Acts 19

My father is not really a very typical man... In fact, he is very different from other fathers... Not in a bad way though... I have always appreciated his uniqueness... Though I must admit that sometimes I am a little shy about it... He's never afraid to be different from others... And from him, I learnt to be proud of who I am, even if I am very different from others... From him I learnt that it does not matter how many people are doing something... it does not make that thing right...

If a 100 persons do something wrong... it does not make the wrong thing right.. Similarly, if only 1 person does the right thing, it does not make him wrong... Therefore, always have a mind of your own... Most people are followers... they are just doing what everyone else is doing.. and that might not necessarily be the right thing... Look at the signs around you, make you own decision and stick to it...

To be a leader, you must not be afraid to be the first one walking out into the darkness of uncertainty... Unlike the others, you will have no one else to follow except for God himself... Which is good... it will lead you inevitably closer in your walk with God...

Today, I would like to share with you a story that I just stumbled upon in the bible.. I find it incredibly interesting... and funny in a way... =)

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Acts 19: 8-20

Paul entered the synagague 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 publicably 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.

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 Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish Priest, were doing this. One day, the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, 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.

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 honour. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. 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.

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Paul is an amazing man... He was the chosen one.. The one who persecuted and led to the stoning of many new christians... and Yet, God chose him and revealed himself to Paul to make him the vehicle of transport of the message of the new covenant to all the world... and even today, as we study Paul... always bear in mind that Paul himself was a Jew.. and not just any Jew, but one who persecuted christians... His entire existance as a servant of God and the apostle of the new covenant is so grounded on grace because nothing in the natural validates his status... In fact, I believe fervently that it is his lack of natural credentials that made him so perfect an apostle of grace...

So Paul went around spreading the news of Jesus's death and resurrection... Teaching people about the new covenant Jesus has died to established, he spoke boldly in public, argued persuasively and had daily discussions... It was his full time job... and of course, even Paul had his share of hardship... for there were those who did not believe and other violent non-believers who publicably maligned him. But he did not give up.... He persevered... and Yes... he carried on doing his full time job till every Jew and Greek in the province of Asia new about his message of the new covenant... about Jesus...

I truly believe that paul must have truly and full-hearted believed every single word he preached... He knew Jesus and he knew Jesus died and rose again for he saw him after his death... and because he believed it so strongly, he was able to spread the message... Because he believed it without a doubt, and was bold in his preaching... he was able to perform great miracles that even his handkerchief could drive out evil spirits... Imagine how blessed Paul is... and how powerful God has made him...

So of course, many Jews started to understand the power of the Lord Jesus... When the opportunity came and they had to cast out demons and perform exorcisms, they thought that perhaps they should try invoking the name of Jesus and Paul... And it worked!! Yes for the first few times it did... until they met a stronger or rather, more intelligent demon who spoke straight in their faces " I know Jesus. I know Paul. But who are you?".... It is almost funny if you think about it... how something even Paul's handkerchief could accomplish, the presence of men with words were unable to do... And of course, how the evil spirit was able to overpower all of them...

The moral of the story.. You cannot sell something you do not believe in... Similarly, if you believe in something you got to be bold about it... God's grace and God's promises are not flimsy concepts... they are strong weapons against all powers of darkness be it depression, diseases, evil spirits... but why do they work on some people and not on others?

Have you ever seen a sales person selling a product he/she does not believe in? Certainly the sales would be quite poor because whatever he says will be unconvincing... His conversation would sound abit like this:

"This knife is good. It can cut through all types of meat and vegetables."

"what about frozen meat? Are you sure it can cut through that?"

"Erm, I don't know... Should be."

"Does it need to be sharpened? Do you sell the sharpener?"

"I am not sure."

"Is it better than last month's model? In what way?"

"I am so sorry... I really don't know."

And that's when the customer walks away... You can't sell something you don't know about and something you don't believe in... That is exactly why the Jews were unable to invoke Jesus's name and cast out the demons... Simply because they didn't know Jesus and they did not believe in him...

So for all you believers out there... please be bold in your love for God.... When people ask you if you christian.. say YES I AM... Don't be embarassed about it... and when people ask you about God's grace... be bold and say that I believe that Jesus died on the cross the most painful and humiliating death ever so that I can recieve all the goodness and blessings that I do not deserve... and that is what grace is... receiving what I do not deserve because Jesus on the cross recieved what he did not deserve...

And do yourself a favour... Read the bible... Learn and understand more about Jesus... So that when hardship and diseases and all kinds of tribulations come your way... you can boldly look them in the eye and say, "I am a child of God. The one whom God loves. And I have authority over you because of Jesus... so please leave at once." You will not fail like those in the story... Because truly, God has already given you the same divine authority that he has given Paul... It is a matter of how much you know about it...

Of course, the story ends with how people begin to believe the authority of Jesus and to confess their sins openly... Another beautiful picture of how God can make something good come out of something evil...