Routing the Devil

Ephesians: Introduction (3)

Pray Psalm 8.1, 2.
O LORD, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

Sing Psalm 8.1, 2.
(Aurelia: The Church’s One Foundation)
O LORD our Lord how great is Your Name in all the earth!
The heav’ns display Your glory, and tell Your wondrous worth!
From babes and nursing infants, LORD, let Your strength increase,
’til all Your foes surrender, and all their boasting cease.

Read Acts 19.11-20; meditate on verses 19, 20.

Preparation
1. How was the power of God manifest in Ephesus?

2. How did the people show true repentance?

Meditation
God was at work through Paul’s ministry. And the most visible effect of that work was to rout the devil and send him and his minions packing. The assault against the devil took both individual and cultural forms. Individually, healings, exorcisms, and conversions burst the devil’s redoubts in the souls of lost Ephesians as the Spirit broke through in the lives of many (vv. 11, 12)

Culturally, the Ephesian Christians gave the devil a taste of his eternal fate: fire (v. 19). 

Certain cultural practices, common to the world of unbelief, are unacceptable for believers. As often as we become aware of such a practice in our lives, we must take immediate steps to be done with it. This may involve some cost or sacrifice on our part, and that we denounce the practice publicly, if it be known that we have engaged in such a practice. 

We note here that the believing community did not mount a general campaign against the practice of magic. They concentrated only on themselves and their community. Doubtless, they must have explained their actions to their unbelieving neighbors and sought to persuade them. And they may have used any available public forums to try to expose the folly of such practices, as we see Paul did in Athens. But they did not seek to transform their culture except from within their own spheres of influence. They did not try to force cultural change politically, other than through their own exertions, example, and exhortations. We note the powerful effects of this in verse 20.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“You, through Your commandments, 
make me wiser than my enemies;
for they are ever with me” (Ps. 119.98).

God’s commandments, and our enemies, are ever with us.
But God will overcome them every time. In His own way.

The vignette about the seven sons of Sceva is priceless (Acts 19.13-16).
Seven of them trying to usurp the power of God for the benefit of themselves.
Enemies of everything decent and holy. Not only did the believers find them reprehensible;
but so did the evil spirit. “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” (Acts 19.15).
A bit of comedic relief in a tense situation; that got worse for the seven sons as they were eventually beaten and sent packing by the evil spirit who “overpowered them, and prevailed against them” (Acts 19.16).

Much good came of all the mayhem as those who followed God’s commandments were cared for by the Wisdom of God, so that “fear fell on them all, and the Name of the Lord Jesus was magnified” (Acts 19.17).

God is building His Church and the gates of hell will never prevail against it (Matt. 16.18).

“Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul…” (Acts 19.11).
And God will do the same through all those filled with His Spirit who are doing His will and work on earth, as it is in heaven (Matt. 6.10). Any time an attitude is changed, a heart is enlivened, a healing experienced, grace is given, mercy is experienced, and love is shared we have participated in an unusual miracle—within ourselves and in others.

“…for it is God Who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2.13).

And routing the devil should bring all God’s people great delight. It is part of our job description.

“I will praise You with my whole heart; 
before the gods I will sing praises to You.
I will worship toward Your holy temple, and 
praise Your Name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
for You have magnified Your Word above all Your Name.
In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and
made me bold with strength in my soul” (Ps. 138.1-3).

Bold with strength to follow God’s Word, and bold with strength to rout the devil.
And bold with strength to build His Church—

“So the Word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed” (Acts 19.20).

Reflection
1. How is the Word of God growing mightily and prevailing in your community?

2. What is your church—and what are you—contributing to that great increase?

3. How do you expect God to use you today for the progress of His Kingdom?

If we desire to be in earnest in the great work of salvation, every pursuit and enjoyment must be given up which hinders the effect of the gospel upon the mind, or loosens its hold upon the heart. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Acts 19.13-21

Pray Psalm 8.3-9.
Jesus is King and Lord of all, and He has empowered us to be His witnesses by word and deed. Call on Him to help you live as His vice-regent and speak with grace the Word of salvation today.

Sing Psalm 8.3-9.
(Aurelia: The Church’s One Foundation)
When I regard the heavens, the work of Your own hand,
the moon and stars which all in their courses You command,
then what am I, O Savior, that You take thought of me,
or I should know Your favor and thus delivered be?

Yet we in Your own image with glory have been crowned,
to worship and to serve You throughout creation ’round.
These works that sing Your glory in our poor hands are placed,
that we may rule before You to magnify Your grace.

Let every beast and creature, in sky or sea or field,
in our hands bring You glory as we Your favor wield.
Let all things sing Your praises, let all declare Your worth!
O LORD our Lord how great is Your Name in all the earth!

T. M. and Susie Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

Other columns of interest this week: Our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” continues our look at the work we’ve been given to do. In our Read Moore column this week, we will finish up the book, Understanding the Times. Our Corsfigell series on Brendan of Clonfert finds him sailing westward over the Atlantic in a leather boat. Lots to learn there. Click the Articles tab on the home page to see all the selections available to you.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.