Exposing Counterfeit Faith

Have you ever been in a jewelry store? You walk along the glass display cases. And you come to the diamond section. Each one sparkles under the bright lights. But what you don't know is that not all of them are real. Some are genuine, crafted over thousands of years, while others are just clever imitations, made to look like the real thing but don't have much real value.

Now, what I want you to do is think about how this idea of being real applies to our lives, especially our spiritual lives. Just like those diamonds, a person's faith can either be genuine or counterfeit. And the difference between the two is pretty important.

Today, we’re continuing in the book of Acts. We're now at the section that shows us the power of authentic faith in Jesus Christ. It’s a story that takes place in Ephesus, a city buzzing with spiritual activity, where God’s power was on full display through the Apostle Paul.

But it’s also a story about what happens when people try to fake it—when they attempt to use the name of Jesus without actually knowing Him. It’s a bit like trying to use a celebrity’s name to get into an exclusive party without having a relationship with them. It just doesn’t work.

So, as we unpack these verses, I want you to think about your own faith. Is it genuine, like a real diamond, or is it just an imitation?

Because here’s the thing: Authentic faith in Jesus doesn’t just look good on the outside; it brings real, life-transforming power. And that’s what we’re going to look at today.

Acts 19:11–20 NKJV

11 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” 16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18 And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. 19 Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

Now, let's go back to verse 11.

Acts 19:11–12 NKJV

11 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.

We see here...

I. God's Power in Action (11-12)

What we're seeing here Luke calls "unusual miracles" or "special miracles."

In Bible history, we find three special periods of miracles:

The time of Moses; The time of Elijah and Elisha; and The time of Jesus and His Apostles.

Each period was less than 100 years. Depending on how some of these events are classified, the total number of miracles for all three periods is less than 100. Of course, not all the miracles were recorded (see John 20:30–31).

When our Lord performed miracles, He usually had at least three purposes in mind:

to show His compassion and meet human needs;

to teach a spiritual truth; and to

present His credentials as the Messiah.

The Apostles followed this same pattern in their miracles. As a matter of fact, the ability to do miracles was one of the proofs of apostolic authority (Mark 16:20; Rom. 15:18–19; 2 Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:1–4).

We need to understand that miracles of themselves don't save lost sinners (Luke 16:27–31; John 2:23–25). Miracles must be tied to the message of the Word of God.

I think what we see here is God enabled Paul to perform “special miracles” because Ephesus was a center for the occult (Acts 19:18–19), and Paul was demonstrating God’s power right in Satan’s territory.

The word translated "handkerchiefs" is what we might call today a "sweat towel" or “sweat band.” It was used when people were working to wipe sweat from their face.

The word "apron" refers to a worker's apron. These items may have been used by Paul as he was working on his tent making. We're not sure.

It may also help us to remember that in Jesus’ day, some were healed by touching his clothes (Luke 8:44). Earlier in Luke’s record, God even healed people when the shadow of Peter passed over them (Acts 5:15).

But we shouldn't miss Luke’s very brief handling of this unusual activity. He’s like, “yes, it happened,” and then move right along.

Miracles never form the center of evangelism; they only serve as a means to the end of proclaiming faith in Christ. That held true in the ministry of Jesus and for sure throughout Acts.

This passage should not form a basis for people seeking healing through sending cloths through the mail or touching television sets at a certain time. This shows us just how, like Ephesus, how dark and superstitious culture has become.

But we need to remember that wherever God’s people are sharing the truth, Satan sends a counterfeit to oppose the work.

Jesus taught this truth in His Parable of the Tares (Matt. 13:24–30, 36–43); Peter experienced it in Samaria (Acts 8:9ff); and Paul experienced it at Paphos (Acts 13:4–12). Satan imitates whatever God’s people are doing, because he knows that those who don't know Jesus can't tell the difference (2 Cor. 11:13–15).

But here’s the key takeaway: These miracles weren’t about the objects themselves—the handkerchiefs and aprons. They were about pointing people to God, the true source of power. It’s easy to get caught up in the miraculous and miss the message. God was showing the people of Ephesus, and us today, that His power is real and available, even in the darkest places.

So, what does this mean for us? It means we need to recognize and trust in God’s power in our own lives. Maybe you’re facing a situation that feels overwhelming or a place that seems spiritually dark.

Remember, God’s power is not limited by our circumstances. He works, as the Bible says, in mysterious ways to reveal His glory. Let’s not fall into superstition or think that we can manipulate God’s power. Instead, let’s trust Him to meet our needs and show His power in ways we might not expect.

As we move on, we come across a pretty funny story about the seven sons of Sceva. Let's take a look.

Acts 19:13–16 NKJV

13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” 16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Crazy. But this was Ephesus, after all. Jewish exorcists were fairly common throughout Asia during the first century. It wasn't unusual for these Jewish exorcists to try casting out demons. What was strange was their invoking the name of Jesus.

Obviously, after watching Paul’s miracles, these popular magicians picked up on the idea of carrying out their business in the name of Jesus.

Word of caution...

II. Don't Try to Counterfeit the Power of Christ (13-16)

The philosophy of these Jewish exorcists is still alive and well today. Blending what people already believe with the elements of Christianity that they like. What you end up with looks like neither.

This has been common throughout history. When “Christianity” would come to a new culture, and I use air quotes, the church the Roman church allowed people to keep some of their pagan practices and just melted them into their new "religion."

We wonder, too, what kind of “chief priest” Sceva might have been. He doesn’t appear in lists provided by the Jewish historian Josephus.

