‘The Power of God and other powers’ – Acts Chapter 19 vs 11 – 22

Sixth Sunday after Easter

The Collect 

(The special Prayer for the day)                                                                                                                  
 ‘God, our Redeemer, who delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of your Son, grant that as by his death he has recalled us to life, so by his continual presence with us he may raise us to eternal joy: this we pray through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.’ Amen.

Sometimes in life things just come together in a way that seems, to some, to be purely a matter of chance or coincidence: to others, though, this is seen as much more a matter of God’s timing – and in part at least for the sake of those who can only believe in chance and coincidence! Now I’m not one to make a big issue of such curious comings together, though in hindsight such things have so often seemed to me to be the work of God rather than coincidence. It’s wise at least, surely, to be open to the possibility that God is interested in us, in what we do, and what we might be tempted to do if none the wiser.

So when I saw what today’s first reading was about – the clash of spiritual powers in Ephesus; and when I read the Collect for today – especially the first line; I did wonder if the Lord’s hand was not somehow involved, given our concerns over next Saturday’s ‘Tea and Tarot’ at the Memorial Hall.              

Now I know that some people in the village think that our having a special prayer meeting this coming Wednesday, part of which will be to pray against the affects of this so that there will be no casualties, is somewhat ‘OTT’ - over the top. But for Christians who take the spiritual realm, the spiritual dimension to life, seriously, we are called to action and especially to prayer – prayer against the ‘powers of darkness’ in whatever guise; and prayer for those who might be tempted to dabble with such powers. As C. S. Lewis once said, the two great mistakes people make are either to dance with the Devil or to think that he does not exist and does not interfere in this world and people’s lives.

Certainly our modern materialistic and scientific - or popular pseudo-scientific - emphasis on life and the explanations for it have rather pushed the spiritual world to the sidelines; albeit that I come across many people – I’m sure you do too – who have come to realise that there most certainly is a spiritual dimension to life that, well, just does not fit in to our materialistic and scientific categories and explanations. It’s there though; and on many occasions as we have already seen in the Book of Acts with its account of the growth of the early Church we see the clash between, on the one hand, the powers of deceit and darkness which entrap so many, and, on the other, the power of truth and light, embodied of course supremely in the person of Jesus, that not only liberates but is given by him as a gift to those who believe in him and who want to serve him as faithful and effective disciples in his continuing mission of reconciling a rebellious and unbelieving world to God.

Here in Ephesus in this morning’s reading we are presented with one of these clashes between light and darkness, deceit and truth: and I think there are some hugely important lessons for us to learn and then to consider applying in our own discipleship.

Ephesus was a centre of occult practices and the worship of many different idols. We learn from Luke v 11 that ‘God did unusual works of power through Paul.’ But it is quite clear that these works were effective because of the faith of those who brought the handkerchiefs or aprons that Paul had touched. And notice that the use of this ‘unusual power’ was not for evil or for personal gain but for good and for the good of others. And that is a good measure or test of whether something unusual, something miraculous, is from God or from elsewhere. Are evil or personal gain the aim or the result; or is it for good, for others, and to glorify God?

Miracles can be hard to understand but, as I have said before, we are dealing with God and so we cannot expect to understand everything of what He does; though I think miracles are best understood not as an offence against the laws of nature but as the perfecting of them; a taste of the Kingdom of God, an invitation into it, a glimpse of the ‘sure hope’ that is ours through faith in him. On the other hand, Jesus did warn us that the Devil is the Father of Lies and deceives people about the strength of his power. 

And let us be perfectly frank about this; some people are easily deceived, and usually because they want to exercise power for their own ends or gains. The trouble is that what they do not realise is this, that they do not control the power: rather, the power actually controls them. And this again is so different from the power God gives as a gift to use for the benefit, primarily, of others. Jesus deals in love, not lies.

Well obviously others see the effectiveness of this power exercised by Paul and want to cash in on the name of Jesus vs 13 - 16. But they get a salutary lesson in dabbling in something they do not understand. Jesus’ name and his power are not to be used like a spell – you know, in the way Harrison Ford as Dr. Jones does in the films – for personal gain or aggrandisement. The desire and the ability to use the name of Jesus and his power comes from a confidence in Him and His power based upon a confident relationship with Him and knowledge of Him as ‘Lord of all’ to whom ‘all authority in earth and heaven has been given’.

In vs 18 – 20 we see how the power of Jesus and the truth, the ‘word’, about him changes people, turns them and their lives right round. These verses are a wonderful illustration of a genuine and healthy repentance in the face of the power and the truth of Jesus. 

First they are convicted of their desperate need for salvation, their need to be freed from those things in their lives that they now realise to be wrong and unhealthy. Secondly, they show the humility, the courage, and the honesty v18 to ‘confess and disclose their practices’. And then thirdly they demonstrate that they have truly repented by giving up and, here, actually destroying what before had governed and guided their lives.

This is certainly a powerful and convincing testimony to others, perhaps considering the state of their own lives, of the power and the truth and the love of Jesus who came ‘to open the eyes of the blind and to set the captives free’. Of course it cost them dearly: for some their livelihood; and in a few years time for some their decision that day will have cost them their lives.

So, ‘the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed’; and so it does today where it is faithfully preached – and not some other different ‘gospel’ – and where it is believed and those hearing it decide to turn from lives and lifestyles which are unhealthy or selfish or dangerous to themselves or to others, to accept Jesus as their Saviour, their Lord, and their Friend.

It is better to journey this life with Jesus than to dance with the Devil. And we should remember what Jesus had to say about those who sit on the fence regarding him and who He is and what He calls us to turn from and become for Him and for the sake of others. Again ‘It is enough that good men do nothing for evil to prosper.’(Edmund Burke) This is why He wants us not just to be good people but effective disciples: and we can only be effective disciples if we are prepared to share his truth with others, to welcome and allow His power to be at work in us for others, and to love our neighbours as ourselves.

There is a spiritual battle going on; and a great part of the problem, as far as many Christians are concerned, is ignorance or even, sadly, wilful refusal to work with God and with the spiritual resources He gives us to overcome the enemy. That enemy is The Father of Lies who can appear as an ‘angel of light’. We have been warned; we have been called: let us not be found wanting. It is so much better to journey with Jesus rather than on our own; and if we are journeying with Jesus then we would be very foolish even to consider even one short dance with the DEVIL.

Anecdote

A fellow clergyman had been called to a house in his town because of ‘strange goings on in the house: bangings, movements, changes of temperature, etc. On arrival at the house, a man opened the door to him and announced, ‘I am a scientific atheist and I don’t believe in these things.’ My colleague replied, ‘Well if you’re a scientific atheist, whatever that is, why did you call me and not the plumber or the electrician?’