October 22, 2024
Motives in life are important. As followers of Christ, we must evaluate our motives for serving. Do we serve to gain glory? How should our motives be different from unbelievers? For example, are we motivated by the potential for recognition? Are we motivated by Scripture? Are Christian leaders motivated by money when determining where they want to serve? As a new Christian in high school, I chose a life verse to motivate me in my service to the Lord. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:17).
God’s power helps us evaluate our motives. Are we serving in the Kingdom of Christ to glorify Him, or are we seeking to build our own religious empire or kingdom?
God performed mighty miracles through Paul during his ministry in Ephesus. The verb “performing” in the Christian Standard Bible suggests that God empowered Paul on a regular basis to perform these extraordinary miracles of healing and exorcisms. The means were also extraordinary.
Even facecloths or aprons that had touched Paul’s skin healed the sick and resulted in the departure of evil spirits. When have you seen God at work, healing physically or spiritually?
Ephesus had a reputation for being a center of magical and occult practices. Traveling Jewish exorcists attempted a ministry of exorcism. Jewish exorcists were famous in antiquity for their ability to manipulate demonic beings. Were their motives pure? Maybe not. Were they attempting to counter Paul’s ministry? The Jewish exorcists attempted to gain power over demon-possessed people by commanding the spirits to leave in the name of the Lord Jesus that Paul preached. We see that even the spirits knew Jesus and the nature of Paul’s ministry.
In one of the most humorous narratives in the Bible, not only were the Jewish exorcisms not effective, but the demons attacked the seven sons of Sceva, who was a Jewish high priest. The seven sons ran out of the house wounded and naked. Nakedness was viewed as shameful in Jewish culture.
How can believers ensure their motives are pure? How can we evaluate the motives of others without becoming judgmental?
Except for Catholics and some Pentecostals, the church in America does not generally talk about exorcisms, but the same is not true in other places on the earth, particularly in developing nations.
The exorcism in Ephesus resulted in fear among Jews and Greeks. Does Luke describe negative fear due to the recent exorcisms, or does the fear the Jews and Greeks had refer to the “fear of the Lord”?
Perhaps Luke is communicating that the response included both human fear and godly fear. Either way, Jesus was held in high esteem, and the miracle produced a change as some believers confessed their sins and disclosed their occult practices. Jesus and the occult cannot both exist in the heart of a believer.
The public repentance resulted in the message of the Lord Jesus prevailing over the demonic. How should we respond to God’s authority in our lives?
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This lesson was written by Mark Rathel, pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in DeFuniak Springs, Fla., and originally published by The Baptist Paper. This study is based on the Explore the Bible curriculum from Lifeway Christian Resources. The Sunday School lesson outlines are provided by Lifeway.
