Acts 19:11-20

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.

13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.”

14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.

15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”

16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.

18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.

19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.

20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. 

Important Thought:

The pursuit of knowing God feels different when you awaken to the truth that He has always known you.

Beyond The Cross

1. The Cross says: You are forgiven.
2. The Empty Tomb says: You are alive.
3. The Ascension says: You are empowered.

Important Thoughts:

• There is a danger in settling on all that Jesus has to offer.
• You can actually become a fan of Jesus, but never become a follower of Jesus.

When You Know Jesus— Power Flows.

Acts 19:11-12

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.

Important Thoughts:

• The power was in the presence of God working through a surrendered life.
• Paul wasn't special because of who he was— he was surrendered because of whose he was.

When You Don't Know Jesus— Power Is Pretended.

Acts 19:13-16

13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.”

14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.

15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”

16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Important Thoughts:

• There is no power in pretending to be a follower of Jesus.
• The enemy is not intimidated by what you say— he's intimidated by who you belong to.

When You Follow Jesus— It Costs Everything.

Acts 19:17-20

17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.

18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.

19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.

20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. 

Important Thoughts:

• You cannot follow Jesus and hold onto your old life at the same time.
• There comes a moment where it's not about managing sin... it's about destroying it.

The Result— The Word Prevails Mightily.

Acts 19:20

20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. 

Important Thoughts:

• Once you know His authority— you'll place a high value on His Word.