Today’s reading is Acts 19.
Paul baptized in the name of Jesus. He preached in the name of Jesus. He cast out demons in the name of Jesus. So Sceva’s seven sons decided to ride on his coattails. They confronted a man possessed by an evil spirit saying things like, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” But the evil spirit didn’t listen. Instead, he attacked them, whipped them, and sent them packing. “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And we learn a significantly important point. The name of Jesus isn’t merely the word “Jesus.” Just pronouncing the collection of letters J-E-S-U-S does not mean we are acting in the name of Jesus. Acting in Jesus’s name means actually acting based upon the authority and power that He offers. You can’t just tack His name onto something and suddenly spiritualize or Christianize it, or even make it right. Cycling for Jesus. Karate for Jesus. Cooking for Jesus. Just adding the word doesn’t actually make it for Jesus. It really has to be what Jesus has asked for or authorized. Only then are we really doing something for Jesus.
Tomorrow’s reading is Acts 19.
A Word for Our Kids
Hey kids, one of the reasons I am so glad you are reading the Bible along with us is because the only way to actually do something in Jesus’s name is to read His Word and do what it says. Simply saying Jesus’s name in front of, after, or over an activity doesn’t make it done in Jesus’s name. The seven sons of Sceva found that out the hard way. We don’t need to. We can learn from their mistake. Keep reading. Keep studying. Keep learning. Then do things in Jesus’s name by doing what He has actually asked us to do, what He has actually authorized in His Word.
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