The World Hates Me (Thinks I'm Very Odd) And That's Okay.

Can we all agree that there is no such thing on this earth as having a perfect life? We have expectations of how life should be, how we imagine a perfect life will be, but isn't. We tell ourselves if only this would change, or if I had that, and maybe if this wasn't how I was born- life would be much better. Why couldn't I have that look, or be born with those genes, and into that seemingly idyllic family. We will never have a perfect life. Nothing will ever give us a perfect life. There isn't a single person alive today that has had a perfect life.

We are perceived by others as being odd, and to their way of thinking we may be odd. We are perceived by MOST others as being odd, and to all their way of thinking we may be odd. We are perceived by EVERYONE as being odd, and to everyone's thinking we may be odd. To ourselves we just are. We didn't set out to be odd to anyone. We didn't set out to be different from the majority acceptable norm. We turned out this way because individuality exists.

I'm not the smartest person, I don't have the best common sense, I'm not the prettiest person, I don't have the best body shape (even thin as a board should thinnest be a criteria for best body). I don't have the best hair- not even close. My skin is awful with moles, freckles, age spots, wrinkles and various imperfections too numerous to account for. By all accounts based on every single one of these things just mentioned, I am a huge mess of a human being.

Some of the mess is my own doing, but a lot of it is not. I can't with thinking change a single thing about myself. Externally and internally I am filled with flaws that make people say-

I can't believe you didn't (insert what I didn't do here). I can't believe you thought (insert weird thinking I do here). I wish you would have (insert the many wishes I've left unfilled). Why couldn't you (insert what I couldn't do here). Shouldn't you be (insert what I should be instead). If you'd only do this (insert thing I should do) then you'd be different. Stop obsessing over (insert obsessiveness here). How could you think that (insert odd thoughts). Do you know you made me feel like I can't (insert how I obstructed feelings). Because you reacted this way (insert my not good reaction here) I can't be myself around you. With your believing (insert my beliefs) I have to watch what I say around you. This list goes on and on and on… and on… and on…….. Yes, and on. Even in my bubble wrapped world of immediate family I often end up the really odd one.

What am I left to believe? The beliefs of what so many say or something else?

The beliefs of so many, I have to believe that. The majority rules after all.

So to be able to live with myself I call myself eccentric and somehow that helps a little bit . It makes me sound okay in my extremely flawed state of being. Don't mind me, I'm just very eccentric. Nice way of saying, yeah, I know I'm weird but, hey, it's okay.

If this is your story too, don't be surprised- we are all strange to each other and some accept the others strangeness without pointing it out, while others can't help but point it out- it makes them somehow feel good about themselves.

I can let what others think destroy me, or I can accept myself and the realization that until my Savior returns and changes my vile, corruptible, flawed body and mind- I will be what I am- completely and utterly imperfect, and only growing more so over time hitting me with the 'you are aging really badly' stick. I can let Christ be the perfection I need in me, not me be perfect. I'm not perfect I'm the misshaped, oddball, who stands out even among a world of oddballs- but Christ in me is perfect.

Joh_14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Joh_15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

Joh_15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

Joh_16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Joh_17:14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Joh_17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

Joh_17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

How Often Do You Think of Heaven?

The kingdom of heaven, how often do you think about the kingdom of heaven?

How often should we think about the kingdom of heaven?

Ask a person who has been taken reluctantly from their beloved homeland to a land far away how often they think of their home and what do you think they'd tell you?

Pay close attention to the word reluctantly.

If you have a dream of returning to your homeland which you left - not because you wanted to leave but because you had no choice in the matter- wouldn't you think of it often? What if all your efforts go into returning? The job you have is worked hard so you can save money to make that return possible. Perhaps you have more than one job because you so desperately want to return home. Maybe you sacrifice a lot of things just so you can keep the majority of your earnings for the anticipated journey. Do you think of your homeland often if all that is the case? Yes.

You make the best of your circumstances but you refuse to put your earnings into making the place you are living now into anything but the barest minimum for survivability, the basic comforts only, no luxuries- you really, really want to go home. You make friends with some of those around you but you do so with them knowing of your dream of going home and all the plans you make are towards that end. Your desperation to return home is something that you keep before you all the time, your love for your home is so strong nothing can deter you from it, not a single thing. So how often are you thinking of your home when your entire life is focused on getting back there?  All the time. You are truly thinking of your home all the time because it is something you want so fiercely.

Let me ask you again- how often should we think of the kingdom of heaven?

I think you know the answer.

*******

Mar 4:30  And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? 

Mar 4:31  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: 

Mar 4:32  But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. 

Tiny seed.

Heaven.

Tiny seed planted.

Heaven opened through the gospel Jesus preached.

Tiny seed sprouted.

The message of heaven through the sacrifice of Jesus spreading.

Tiny seed sprouted growing and growing.

The gospel spreading and spreading.

Tiny seed no longer tiny but a huge tree.

The gospel of the kingdom realized in full.

Defiant Obedience Vs. Lying Disobedience.

Who will get into the kingdom of God?

People envision a certain sort of person getting into heaven on one hand, and on the other they envision everyone getting in.  The flip side of that coin might be people envisioning a certain sort of person not getting into heaven, and no one getting in at all.

If you had to make a list of people you believe are guaranteed heaven who might be on that list?

Did your mind instantly go to a loved one that died? Surely, simply because we love someone and it eases our minds to think it, we want those people in heaven when we all are called to rise and meet Jesus in the air- the dead and the living. We want our loved ones with us, we want to be called to Jesus at that last trump. But who will get into the kingdom of God? We KNOW Jesus tells us that NOT everyone will get into heaven. We've read it time and again that a lot of people are NOT going to be called to Jesus in that last day. So, who will get into the kingdom of God?

There are no shortage of parables from Jesus on this as we have been studying off and on for almost a month. It's no wonder either, because Jesus came to preach the good news- the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus' ministry was all about the Kingdom of Heaven and the way to that kingdom through Him. Jesus knew He was the ultimate sacrifice that would be needed to insure that humanity had a way of restoration to their original purpose upon creation- to be with God, to be in the way of God filled with love, with the oneness intended, to be united in such a way as to never part from God.

Mat 21:28  But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. 

Mat 21:29  He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. 

Mat 21:30  And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. 

Mat 21:31  Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 

Mat 21:32  For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him. 

Picking up on yet another message from our Savior He spoke the above message about two sons- one asked to do something and he refused but then went and did it anyway- another asked to do something and he agreed but then he didn't do it.  Most of us can imagine this situation quite clearly. Would we rather someone say no, and then do it? Or someone say yes, and not do it?

Either way there is a defiance there, but one of the situations reveals repentance and obedience, while the other reveals deception and disobedience.

Sure, it might seem wonderful to hear the acquiescence to our requests- who doesn't want to hear an affirmative answer in reply to a request for action? If I ask someone to do something and they tell me they'll do it, I expect it to be done. If I hear someone tell me no, they won't do it, then I'm not expecting it to be done and I'm disappointed. Either way there is disappointment involved, right? Yet being obeyed ultimately is better than not being obeyed, yes? Would we rather hear good things but all those good things mean nothing? Or would we rather hear not so good things and those not so good things turn out to be untrue? Do we want lip service or service?

Of course I can hear the reply we want BOTH. We want to hear a- yes, I'll do it, and have it be done. This is what we really, really want, but if you had to choose between the other two scenarios most assuredly you'd want obedience from the defiant rather than lies from the disobedient.  Did you read that… the second scenario was all evil, while the first was repentance from evil. 

Defiance/Obedience  -  Lies/Disobedience

We are all sinners every single one of us there are absolutely NO exceptions to this rule.  Christ came in sinful flesh born with ALL the ability to act on the flesh nature He possessed, but He did NOT succumb to any temptations in all 33 years of His life upon earth. Christ was God's ONLY begotten Son. Christ was Emmanuel- God With Us. Christ consented to die, and not only did He consent to die- He consented to die a sinner's death, a criminal's death. His consent to taste death wasn't a simple- one split second alive and then dead as some deaths can be. His death was torturous, agonizing, slow and drawn out, and totally UNDESERVING.

We all deserve death because we indulge in our sins, we yield to temptations- but we are told if we REPENT and turn from those sins and rely upon the Savior's grace we can be redeemed.  However, we don't have to repent, we don't have to keep ourselves from temptation, we make the choices.

If we repent- as the one who repented of his defiance and obeyed, we most assuredly are following Christ's Way of redemption.  If we do not repent and obey, lying to other and to ourselves, we can seemingly be the most upstanding person in society and it will not redeem us at all.

Repentance and obedience through Christ, always!

Please, Lord, keep us from the evil of false obedience, of lying actions, of mouthing the word Christ, cloaking ourselves in the label of Christianity and having it all be lies. We would truly, and wholly be YOURS, we repent of our disobedience, of our sins! We seek to obey You and follow You, to be YOURS now and forever!!!!!!!

Choose Right Now.

Earthly, riches here and now or eternal life with Jesus, entering the kingdom of heaven?

Choose.  Go ahead and choose. You pick one or the other, not both.

Make a choice.

Do you believe in Jesus? If you answer, yes, then you have to believe what He tells us in His word.

