Acts 19:13-16 (NKJV) 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” 16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
There is a valuable lesson here for all of us to learn.
Not everyone who names the name of Jesus is one of His followers. Not everyone who stands up and preaches or teaches is a true man or woman of God.
The world, and even some churches, are full of people who will talk the talk but never walk the walk. And this happens for one reason; they don’t know Jesus. Oh, they know about Jesus. They know who He is. But they don’t know Him.
And these types of people are very dangerous to the body of Christ. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing, leading people away from God, instead of closer to Him.
Matthew 7:15 (NKJV) 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
And what’s even more sad is the fact that some of them don’t even know they’re off track. They say all the right things and go through the motions to the point where they have even convinced themselves that they are moving by the spirit of God. But they’re not.
Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV) 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Being on TV doesn’t make someone legitimate. Being in the pulpit of a local church doesn’t make them legitimate. Speaking the name of Jesus doesn’t make them legitimate. Having a mega-church with thousands of members doesn’t make them legitimate.
Only the blood of Jesus and a humble heart can make any of us true followers of Christ.
As we’ve said many times, we need to be vigilant and diligent when it comes to who we listen to and who we follow!
But, it’s not all bad! There are some very sincere people of God who have a heart after Him. They love Him and His people, and they love helping people grow closer to Him in everything they do.
God’s word is our measuring stick. We need to use it to discern the words spoken to us by anyone claiming to be a man or woman of God. And when we do this, our eyes will be opened and we will see the truth and we will know the wolves from the sheep.
John 8:32 (NKJV) 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808
401-315-0902
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