And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”
(Acts 19:15)
If you remember, James reminds us that the demons shudder at the thought of God (see James 2:19). Demons, also known as evil spirits, aren’t afraid of much. Throughout the Scriptures, we see them as the terrors, not the terrified. It is only God who they tremble before because they recognize His authority and might. They flee from God’s power—but ONLY God’s power.
Acts 19 is an example of this. The evil spirit recognizes Jesus as the Son of God (which scares him), and he recognizes Paul as one sent by Jesus (which also scares him), but the seven brothers who were masquerading as servants of the Most High gave this evil being no qualms at all. He jumps on them and gives them a good ol’ fashioned mugging.
Those seven men used Jesus’ name, but they didn’t follow Him, and the demon could recognize the difference. “Who are you?” he asks.
And maybe, we should be asking ourselves the same question. “Who am I?” and more specifically, “Who am I in relation to Jesus?” Would Jesus say I belong to Him? Or would He deny me because I have denied Him? Just because my life might deceive others into thinking of me as a religious man, doesn’t mean it would fool those in the spiritual realm. Both God and Satan can smell out the hypocrites.
We call ourselves Christians, but what do we mean by that? Do we mean that we worship on a certain day, and that is what makes us Christians? Or do we mean that we own a Bible, and that is what makes us Christians? A skin-deep connection to the King won’t cut it. I fear we might make the mistake of those seven brothers in thinking that saying the right words as some sort of incantation is a replacement for a full and robust faith in Jesus of Nazareth.
Our discipleship needs to be deeper and more immersive for us to be recognized as one who belongs to Jesus. The power is not in just saying the words or performing the acts of obedience, but in doing so with a desire to imitate and follow the King. It isn’t about regurgitation…but transformation.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites