The Exorcists
Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted
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Transcript
I want to welcome you again this morning.
First, to those joining us online, we are so thankful for our online technology that allows you to be a part of our church family today.
I also want to welcome those who may be joining us for the first time today. I hope your time with us today is encouraging and helpful, and I look forward to meeting you.
I would also say if you are new to our church today, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.
What that means, is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then breaking them down from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Our goal, to better understand not only what God’s Word says, but what it means in our lives today.
With that said, we are currently doing that through the NT book of Acts. A book written by a First Century disciple named Luke, who wrote it for a couple of reasons:
First, to give us a history of the church. How it started, who was there, and the circumstances that surrounded it.
Second, to give us a template of sorts. A template that teaches us how to accomplish the mission Jesus gave us to take the Gospel into the rest of the world.
So, if you haven’t been with us, I would encourage you to go online to mcf.life where you can listen to all of the messages leading up to today.
Today however we are picking back up in Acts 19
with the Apostle Paul in the city of Ephesus.
If you haven’t been with us, over the past few weeks we have been learning about Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. And from what Luke tells us, it was supernaturally charged. In fact, Luke puts it like this:
11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,
Which then led us to ask a couple of questions.
The first question being, “Why was God working through Paul in this way?”
And what we learned, is it had to do with Paul’s priorities, three to be exact.
The first priority was to teach the truth about Jesus. Specifically that He is the sinless Son of God and the only way to salvation.
The second priority had to do with an understanding of who the Holy Spirit is. That He is a person. And that He’s not just a person, but He’s God. And that He’s not just God, but He’s his own person that exists within the Trinity.
The third priority then had to do with the purpose of the Holy spirit. And as we learned, He serves three primary purposes in our lives.
First, the Holy Spirit plays a significant role in the work of spiritual regeneration. A work that takes place when a person puts their faith in Jesus. A work that Jesus refers to as being “Born Again”. In John 3 Jesus puts it like this:
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
And according to Jesus, this is a work that is accomplished by the Holy Spirit, through our faith in Jesus, as the Holy Spirit literally brings our spiritually dead spirit back to life enabling us to have a relationship with God.
This leads to the second purpose and work of the Holy Spirit. A work known as “sanctification”. So, what’s sanctification?
Sanctification is the life long process of the Holy Spirit making us more like Jesus. How does He do it? He does it as day by day, week by week, month by month, and year by year He helps us identify and let go of the desires of the flesh. The Apostle Paul puts it like this in Galatians 5:
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
This then leads to the third purpose and work of the Holy Spirit. A purpose that as we said last week, many Christians fail to engage with. We stated this purpose like this:
Purpose #3 - The Holy Spirit supernaturally empowers born again Christians to do extraordinary works.
So, the question then is, what are these extraordinary works?
Well, for the most part they are works accomplished through what Paul calls the gifts of the Spirit. Gifts that Paul lists in both 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12. Supernatural Gifts that are given by the Holy Spirit to help us accomplish the mission of evangelism and bring glory to Jesus.
For example, in 1 Corinthians 12 Paul lists these specific gifts:
8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
And it’s in Ephesus that we see some of these gifts being used through Paul as God works through him in some extraordinary ways.
Which then led us to the question, “What were these extraordinary works that Paul was doing?”
Luke describes them like this:
11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
Luke says that through the power of the Spirit, Paul was functioning in the the gift of miracles and the gift of healing as sick people were being healed and people with demonic spirits were being delivered.
In fact, Luke says the Spirit was working so powerfully through Paul, that even the rags that Paul had touched retained a residual affect and were carried away to heal people. Which means Paul wasn’t just empowered, he was supercharged. Which is probably what led Luke to say, “And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul.”
Pretty amazing, right?
Now the truth is, when a lot of modern day Christians read something like that, it’s easy to think, “Well, that’s amazing, but that kind of stuff doesn’t happen anymore, right pastor?”
Wrong. In fact, based on what the Bible says, I believe like He did then, God still wants to work through Christians in extraordinary ways today.
The question then is, “Why don’t we readily see Christians functioning in these supernatural gifts?”
Well, there are a number of reasons, but I think for there are three main reasons.
First, a lot of Christians don’t know about spiritual empowerment or the gifts. They’ve just never been taught about it. They’ve never been shown what the Bible says about this.
