The believers had begged Paul to stay during his first time there but he knew the Lord had something else in mind and so he shared his desire to return if it was God’s will for that to happen. His return during the third missionary trip showed that God did indeed for him to go back.

Paul went right to work, engaging a group of approximately twelve men and providing instruction on what constituted a proper baptism, a baptism by way of the fire of the Holy Spirit. By the time he finished, the men indeed received the gift of the Spirit and began to prophesy and speak in tongues. It had to be an incredible boost for Paul and we read where he gained a lot of momentum from it, going to the synagogue in Ephesus and speaking boldly for three months as he argues “persuasively about the kingdom of God.”

Everything seemed perfect until some of the Jews “became obstinate”, refusing to believe while publicly maligning the Way. It seemed that it was time to move on and we see where this was God’s plan for Paul.

For the scriptures tell us that Paul left the synagogue in Ephesus, taking “the disciples with him” to the “lecture hall” owned by a Greek man by the name of Tyrannus. The scriptures tell us very little about the man but he obviously was friendly to the cause of Christ as he allowed Paul to hold daily discussions there for an entire two years. That’s a very long time but it was the Lord’s will for Paul to be there that long “so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia” could hear His Word, the Word of the Lord.

God had Paul right where He wanted him to be and it was very obvious. For we read where the Lord used Paul to perform “extraordinary miracles”.

How amazing were these miracles?

So amazing that people were cured without even having to come to Paul.

It was true. All Paul had to do was touch something like a handkerchief or apron and when that item was taken to the sick, they were cured and any evil spirits within them were driven out. Yet again, Paul had found his place and he did so because he submitted to go where the Lord asked him to go to do what the Lord wanted him to do.

As we go forth to carry out the work Christ called us to do, let us follow Paul’s lead and fully submit to the leading of our Lord and the fulfillment of His purposes.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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A PROPER BAPTISM

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In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”

On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all.

Acts 19:1-7

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah.

John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Luke 3:15-16

Jesus was about to emerge on the scene to begin His adult ministry. John was born before Jesus to make the way for the coming of the Lord. Part of that making the way was letting people know the Messiah was coming. Another part was the calling of people to repent and be baptized.

In advance of Jesus, we know that John immersed many believers in the Jordan River after they decided to turn from their sins and toward the righteousness God expected of them. John was so passionate and dedicated to God that many people began to wonder if he was the Messiah but note from his words in Luke 3 how John wanted to dispel that misconception.

Yes, John was baptizing repentant believers but his baptism paled in comparison to the one that was to come, the true and proper baptism Jesus would bring by way of fire from the Holy Spirit.  

Fast forward ahead to our scripture passage from the opening verses of Acts, chapter 19. There we find a group of Ephesian believers needing a proper baptism and receiving it from Paul.

You’ll remember that Paul has just started his third missionary journey. He had visited Ephesus during his second missionary journey and he was so embraced by the church there that they begged Paul to stay but he knew it wasn’t the Lord’s time for that to happen so he promised he would be back if it would be the Lord’s will later.

Obviously, that time had come.

For we read that Paul went to Ephesus during the time that Apollos was ministering in Corinth and while there he came upon some disciples, posing a simple question:

“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

To which they replied:

“No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

And so Paul followed up with a second question:

“Then what baptism did you receive?”

And they answered:

“John’s baptism.”

So with this, Paul knew immediately that the believers had been simply baptized by water after repenting of their sins but they weren’t ready to carry out the Gospel work Jesus called for because they lacked the Holy Spirit.

And so Paul took the time to break things down for the approximately twelve men he addressed. We get a sense that the Holy Spirit wasn’t the only one foreign to them. For we get a real sense that they didn’t know John or Jesus either, a gap in knowledge that Paul quickly filled in.

So how did the men respond to Paul’s teaching about how John, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit factored into their lives as Christians?

They immediately allowed Paul to give them a proper baptism, one by way of the Holy Spirit. The impact was sudden and incredible.

For the scriptures tell us that the men “spoke in tongues and prophesied” much like this event that happened right after Jesus ascended to sit at God’s right hand:

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4

The baptism by the Holy Spirit in Ephesus was Pentecost redux as the men with Paul found their lives changed forever through their profession and faith in Jesus as Savior. The same happens to anyone who follows their lead today, opting for a proper baptism by the fire of the Holy Spirit and a future life of evangelism for the cause of Christ.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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