Imitation Game

Fake. Phony. Not real. pretending to be something that it’s not. That’s what an imitation is. An imitation is something or someone who will try to simulate or copy something else.

In some venues this kind of behavior is harmless and even kind of funny!

Take for instances comedians or friends who can do funny imitations of celebrities or politicians, or maybe even other friends within their circle. We might have moments of fun (so long it is done in good taste) as we enjoy a good imitation.

Imitations in other venues, however, are not so fun and can cause a great deal of trouble.

In the economic sector, manufactures may try to imitate another companies high tech or highly valued product.

Oakley sunglasses, for instance, is a brand that many off brands try to imitate. In fact, some companies will even place fake Oakley logos on their glasses to make you think you are buying the real deal.

What about Rolex watches? Same story here. A person may think they are buying a real Rolex decked out with the precious metals and stones, but what they are getting is in fact an imitation… a fake. They traded high amounts of money for something that is… worthless.

So products might be copied and logos misused… but what about other situations where real damage can be done to a person’s life?

We hear stories of people imitating doctors. People who somehow fake their way into clinics with fake credentials and actually see patients.

We hear stories of people imitating or impersonating police officers.

They wear the badge, they have the uniform, they have all the tools on the belt: the gun, the hand cuffs, the taser, and the radio. Some will even deck out their car with lights so they can pull people over.

They use this look to pretend to be something they are not… they use this look, and particularly the badge, to steal authority that does not belong to them.

A person might recognize this badge and the “authority” that it represents, but the problem is the city or state who issues those badges… who are represented in those badges… do not recognize that person as an officer and has granted that person no authority whatsoever.

The same could be said of people who impersonate individuals in the medical field. They might have “papers” or credentials but that gives them no real backing or authority in the real world.

Here’s the deal: You can make a badge, where the uniform, learn the terminology, use the logos, print the credentials, and play the game… and a person might be convinced by the imitation… but at the end of the day, no real progress is made, no real value is obtained.

Spiritually… THIS IS A BIG DEAL! And yes… there are those who would imitate knowing Jesus and even teaching Jesus who have no idea who Jesus really is! They might say the right words and establish the right look and some might even fall for it… but they have no spiritual authority because they do not know THE spiritual authority who is Christ.

The Backstory

Tonight we are going to look at a story in Acts 19 that reveals an Imitation Game being played by some guys who want to walk in the Spiritual authority of Jesus… but they did not know Him as Lord and Savior.

Scripture identifies these guys as the seven sons of Sceva. Sceva was a Jewish priest and his sons… were not the only Jews in the area playing this game… and I’ll lay out the details of this game in just a moment.

God had been doing some amazing things leading up to this event in Acts 19.

Through his travels, Paul had become acquainted with Priscilla and Aquila. They went with Paul from Corinth to Ephesus. While they were there, Priscilla and Aquila heard of a Jewish man by the name of Apollos who was teaching about Jesus. They met with him and discipled him and God continued to move through him powerfully.

Because of his ministry, several people were baptised in water. When Paul came on the scene, they prayed for and received the baptism in the Holy Spirit - with the evidence of speaking in other tongues (Acts 19:4-7)

God was on the move! In fact, Acts 19:11-12 speaks of just how powerfully God was moving in that region and through Paul.

Acts 19:11–12 NIV

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.

Now obviously this kind of activity would not be happening without others taking notice of what was taking place. There were individuals that saw this and wanted to operate in this same kind of power and authority. Even today… we see this same thing taking place.

The handkerchief. What was given in Scripture here in Acts is what we would call descriptive… NOT prescriptive. Acts is describing what took place not prescribing a certain way of doing things.

Can God operate like this again? Certainly He can! But the key was not the hankie… the key was the power and authority of Jesus that was moving in and through Paul.

The method was NOT the key to the miracle. The miracle came by faith and anointing. The miracle came from Jesus.

The problem was… there were a few people who observed what was taking place and… had the thought, “You know… this would be REALLY good for business!” What business were they in? The business of driving out evil spirits. Acts 19:13 gives the account.

Acts 19:13 NIV

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.”

These guys witnessed the miracles and though they could cash in on what was happening. They didn’’t know Jesus… but perhaps in they used His name… they would see the same miracles that surrounded Paul and his ministry.

They thought if they flashed the badge… if they provided the credentials… if they used the logo and had the look, they too could be doers of these amazing things. They knew the name of Jesus… but no authority had been given to them. Why? Because they didn’t know Jesus… they didn’t have a relationship with Him.

They copied the method… and missed the miracle.

The Aftermath

What takes place next is not a pretty picture. Seven sons of Sceva decided they would do this as well. But watch what happens when they play this imitation game. Acts 19:15-16 gives us the details.

Acts 19:15–16 NIV

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.

Whoa. This is intense. These guys get their game handed to them… and I mean that literally.

First, Spiritual warfare is no game… it is warfare. And if we approach it like some kind of game, we just might get our game handed to us.

So what happened here? The evil spirits the seven sons were attempting to drive out called out the imitation. These guys had no spiritual authority to do what they were attempting to do.

They flashed the badge… they used the name. But they didn’t have the backing they needed. They didn’t have a relationship with Christ to back the “badge” they had just presented.

Remember what these guys were saying, “In the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” They were imitating Paul’s method but they could not imitate or replicate the relationship that gave Paul the spiritual authority to do what he was doing in the name of the Lord.

What happened was, these guys tried to manufacture a move of God by imitating the methods used by others. But they had missed the most important part - they did not know Jesus personally. They had no faith, no Spirit, and therefore no authority to do what they attempted to do.

