Will CV be ignorant or dangerous?

In Acts 19 a few young men try to cast out a demon “by the name of Jesus who Paul preaches.”  The demonized man turns on these young men and tells them, “Paul I know but who are you?!”  And then gives them a proper whooping.  Great story.

History tells us that Jewish exorcists used to cast out demons by using higher ranked demons to eject lower ranking underlings and they’d cooperate because they are basically vain and because it would give influence over those invoking their cooperation.  This is what is happening in Ephesus.  Except they stepped into some real power!

These demons knew Paul.  He was a name they feared.  He wielded the name of Jesus like a weapon against them rather than being prey for their quest for power.  They “respected” Paul.  But these young men?  No respect.  No fear.  Just a can of whoop-ass.  The text says they were left “naked & bleeding.”

Doesn’t that just perfectly describe so many of us in the Christian life?  We do not know how to broker the authority and power we have a our inheritance and we do not understand the “Spiritual Life” in Christ.  In 1 Cor. 12 Paul says to his young church that he “does not want them to be ignorant about the Spiritual.”  But we are.  So many of us.  In fact one of my pastors once referred to the stuff Paul then goes on to talk about as “the spooky gifts.”  As if they are somehow odd or superfluous.

Tell that to the butt naked & bloody young men in Ephesus.  They were wishing they weren’t so “ignorant” I bet!

Straight up?  I want to be known in hell.  I want to be someone who knows what Jesus has bequeathed to me and has learned to operate in it so much that every ounce of what I can broker of heaven into earth happens.  I have seen so little.  I have lived with wishes and hopes for too long.  Is that an over-realized eschatology?  Perhaps.  But it sure beats and under-realized one which leaves heaven’s resources on the celestial loading docks.

When we realize what Jesus has done and has given us and how to operate in it the demons WILL know our names.  We will become DANGEROUS.  We will be a weapon in the hands of our God to bring His Life and Love and Hope to a dark world.  Will that be easy?  Nope.  But as Erwin says, “Christians die up front so that they can go places only dead men can go.”