In Acts 19, we come across the story of 7 exorcists. Its a pretty famous tale about how these 7 men, were casting out a demon, and things turned out, not so great.
Now, I can see how this came to be… if you have ever sat in meetings trying to find a solution for a really irritating problem. Difficult staff, or an inordinate amount of loss to theft or breakages. This has been going on for months, and one day, you walk past a staff member, that always works hard and diligently tries their best, and by shear bad luck and timing, they break a glass… and its just too much. You snap, and that unfortunate person takes your full wrath, all the frustrations built up over months. Unleashed in one go.
Paul has been training himself in Corinth, and now moved onto Ephesus, the cult and occult centre of the empire. I can just imagine the demons having planning sessions, focus meetings and team discussions, pulling up action plans and trying to figure out how to handle Paul. Everywhere they could just get a few jews to stir up the locals and Paul will be arrested, or stoned, or thrown in jail, but here, in Ephesus, they tried that, and it didn’t work.
Enter the 7 exorcists, and they say the 10 words that would sting. They just came to work, diligent, doing what they are supposed to do, but then make the mistake of saying “in the name of the Jesus that Paul preaches”… and that demon just loses his bananas! He ends up beating up those 7 guys that they ran from the house, naked and bruised.
“I know about Jesus, and I recognize Paul, but who do you think you are?!”
(Acts 19:15)
They had the knowledge of God and His ways, and they had the Faith even… but with no relationship with Christ, they had no power.
In comparison, God kept on releasing more miracles through Paul, so much so, that people will take cloths and garments from Paul and put it on sick people and they will be healed.
But what was the end result?
(And just between you and me, I think this was a setup!)
The people of Ephesus was awestruck. Jews and non-Jews were not just astounded but fearful! People started confessing their sins in public. Practitioners of magic and the occult took their books of magic and scrolls of incantations and burned them in the public squares. Revival swept through Ephesus. A city turned to God (or at least turned away from evil) and I have to wonder…
Did the man with the demon ever get released? I like to imagine that the demon left out of shame because of what he caused 😉
But think about this. God caused a demon to start a revival. A demon! A DEMON!!
Yes, Paul was there, doing his thing, fulfilling his purpose, living his calling. And I am sure he was getting tired of being spat on, thrown with rocks, getting beaten, jailed, beaten again. But he kept on going. Would you have stopped? Maybe feeling… this is not for me? or, I am failing?
I probably would have…
But God is greater than we are, His plans is beyond our understanding. Paul could never have known the impact he had on the 7 sons of Sceva and that the ultimate result would be the cleansing of a city!
No matter how bad it looks, or how frustrated we feel, or how terrible the news and the forecasts and the spreadsheets. Keep going. Eyes on God, holding on to Christ. Eyes on God, being led by the Holy Spirit. Eyes on God, not on the news, not on the spreadsheets, not on the bank account… because we just don’t know what is coming.
Eyes on God.