What We Need to Understand

We need to be careful, church, that we do not fall into this same potentially harmful spiritual pattern. We need to be careful not to get fixated on the method, but rather we need to keep our eyes and faith in the One who is the giver of miracles.

Acts 19 is the source of one of the most misused passages of Scripture - specifically the anointed handkerchief.

I have witnessed televangeleist misuse it for dishonest gain. Send me money and we will send you an anointed cloth that will heal you of your infirmity.

I have seen church goers misuse this passage out of a lack of understanding. The emphasis is placed on the method… not the giver of the miracle.

Can God still do this? Absolutely. Has God done this in recent days and years? I’m sure He has. But if it is to happen according to His will and authority, IT MUST BE LED AND ANOINTED OF THE SPIRIT. We cannot imitate a method and hope to manufacture a move of God.

So let’s look at what was going on that allowed God to move so powerfully through Paul.

First, there was a very real and strong relationship between Paul and Jesus. Paul moved and operated according to the Spirit’s leading which meant he was ministering according to the will and plan of God.

When the twelve guys received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit when Paul laid hands on them, it was because Paul was anointed of the Spirit and was given authority by Jesus through the relationship Paul had with Him.

Recently at Woodston Camp, the evangelist announced he had learned the key to helping people receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit - the key is found in the laying on of hands. It was said that this “method” came straight out of Scripture.

Yet Scripture would also support the reception of the Baptism without the laying on of hands. Take for instance the very first outpouring of the Spirit in the upper room.

He took descriptive Scripture and made them Prescriptive.

Church, the key in receiving is having a relationship with Christ and a heart that is open to receive. THAT’S IT. No one needs to blow in your face, lay hands on you, push you over, karate chop your shoulders, or tell you what. to say or repeat. PLACING CONFIDENCE IN THE METHOD WILL CAUSE US TO MISS THE MIRACLE.

The sick were healed, their illnesses were cured, and evil spirits left those possessed… not because Paul knew the right motions and methods… but because Paul was anointed and given authorization by the Spirit.

Does God still move in these incredible ways? Absolutely! Must we anoint a handkerchief or do exactly as Paul did in these days in Acts? Absolutely NOT! GOD DID THESE MIRACLES THROUGH PAUL.

Paul was not imitating or pretending… Paul was obeying and following. Paul wasn’t looking to build his name or his reputation… Paul was making the name of Jesus known.

And even though these seven sons of Sceva had a bad experience because of their imitation game… God still moved throughout the region. God used this unfortunate event to make known the name of Jesus.

God Will Have the Final Word

Paul was the real deal. Paul was operating according to the anointing and authority granted to him by the Spirit. And even though a group decided to imitate and operate with the same method… even though they were NOT operating by the same Spirit… the Spirit of God moved in mighty ways.

Look at what happens in Acts 19:17-20. After the seven sons are beaten and publically humiliated by an evil spirit… God still had the final say.

Acts 19:17–20 NIV

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.

The name of the Lord, the name that is above all names, the name of Jesus was held in great honor. It was realized that there is POWER in the name… power that is realized through the placement of faith in Jesus.

Paul was real… the seven sons were not. Paul didn’t flash a “badge” to show his spiritual authority, Paul simply allowed that authority to flow through Him. The sevens sons… well this wasn’t the case. So the region got to see the real deal versus the phony display… and they wanted what Paul had.

Confessions began to pour in. Sorcery was on the run, valuable scrolls were burned - scrolls worth 50,000 drachmas.

A drachma was a days wage. If we take today’s average daily household wage and multiply by 50,000, the value in today’s money would be somewhere around 9.4 million dollars!!!

God was on the move and Satan was on the run. Consider this… the evil spirit may have given the imitators the beat down… by it had NO CHANCE against the true POWER and AUTHORITY of Jesus Christ!

Closing

Here’s the REALLY cool part… we don’t have to pretend to know Jesus… We don’t have to settle for going through the motions or copying the methods of others. WE CAN KNOW HIM PERSONALLY.

We do not have to settle for speaking of the Savior that someone else knows and follows. We can KNOW Him, we can follow Him, we can be anointed of Him, we can receive His Spirit, we can operate in His authority so long as our faith remains strong in Him.

We do not have to play an imitation game… God wants to move in us and through us. He desires for each of us to operate for His glory right where He has planted us.

This passage tells us what can happen when we have a genuine relationship with Christ. It also shows what might happen when we play games with God. I’m not suggesting that an evil spirit is going to rough you up… but a person might find themselves powerless against an aggressive enemy.

So as we close tonight… I want us to consider how it is we are doing things. Are we relying on the method for the miracle… or are we following the one true source of all miracles?

God will move as He sees fit to move… and we know He is moving in these last days. Will we choose to position ourselves to be a part of His move… or will we choose to imitate… choose to pretend… choose to flash a “badge” instead of walk in His power and authority?

I never want to play games with God… God will always have the final word. And the final word I desire for God to say over me is “Well done my good and faithful servant.” I desire to serve Him well. Does anyone here share that same desire?

Then let’s do a check up… are we trying to manufacture a move of God through repeated motions and methods or… are we willing to follow Jesus in obedience and faith… in anointing and authority?

Jesus said to expect a mighty move. Jesus said to His disciples in John 14:12

John 14:12 NIV

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

And before He went to the Father, He gave this last commission in Matthew 28:18-20

Matthew 28:18–20 NIV

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

All authority was given to Jesus… and He commissioned His church to continue the mission - to keep leading people to salvation. This is no game… now is not a day to pretend. Now is a day to walk in and operate according to His anointing and authority.