"The Power of Real Relationship"

MF Blume
April 13, 1997 pm

1Joh 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Acts 19:11-20  And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: 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. 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. And there were seven sons of [one] Sceva, a Jew, [and] chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? 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. 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. And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. 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. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.



When a child of God shouts praise, and he/she truly has a relationship with God, fear rocks the hearts of the spirits of hell.
A revival occurred in Ephesus without Paul even leading it. They saw a man who was demon-possessed and attempted to "exorcise" the devils out. Maybe they felt outdone by Paul, so they proved they could do it, too. "We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth."

Jesus smashed every plot the enemy devised.

Paul preached Christ so fully and totally believed and totally gave himself to do God's will

The devils thought...

We see that 7 boys had watched Paul do his great work for God When devils seen nothing to fear in the seven sons, It says they were sons of Sceva. The whole city of Ephesus heard about this IT DOES MATTER HOW YOU LIVE!

When the populace heard that 7 men were thrown out by a single person who was possessed, and that person was used by the devils to SAY that they knew JESUS and they knew PAUL, and showed FEAR for these two NAMES, the people thought about what Paul preached.

And they added two and two together, and realized that that man Paul was not kidding and that his words were actually TRUTH! They realized THEIR LIVES DID MATTER! The devil knows he faces God's power itself when a COMMITTED believer tells him to go! Look at the list of names in Hebrews 11 BUT FIRST OF ALL, WE NEED TO LIVE FOR HIM FULLY AS DID PAUL

IT DOES MATTER HOW YOU LIVE!

Strange repercussions hit true believers How DID Paul preach Jesus?
Acts 19:4-6 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spade with tongues, and prophesied.
Those who may think they can coast along and are never concerned about HOW THEY LIVE each day should take the lesson that Ephesus learned.

Give yourself to JESUS