Second, some do know what the Bible says about spiritual empowerment, but they don’t believe those gifts are for today.
For some reason, they believe the gifts died out with the Apostles. Which honestly doesn’t make any sense since the mission Jesus gave the church in Acts 1 isn’t over yet.
Finally, I think many fail to seek spiritual empowerment because they are afraid.
So, what are they afraid of?
Primarily they’re afraid of some of the gifts that come with empowerment, mainly the gift of tongues. Because as we learned last week, tongues is a gift that accompanies spiritual empowerment.
So, why does it accompany it? Mainly for two reasons.
First, it serves as an evidence of spiritual empowerment.
We see this throughout the NT as those who are empowered typically exhibit the gift of speaking in a spiritual language.
Second, not only is tongues an evidence, it’s a bonus add on to empowerment. Because with the gift of tongues, you now have the ability to pray in a way you couldn’t pray before. Paul puts it like this:
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Paul says through tongues, we can pray to God in a way our natural language limits us. Because the truth is, there are times we don’t know what to pray. Times we don’t know what to ask God for. And it’s in those times that our spiritual language helps us pray.
It’s actually a pretty amazing add on bonus feature for empowerment.
But unfortunately, it’s the fear of that gift that often keeps people from seeking empowerment.
And I would say for some, the fear is legitimate. Because unfortunately tongues has often been overused and abused in many Pentecostal church settings.
Which is why the Apostle Paul put stipulations on the use of this gift, because unfortunately even in the first century there were churches overusing and abusing this gift, specifically the church at Corinth. And as a result, it was pushing people away from Jesus.
So, what are the stipulations? Paul explains the first stipulation like this:
23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?
Paul says, while tongues is a great gift, it’s not to be used when unchruched people or unbelievers are present. Why? Because their going to think you’re crazy.
Which is what happens in a lot of Pentecostal churches when new people show up on a Sunday morning and experience something they’ve never heard of. Something that they see as weird. And as a result, they don’t come back.
And that’s why we don’t encourage the gift of tongues in our Sunday morning services. Because for us, Sunday morning is the service where we are going to have unchurched people visiting and unbelievers present. Which means, Sunday morning isn’t the best time for the gift of tongues to be in operation. Instead, we focus on the gift of prophecy, which largely takes place through the preaching of the Word. Paul explains it like this:
19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
He goes on to write:
24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.
What Paul is saying here is that the goal of a church service when unbelievers are present is to declare the Word of God in understandable words. Words that lead to conviction. Words that lead to heart change. Words that cause them to seek God.
The question then is, “What’s the right environment for tongues?”
Well, it’s typically a service where only believers are present and everybody in the room understands what is happening.
Which leads to a second stipulation. Because not only does it need to be done in a believer only environment, but somebody with the gift of interpretation needs to be present.
Paul puts it like this:
27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.
Paul says if tongues are going to be used in a service, then the gift of interpretation needs to be present as well. Meaning, there needs to be somebody present that has the ability to interpret what was said. Otherwise there is no benefit or edification for those present.
All that to say, tongues is an amazing gift that God has given to individual believers and to the church. But unfortunately it’s a gift that has been overused and abused in a lot of Pentecostal churches. Which has resulted in people being pushed away versus drawn in.
So, what do we do then? How do we overcome this fear?
I have a simple suggestion. How about instead of worrying about what might happen when we get empowered, let’s worry about what might not happen if we don’t.
Because I can tell you right now, without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we aren’t going to make much of an impact for Jesus in this world.
In fact, I would say, without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we might as well pick up shop. Because without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, the mission Jesus has given us is impossible.
Which is why back in Acts 1 Jesus said this to the disciples:
4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Jesus said don’t even attempt what I’ve asked you to do until you are empowered.
The question then is, “Why is this empowerment so critical?”
As we come back to Acts 19 today, I want to answer that question, and to do that I have two goals as we finish out this section on the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
Goal #1 - To show you why spiritual empowerment is a necessity for gospel advancement.
Goal #2 - To show you the evangelistic impact spiritual empowerment will have.
And so with that as our basis, let’s jump back into the passage and begin with our first goal as we discover why empowerment is so necessary. Picking back up in verse 11, Luke writes:
11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
Last week we looked at the healings that came as a result of Paul’s empowerment. But what I want you to notice today is that along with healing, something else happened. Because Luke says, not only were sick people healed, but evil spirits came out of them as well.