More likely, Luke didn’t intend to place him in some official position but either to describe what these charlatans called themselves or to hint that Sceva may have come from a prominent priestly family.

And then in verses 15 and 16, something amusing happens.

These itinerant Jewish exorcists went around trying to cast out demons by saying, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.”

But here’s where things take a surprising turn. One day, they tried this on a man possessed by an evil spirit, and the response they got was chilling. The demon said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”

And then next. Apparently, the exorcism business can be kind of dangerous, especially when one starts using Jesus’ name without being controlled by his Spirit.

Whoever these would-be exorcists were, their attempt to invoke Jesus’ name didn’t work.

These demons, through this man, overpower these exorcists, beat them up and tear their clothes, and they run out humiliated and naked.

I find it interesting that it was the demon, not Paul, who was responsible for their undoing.

I believe this encounter highlights an important truth: Faith in Jesus isn’t a formula or a tool we can use without a relationship. The Greek words used here are telling. The demon says “ginosko” for Jesus, meaning it knows Him by experience, and “epistamai” for Paul, meaning it understands his reputation under Jesus’ authority. By implication, they "respected" Paul. But for the sons of Sceva, there’s nothing. They had no real connection to Jesus, and it showed.

This story is a powerful reminder that authentic faith is about a genuine relationship with Christ, not just borrowing someone else’s faith or trying to mimic it externally.

Knowing about Jesus is not enough; we need to know Him personally. The sons of Sceva tried to use Jesus’ name like a password, or an incantation, but without a relationship, it was meaningless.

So, let’s ask ourselves: Is our faith real and personal, or are we just going through the motions? Are we living authentically in Christ, or are we trying to use His name, going to “church” without genuinely knowing Him?

This is a call to deepen our relationship with Jesus, making sure our faith is rooted in a genuine connection with Him. Because when we truly know Jesus, we can't deny His power and presence in our lives.

Now, as we continue, we see the response to God's work in Ephesus.

Acts 19:17–19 NKJV

17 This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18 And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. 19 Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.

After seeing the extraordinary miracles and the disastrous failure of the counterfeiters like the sons of Sceva, many people in the city were deeply moved.

God used the Jewish exorcist's scheme to defeat Satan and to bring conviction to the believers who were still involved in the occult. Instead of disgracing the name of Jesus, what happened magnified His name and caused the Word of God to spread even more rapidly.

The people realized the emptiness of their old ways and the reality of God’s power. This led to an amazing moment of confession and repentance. People came forward, openly admitting their sins. And those who were practicing the occult brought their scrolls of magic arts to be burned.

The tense of the verbs in verse 18 tell us they kept coming, kept confessing, and kept showing…”

These scrolls were incredibly valuable, worth about 50,000 drachmas, which would’ve come out to more than the total salaries of 150 men working for a whole year. Yet, they willingly sacrificed them.

This act of burning the scrolls was more than just a dramatic gesture. It was a public declaration of their commitment to turn away from their past and follow Jesus wholeheartedly.

This wasn’t just about saying sorry; it was about making a clean break from their old lives.

What can we learn from this?

First, confession is powerful. It frees us from the bondage of hidden sins and restores our relationship with God. It’s about being honest with ourselves and with God, acknowledging where we’ve gone wrong. But it doesn’t stop there.

True repentance involves sacrifice. It means being willing to let go of anything that hinders our walk with Christ, no matter how valuable or important it seems to us

.

III. Confess and Forsake Hidden Sins (17-19)

So, let’s think about this. What are the “scrolls” in our lives that need burning? Not necessarily literally. What are the things we hold onto that keep us from fully following Jesus?

It might be a habit, a relationship, or even a mindset. Whatever it is, God invites us to confess and surrender it to Him. Because when we do, we experience the freedom and transformation that only He can bring.

Now that they had confessed and repented, the believers in Ephesus were ready to let the power of the Gospel move out and transform their entire community.

Let's take a look...

Acts 19:20 NKJV

20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

The Bible tells us that the Word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. This wasn’t just a small change; it was a cultural shift. The power of the Gospel began to transform the community, breaking through the spiritual darkness that had gripped the city for so long.

The Greek words used here emphasize the strength and dominance of God’s Word over the forces of darkness.

This transformation didn’t happen because people were forced or scared into believing. It happened because they saw the real power of God at work and chose to embrace it. Their lives were changed, and as a result, the community around them began to change too.

It’s a powerful reminder that when we allow the Gospel to transform us, it doesn’t just stop with us. It spreads out, touching the lives of those around us.

So, what does this mean for us today? It means that a transformed life leads to a transformed community. When we live out our faith authentically, we become witnesses to others, showing them the hope and power found in Jesus.

We have the opportunity to share our stories of how Christ has changed us, inspiring others to trust Him too.

Let’s ask ourselves: How can we be part of this transformation in our own communities? It might be through acts of kindness, sharing our faith, or partnering with fellow believers to serve those in need.

Whatever it looks like, we’re called to be a light in the darkness, advancing the Gospel where it’s needed most.

Together, let’s let the power of the Gospel shine through us, bringing hope and change to the world around us.

This week, I challenge you to take a step toward living in the authentic power of Christ.

Maybe it’s spending more time in prayer, confessing something you’ve been holding onto, or reaching out to someone who needs to hear about Jesus.

Whatever it is, know that God is with you, ready to work through you in extraordinary ways.

Let’s go out and be the change, letting the Gospel shine brightly through our lives. Together, we can make a difference that echoes into eternity.