⁸ And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.¹⁰ This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

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. ¹³Some 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.” ¹⁴Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵(One day) the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” ¹⁶Then 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.  ¹⁷When 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. ¹⁸Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. ¹⁹A 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. ²⁰In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

Meditation

1. Paul’s ministry in Ephesus was blessed by God with miracles and wonders.  Some seeing this tried to imitate Paul’s ministry by using Jesus’ name to cast out evil spirits.  But they failed miserably.  Wonderful things happened among many of the believers.  The word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
2. Uttering or chanting the name of Jesus is no key to supernatural power.  The key is having a personal relationship with Jesus, being available to Him and learning to see where He is at work.
3. Do you use Jesus’ name lightly?  If so, are you willing to honour God and ask him to help you off this bad habit?
4. Is there still anything in your life that belongs to the idols or witchcraft?  Are you willing to get rid of them all?  Do you want to honour God by getting rid of these objects?  Ask God to give you peace and strength for it.  (It’s best you consult your pastor or church leader for this decision and ask for their prayer and direction.)

Family Time (Begin this time by reading the passage above using a children’s Bible.)

Do you use Jesus’ name often?  Did you use it because of your love and respect of Jesus or for other reasons?  What is so important of Jesus’ name?  How do we use Jesus’ name properly?  Parent, lead the family for a prayer of confession, if needed, and ask Jesus to help everyone to treat Jesus and His name with love and respect.  Make a poster reminding everyone to respect Jesus’ name.  Draw it in your Family Devotional Journal.

Prayer & Journaling:  On your prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 14:12-14

¹² There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.  ¹³ Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief.  ¹⁴ The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.