So, a great question would be, “Why does Luke mention that and why is that detail so important?”
It’s important because it points to the fact that when it comes to sharing the gospel, what we can never forget, is that it’s not a physical battle we face, but a spiritual one.
The Apostle Paul puts it like this in a letter he later wrote to the church of Ephesus where he writes:
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
What Paul is reminding us of here is that our enemy isn’t a person, a political party, or even the secular culture we live in.
And believe me, I know it’s easy to think they are. But they’re not. The truth is, our real enemy is of a demonic nature. And his name is Satan, and with him the demonic forces that follow him.
Which is why spiritual empowerment by the Holy Spirit is so critical for us. Because if we’re going to battle a spiritual force we need a spiritual empowerment that only the Holy Spirit can provide. Because the fact is, without that empowerment, we won’t stand a chance.
And we see a great example of this here in Acts 19 as some misguided individuals try and battle demonic forces without the empowerment of the Spirit. An attempt that gets them into some trouble. Look at how Luke tells the story:
13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”
To be honest, this is probably one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Because why it’s rather serious, there are some humorous components to it.
So, let’s walk through it and find out what is exactly going on here.
The first thing we see, is that as God works through Paul in an extraordinary way, apparently word gets out, and it catches the attention of some traveling Jewish exorcists, who apparently made a living by casting out evil spirits. Which wasn’t an uncommon occupation, especially in the city of Ephesus where magical arts were prevalent.
So, a great question would be, “Why would these Jewish exorcists be so interested in what Paul was doing?”
Well, what we have to understand is that when it came to exorcism in ancient times, exorcists used various means of exorcism.
One popular method of exorcising or controlling spirits was to invoke the spirit by name or to invoke a more powerful spirit to expel or control the lower spirit.
Which means, exorcists were constantly looking for new names to invoke. New names that possibly had more power than previous names they had used.
And in essence, that’s what draws these guys to Paul. Because Paul is using a certain name to cast out evil spirits. A name they hadn’t heard of or used before. A name that apparently has some power. What was the name? It was the name of Jesus. That’s why Luke writes:
13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.”
You see, for these Jewish exorcists, Jesus was a new name they hoped would give them more power over the demonic.
But much to their surprise, the name of Jesus isn’t a name you just throw around. And it’s especially a name you don’t use if you don’t have the power and authority to use it.
How do we know? We know because of how the demon they were trying to cast out responds. Because as they invoke the name of Jesus who Paul proclaims, look at how the demon responds to them:
15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”
For me this is the humorous part of the story. Because as I imagine this story, I see it as a spiritual show down of sorts as these seven Jewish exorcists walk into the house and approach this man possessed by an evil spirit.
But in my version of the story, the man has his back to them as the seven exorcists approach him and boldly proclaim, “I adjure you by the Jesus who Paul proclaims.”
And it’s at that point, without moving, and his back still to them, this man’s head starts turning and does a full 180. You know, like in one of those creepy horror movies. And that’s when, in a creepy demonic voice, the man says:
“Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”
I know, I’m a little twisted. But lets just be honest, that would be a scary moment. That would make most of us run for cover. And as these 7 exorcists would learn, it’s a moment they would never forget. Because look at what Luke says happened next:
16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
Luke says after making this statement, the demon possessed man single handedly overpowered these 7 men, beat them, ripped their clothes off, and sent them running naked down the street.
I don’t know about you, but I would have liked to have seen that, because that would have been quite a sight.
So, what’s going on here and what does this tell us about the demonic and spiritual empowerment? It tells us a few things:
First, it tells us the demonic is real, and that it’s a powerful force.
And I think that’s something we all need to come to terms with.
Because as Paul says, our battle is spiritual, not physical.
Which means as Christians, we need to constantly be aware that when we face challenges, sometimes those challenges are of a demonic nature.
For example, if you’re trying to lead somebody to faith, and it feels like something is working against your witness, there’s a good chance that opposition is of a demonic nature. That more than likely there’s a demonic being nearby trying to negatively influence your witnessing efforts.
Or when it comes to the the direction we see our world and our country headed, what we have to realize is that it isn’t just because of poor choices or because a certain President was elected, but it’s the result of a demonic influence that has infiltrated the very fiber of our culture.