We are told this-

Mat 19:24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 

It is impossible for a camel to go through the eye of a normal sized needle, and most certainly anyone entertaining the idea of creating a camel sized needle is not comprehending what Jesus is saying at all, but looking for a non-existent loophole.

We are told-

Col 3:1  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Are you seeking things here on earth?

Are your affections here on earth?

Psa 62:10  …if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. 

Mat 16:23  …Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. 

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 

1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 

Choose.

Choosing Christ over the world we are not to be of the world- our actions are not to be consistent with the world's, caught up in the angst of the world. Satan would trap us in the angst surrounding us, controlling us, filling our lives with all the angst he can just so we do not choose Christ over the world.

Daily angst- we all know what that means. From the expected angst, to the unexpected we know the world will offer us angst at every turn. HOW we handle the angst is HOW, is WHERE, is WHEN we make our choice for God or the world. The opportunity to choose appears constantly over and over again.

Col 3:12  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 

Col 3:13  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 

Col 3:14  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 

Col 3:15  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 

Col 3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 

Col 3:17  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. 

The PEACE of GOD must rule in our hearts.  That doesn't say- let the peace of your own making, the peace of an angst free life rule in our hearts. It doesn't even say let the peace the world offers in fantasies and rare moments fill our hearts. The PEACE of GOD is a peace that PASSES our ability to comprehend. It is the peace of God, of having our affections set in heaven not on earth.

Truly anyone caught up in this world and that includes the RICHES of this world in whatever form they may take for us- is not choosing the Kingdom of Heaven.

God help us choose You over ALL else!

Save us from our wretched selves.

All through Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR right now and FOREVER.

Sorrowful Riches.

We've heard this many times…

It's easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than a rich man to get into heaven.  Here is the verse in the Bible that is taken from…

Mat_19:24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Using our imaginations, even for those who are imaginatively challenged it doesn't take much to comprehend the impossibility of a camel fitting through an eye of a needle. Sure, in our crazy world we can imagine someone creating a giant needle with an eye big enough for a camel to walk through and thereby making this verse inapplicable to them, but God isn't so easily fooled.

Let's read the entire surrounding passage concerning the rich man.

Mat 19:16  And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 

Mat 19:17  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 

Mat 19:18  He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 

Mat 19:19  Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Mat 19:20  The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 

Mat 19:21  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 

Mat 19:22  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 

Mat 19:23  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

Mat 19:24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 

Mat 19:25  When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 

Mat 19:26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. 

Mat 19:27  Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 

Mat 19:28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 

Mat 19:29  And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 

Mat 19:30  But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. 

A rich man earnest wanted to know what he had to do to have eternal life. Jesus didn't start out by telling him to sell everything, to no longer be rich. Jesus told him to keep the commandments.  To be clear, the rich man asked Jesus which ones. This isn't so strange if you think about the zillion commandments piled upon the Jewish people. The rich man wanted to know which commandments. Did he keep the royal law, the dietary law, the sacrificial laws, ceremonial laws or were there some new commandments he didn't yet know of that needed keeping. Jesus didn't hesitate to let him know which commandments, he started reciting the royal law of the ten commandments, the commandments that had been written with the finger of God, the commandments which had a place in the Ark of the Covenant which resided in the Most Holy Place in the Holy Temple, those obviously very special commandments that were set apart in a unique way so they wouldn't get lost among all the other commandments, all the other laws.

How did the rich man reply to this? He'd kept all those commandments since he was little. So what does he lack, what would keep him from eternal life?

Jesus didn’t dispute the man's words. Jesus didn't point to any of the ten commandments and reveal where the man fell short in keeping them. Jesus assented to the statement made in fact. The rich man kept all ten of the commandments from the royal law. Jesus did answer his question though about what he lacked.

Jesus told the rich man that he should sell what he had and give the money to the poor and he would have heavenly treasure and then- come to follow Him.

Being rich he needed to make himself poor in the material world.

Being rich he needed not to have any of those accumulations but rather have treasure in heaven.

There is no heavenly bank for our possessions upon earth.

The truth that we take nothing with us is fully realized. Even those who are buried with treasures are at risk for those treasures being taken from them by grave robbers. And even if they do have a grave filled with possessions it does them no good at all, none. Only those alive can utilize possessions. A dead person has no will of their own whatsoever. The only power a dead person possesses is what the living allow them to have in carrying out wishes they left behind. A dead man cannot carry out a single wish after death.

We take NOTHING with us.

Yet… we can have heavenly treasure that nothing can take from us.

Jesus wanted the rich man to comprehend that all his riches would not guarantee him eternal life. The man could choose temporal life with his riches, or choose to give up those riches and follow Jesus.

