Called Out and Called

Tree with two trunks in Ephesus

Giving up the old way of doing things is hard, especially if that way had proven to be very profitable and rewarding.

Back in the early days of the Church, word spread about Paul and the disciples as they traveled through Turkey.

Some who were practicing exorcism and sorcery heard of how Paul was healing people in the name of Jesus, and thought this might be something they could try.  But at least one band of brothers discovered was that one needs to be ready for the consequences.

Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, 'I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.' Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit said to them in reply, 'Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?'  Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered them all, and so overpowered them that they fled out of the house naked and wounded.  - Acts 19:13-16

This is a great story on many levels.  It appeals to our insatiable interest in the spirit world, while planting us firmly in our faith and belief in God.  For those who find it hard to believe there truly are spirits that inhabit us, it is a lesson in being called out, being revealed as a phony.

Who among us can't picture the scene with the seven brothers running out of the house screaming naked through the streets?

Cartoon-like in its appeal, this story is memorable and powerful.  The telling of this story throughout Ephesus led to the conversion of many, including some who had made their fortunes conjuring spirits.  They were called to change their ways, partly out of fear, I presume, but also out of a deep sense of awe and wonder.

What is this new power that rules the wicked forces of the world?

What will happen to me if I continue to work against it?

Moments like this are rare in our secular world.  We don't often come face-to-face with life-changing experiences, or at least, we don't recognize them as such.

I imagine there were others who kept their scrolls and sorcery books which they valued so highly and refused to believe that anything bad could happen to them if they continued using them.

But those who saw something more meaningful in the story, changed their ways.

I believe we are called out in many ways during our lives, confronted with challenges that upset and unhinge our confidence and trust in what we believe or what we have spent our lives doing.

We could lose faith when such life-shattering events happen, but there is another step we need to take.  We need to listen to God's call.

Also many of those who became believers confessed and disclosed their practices. A number of those who practiced magic collected their books and burned them publicly; when the value of these books was calculated, it was found to come to fifty thousand silver coins. So grew mightily and prevailed. - Acts 19:18-20

Like the sorcerers and conjurers who gave up their books and scrolls, we may be called to give up the tools of the past to be open to what lies ahead.  That is a tough act to follow, but as Jesus told us, the yoke is light when we walk together.

Belief is an active thing.  None of us come to be believers without living the part, walking the walk and talking together, to God and to each other.  I believe strongly and have seen it to be true that we gain strength from each other, and if the Spirit is with us, the journey is easy.

So, come.  Walk with me.