You see, what we have to come to terms with is that there are demonic forces at work to destroy you, me, our nation, and the work of God.
It’s serious business folks. Satan isn’t playing around. He’s a powerful being and he lives each day to destroy what God has created. And whether you want to except it or not, this world is his playground.
Second, it means these demonic forces are aware of who’s a threat and who’s not a threat.
We see this in the interaction between the Jewish exorcists and this demon possessed man.
Because notice again what this demon says to the exorcists:
15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”
As I mentioned earlier, one of the tactics of exorcism was to learn the demons name. Because it was thought, if you knew the demons name, then you would know what you were dealing with, giving you a tactical advantage over the demon.
In fact, we see Jesus actually do this in Luke 8 as He encounters a demon possessed man. Luke writes:
30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him.
In this passage Jesus learns the demons name, and finds out He’s not just dealing with one, but many demons who have possessed this man. Thus the name Legion.
What’s interesting as well is that when Jesus encountered demons, often they wanted to expose Jesus’s name. The Gospel writer Mark records an example of this in Mark 1:
34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
Mark says when Jesus cast out demons, He forbid them from revealing who He was. So, Why would Jesus do that? Why didn’t he want the demons to identify Him?
Probably because at this early point in His ministry, that information would have worked against Jesus. And apparently the demons knew that. Which is why they wanted to expose Him. Why? Because they knew He was and that He was a threat. But before they could expose Jesus, Jesus forbid them from speaking.
All that to say, knowing names when it comes to demonic encounters was a big deal.
Which makes what happens in Acts 19 even more intriguing. Because in the case of the Jewish exorcists, before they even have a chance to ask this demon his name, the demon is asking them their name. Notice again what Luke says:
15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”
So, what exactly does that mean?
It means demons are fully aware of whose a threat and whose not a threat. Because when engaged by these Jewish men, the demon’s response gives us some insight into their knowledge. What knowledge? Well based on what we just read:
#1 - They are fully aware of who Jesus is. Because the demon plainly states, “Jesus I know”. Which implies, this demon is fully aware of who Jesus is and the power He has over him. The Apostle James puts it like this:
19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
James says the demons have a real fear of God. And that’s good news for you and me.
#2 - They are aware of who is connected to Jesus and may pose a threat.
How do we know that? We know because after declaring he knows who Jesus is, the demon says, “…and Paul I recognize.”
The idea here is that the demon had heard about Paul. In other words, within the demonic world, however it works, word was circulating about a man named Paul. Demonic rumors of a man who was operating in the power of the Spirit. A man to be concerned about.
Which tells us, if somebody is operating in the power of the Spirit, the demonic forces are aware of who that person is.
#3 - They know who isn’t connected to Jesus. We know this because the demon acknowledges his awareness of Jesus and Paul, he says to the Jewish exorcist, “but who are you?”
In other words, “I know who Jesus is, I’ve heard of Paul, but I’ve never heard of you seven bozos. Which means you’re not a threat to me, because you’re not connected to anyone that has power over me.”
And now these seven Jewish men are in trouble. Because here they are, engaging with a demonic being that they have no control over. And the proof of that is seen as they run down the street bare butt naked.
So, a great question would be, “What is this saying to us?”
What it’s saying is this:
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
You see, this story is a great reminder that our battle is spiritual not physical. And that there’s a reason Jesus said we needed to be empowered. And that without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we don’t stand a chance against demonic forces.
Because that was the difference between Paul and these 12 Jewish exorcists. Paul was a born again spirit filled Christian, and the 12 exorcists were not.
Which is the danger for a lot of Christians, who like these Jewish Exorcists try and tackle the demonic without being spiritually empowered by the Spirit.
And then wonder why their witnessing falls short.
Or wonder why they can’t seem to make any progress in their spiritual journey.
Or wonder why if feels like the enemy always has the upper hand.
Which means, if we want to see revival in America. If we want to see the spiritual landscape of our country change. Then we need to change our approach in dealing with the demonic.
Which means, we need to stop thinking the salvation of our country is based on Donald Trump being President again.
Or that getting certain justices on the supreme court will make the difference.
Or hoping that if we could just control both the House and the Senate we could make some real progress for the Kingdom.
Listen, I’m sorry, but Donald Trump isn’t the savior of our country. Him being President for the next 4 years isn’t a threat to Satan. And that’s the problem for a lot of Christians right now who have put their hope in someone who doesn’t have the power to overcome the demonic.
Because I’m going to tell you right now, if that’s our tactic for destroying the demonic influence that has infiltrated our country, then get ready to be sorely disappointed. Get ready for a naked run down the street. Because a conservative in the White House or a republican led Senate and House isn’t what’s going to deliver America from the demonic influence on our nation.
So, what will? How about this. The Christian and churches who are empowered by the HOLY SPIRIT.
You might be thinking, “Ok pastor, that sounds great, but what are you basing that on?”
I base it on what took place after the twelve Jewish exorcists took a naked jog down the street. Because following that, word started getting around about what had happened, which then led to an unexpected response. Because listen to what Luke says happened next:
17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.
Luke says as word about what had happened began to spread, fear fell upon the city.
Why fear? Was it because they were they afraid of what the demon possessed man had done? Were they worried he might beat them up and strip them naked as well?
No. The fear wasn’t a result of what the demon possessed man had done, but what he said concerning Jesus.
Because basically, by admitting his knowledge of Jesus, what this demon had admitted is that Jesus had power and authority over him. Which is why Luke says the people were afraid. Because they weren’t afraid of the demon now. They were actually afraid of Jesus. Which is why Luke says, “…and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.”
Which means, the people began to realize that Jesus was somebody worthy of worship. Somebody who had power. Somebody they had better show respect to. Which then led to the people taken action. Look at what Luke says happened next:
18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.
Luke says the incident with the demon possessed man led to a revival of sorts as the people began to get rid of the demonic influences in their life. As they brought books that taught magic arts and burned them. As they confessed their sin and rid themselves of such practices.
And so great was the amount of books burned that it valued 50,000 pieces of silver, which equates to 50,000 days of wages.
So, think of it like this. Currently the average daily wage in America is around $160. Which means in today’s economics the books that were burned would have valued around 8 million dollars. That’s a lot of money, right?
So, why did they do this? What caused them to take such extreme actions?
They did it because through the extraordinary works that God had done through Paul, the name of Jesus had become known. A name above all other names. The Apostle Paul puts it like this:
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
And as a result, the gospel began to advance at an accelerated rate. Luke puts it like this:
20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
Here’s what this is saying to us. If we want to see a radical shift in our culture and the direction of our country, it’s only going to happen when Christians and churches rise up and are willing to seek the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
And for that to happen, we have to stop putting our hope in political affiliation, and start putting our hope in a risen Savior.
We have to stop putting our hope in a certain President, and start putting our hope in a risen King.
We have to stop trying to do things in our own power and start relying on the empowerment of the Spirit.
Because I can promise you this. If we started to seek empowerment, and started to ask God to work through us in extraordinary ways, people would take notice.
People would take notice when somebody who was sick was miraculously healed.
People would take notice, when all of a sudden people started getting delivered from life controlling substances and immoral lifestyles.
People would take notice when all of a sudden, an entire community has a radical conversion and peoples lives are radically transformed.
I’m just telling you, if the church would seek the empowerment of the Spirit the name of Jesus would be extolled and radical life change would begin to take place.
MCF, I don’t know about you, but I want that for our community, our county, and our country.
But for that to happen, we have to start functioning in the empowerment of the Spirit. Which means, we have to be willing to seek it. Which means, we have to see it as the only answer to battle the demonic forces that surround us.
And I believe more than ever that the future success of the church in America is dependent on the decision to seek the empowerment of the Spirit or not.
Because for too long we’ve tried to function on things that don’t lead to life change.
For some churches, it’s been too much of a focus on tradition and heritage. And as great as those things are, they don’t lead to spiritual transformation.
For other churches, it’s been too much of a focus on becoming relevant and cool. And as important as it is to be relevant to our culture, skinny jeans, fancy shoes, and the coolest trends don’t lead people to spiritual transformation.
For a lot of churches, it’s been too much of a focus on political affiliation. And while voting is important, we have to get away from the idea that if we have a certain man in the White House, everything will be ok.
And for many churches, it’s been too much focus on being politically and culturally correct. To be a church that doesn’t offend or make people feel bad. But I’m sorry, unless a person recognizes their sin, there can never be spiritual transformation.
But what if instead of all that, we focused on the name of Jesus and the empowerment of the Spirit. What if we took what Jesus said to heart back in Acts 1. Where he says:
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
What if we sought that? What if we made spiritual empowerment a priority? What if we allowed the Holy Spirit to empower us so that God could do extraordinary works through us. So that the name of Jesus would be extolled. So that hell itself would say, “Yes, we’ve heard of that Christian. Yes we’ve heard of that church. And Yes, they are most definitely a threat.”
Because I believe if that became our focus, not only would we make an impact, but through the empowerment of he Spirit the word of the Lord would increase and prevail mightily.
The question then is, “What do we do to make that the focus?”
As we close, I’d like to suggest three steps:
Step #1 - Start putting your hope in the right name.
The truth is, too often we put our hope in powerless names. And I mean that both literally and figuratively.
As I mentioned a few moments ago, the name of Trump is a great example of where many Christians have wrongly put their hope.
So, instead of putting your hope in the wrong names, my suggestion is that you start putting your hope in the right name, the only name. The name of Jesus. Because it’s only through Jesus that true hope will come.
Step #2 - Seek the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
How do we do this? We talked about this last week, but it’s worth repeating:
First, you have to be a Christian. And by that I’m talking about a born again Christian. Somebody who recognizes their need for a savior and has put their hope for salvation in Jesus and Jesus alone. A decision that has led to a transformational work of the Holy Spirit in their life.
Second, you have to be a Christian that is committed the ongoing work of sanctification in your life. A Christian who is avoiding the works of the flesh as they grow in the fruit of the Spirit. A Christian who is saying no to the world ways and yes to the way of the Spirit.
Finally, you have to be a Christian who is committed to the mission of gospel advancement. Because the truth is, that’s who the empowerment is for. It’s for Christians who want to make a difference for the Kingdom. Christians who understand this life isn’t what we are living for. Christians who want to make a kingdom impact. Christians for who the enemy would say, “Yes, I’ve heard of them.”
Step #3 -Burn anything in your life that connects you to demonic influence.
I think this is a real issue for a lot of Christians. Christians who knowingly and maybe unknowingly have opened the door to the demonic in their life. And as a result, it’s keeping them from walking in the empowerment of the Spirit.
For some, it’s some of the television shows you watch. Shows that glorify sinful living. Shows that put the most grotesque sin on display and present it as normal.
For others, maybe it’s the music you listen too or the books you are reading. Lyrics and reading material that are shaping your mind and thinking in an ungodly way.
For some men, maybe it’s the images you are looking at. Pornographic images that are polluting your mind and creating demonic thoughts and desires.
For women, maybe it’s the reality shows you are watching that portray life and relationships in an unbiblical way. Unbiblical ways that are now forming your thinking and how you live your life.
For some, maybe it’s a form of idolatry. And what I mean by that, is that you have something in your life that has put God in second place in your life. Maybe its another person. Maybe it’s a hobby. Maybe it’s an app on your phone, I don’t know, like Facebook.
“Pastor, are you saying Facebook is demonic??”
I would say this. If used in moderation and for moral purposes, Facebook is a great tool for communication, advertisement, and connecting with friends and family.
But let’s just be honest. Facebook is rarely used in moderation, and for most people it has become a tool that crates division, brings out the worst out in them, and allows them to say things they’d never say in person. And I’m going to tell you right now, Satan loves every minute of it. Which then makes it demonic.
All that to say, if we want to be spirit empowered, we need to make sure we rid ourselves of the demonic influence we may have allowed in our life. Which means, you may need to go to the Lord and ask Him, “Lord, what do I needs to go to the burn pile? What in my life is keeping me from experiencing everything you have for me?”
And then when the Lord shows you, and He will, light a match and get rid of it. Regardless of the cost. Regardless of what you’ve invested in it. Burn it.
MCF, my desire is that we would become not just a friendly church, or a church with a great kids’ program, or a church with great worship. Because while all of that is important. None of it matters if we’re not a spiritually empowered church. A church where the extraordinary happens. A church where the name of Jesus is extolled. A church where hell itself acknowledges that we are a force to be reckoned with. Why? Because we are operating in the power of the Spirit.
Let’s Pray