Instantly the rich man was filled with sorrow as he walked away from Jesus, why? Because Jesus asked of him something he couldn't bring himself to do. Sure, he could keep all the royal law easily, he was raised to do so, but to give up his riches and with them his entire way of life? Sorrowing the man walked away, choosing to forsake eternal life for the possessions of his temporal life.

More on this tomorrow by the GRACE, by the WILL, by the LOVE of God!

All through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, now and forever!!!!!!!

Take Me, Lord, As Wholly Thine...

"Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee." 

1Co_10:31  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

'No matter what I do, Lord, let it be to Your glory, the glory of God.'

Psa 139:23  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 

Psa 139:24  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

'Please, God, please search me, try me, know my thoughts - if there is anything against You in me please, take that from me and lead me in the way, Your Way, everlasting!'

Psa 51:1 … Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 

Psa 51:2  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 

Psa 51:3  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 

Psa 51:4  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 

Psa 51:5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 

Psa 51:6  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 

Psa 51:7  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 

Psa 51:8  Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 

Psa 51:9  Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 

Psa 51:10  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 

Psa 51:11  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 

Psa 51:12  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 

Psa 51:13  Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. 

Psa 51:14  Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 

Psa 51:15  O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. 

Psa 51:16  For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 

Psa 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 

Luk 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 

Isa 1:18  Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Isa 64:6  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 

Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

1Ti 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 

1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

'Cleanse me, Lord, forgive me, Lord, save me...'

By the Spirit of God- Believe.

Mat 12:28  But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 

Luk 11:20  But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. 

The Kingdom of God… Jesus.

The Kingdom of Heaven… Jesus.

If there is only one door, only one way into a place and absolutely no other way then to enter that place you have to go in through that door.

The kingdom of God was promised to mankind before expulsion from the Garden of Eden, their first home. An enmity would be placed between the evil and man…

Gen 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 

Jesus stands between Satan and man. 

A way was promised for man to be redeemed, otherwise we would have been left without anything between us and the evil one.

Jesus is the way to the Kingdom of Heaven, without Jesus there is no way to enter into God's kingdom- it doesn't exist.

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 

Devils were cast out by Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit because the spiritual battle is between evil and God. Prior to Jesus' ministry no one had ever been able to heal man from the evil possession of the devil. It was unheard of for someone to go about casting out the evil spirits dwelling inside a man. Yet, Jesus did this and it was witnessed over and over again.

The reality of evil spirits possessing man is something we don't like to think about too much. We make light of it, we make it into fictional stories, television shows, movies but we do not truly take it too seriously and if we do then we are thought to be a little bit crazy. It's an area of life that teeters on belief and unbelief for a lot of people, and it tips over into unbelief more often than not.

If you believe in angels, if you believe in God, if you believe in Jesus you cannot teeter on the edge of unbelief, you must stand firmly on the ground of believing or else you must give up your belief in God, in Jesus, and in angels. You can't believe in the Holy Spirit  unless you believe in the evil the Holy Spirit is warring against.

Jesus cast out evil spirits and announced the Kingdom of God had come to the people.

Mat 12:28  But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 

He is the WAY to the kingdom of God! There is NO kingdom of God without Him. The Spirit of God casts out the devils as Jesus called upon the Spirit of God to do so.

The evil spirits, the devils inhabiting people did not simply disappear after Jesus' ministry upon earth. The Apostles also went about casting them out after the death of Jesus. The Holy Spirit was given to the believers of Jesus Christ and that power of the Holy Spirit cast out devils as the believers called upon it to do so. The warriors for Christ fight against Satan's evil minions using the power of the Holy Spirit. They were not given special powers of their own, but rather they were able to ask for the Holy Spirit to work His power upon others in need. They could do this because they belonged to Jesus and Jesus recognized them as being His. And when Jesus recognizes us as belonging to Him, the Holy Spirit recognizes this as well.

We can't forget this--

Act 19:11  And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: 

Act 19:12  So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. 

Act 19:13  Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. 

Act 19:14  And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. 

Act 19:15  And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? 

Act 19:16  And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 

Act 19:17  And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 

Act 19:18  And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. 

Act 19:19  Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. 

Act 19:20  So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. 

Jesus was known to the evil spirits as an adversary that had power over them. Paul was known as well to have this power through Jesus. Simply using the name of Jesus doesn't mean a thing without the power of faith, of belief in Jesus. The evil spirit did not recognize these supposed exorcists as any kind of threat, they had no power, no Holy Spirit working through them. They sought of their OWN power and the mention of Jesus and Paul's names to expel the evil spirit- it did not work. The Holy Spirit will cast out the evil, we cannot.

The way to the kingdom of God is only through Jesus, not by our power at all whatsoever.

May we believe! This is the work of God that we believe!

Joh 6:28  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 

Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 

Believe in the Savior!

Believe.

Lord, I believe- help Thou, my unbelief!