Monday Devo
Scripture:
Acts 16
16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”
18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.
19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. 21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”
16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”
18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.
19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. 21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”
Commentary:
16:16 a spirit of divination. A demonic spirit who gave information to the slave girl so that she could tell people secrets about their lives. Fortune-telling was forbidden to God’s people in the OT (cf. Deut. 18:10; 1 Sam. 28:8; 2 Kings 17:17; Mic. 3:11). The Greek OT (Septuagint) uses the same Greek verb for fortune-telling (manteuomai) that is used in this verse.
16:18 The words of the fortune-telling girl (v. 17) were true in a formal sense, but Paul was greatly annoyed, probably because he did not want it to appear that she was his partner in the gospel. I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. Rather than praying to God, Paul speaks directly to the spirit and commands it to leave. Such a verbal command is consistent with the authority over demons that Jesus himself had (cf. Matt. 8:16; 12:28) and that he had given to his disciples (Matt. 10:8; Luke 10:17). The NT Epistles elsewhere discuss spiritual battles against the forces of evil (cf. 2 Cor. 10:3–4; Eph. 6:12; James 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8–9).
16:19 The slave girl’s owners were upset by their loss of profit. Throughout Acts, the profit motive often works against the gospel—with Simon the magician (8:18–24), Elymas (13:8–12), and Demetrius the silversmith (19:24).
16:20 The magistrates (Gk. stratēgoi), responsible for maintaining civil order, were the standard officials for a Roman colony, with two appointed to each colony.
16:18 The words of the fortune-telling girl (v. 17) were true in a formal sense, but Paul was greatly annoyed, probably because he did not want it to appear that she was his partner in the gospel. I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. Rather than praying to God, Paul speaks directly to the spirit and commands it to leave. Such a verbal command is consistent with the authority over demons that Jesus himself had (cf. Matt. 8:16; 12:28) and that he had given to his disciples (Matt. 10:8; Luke 10:17). The NT Epistles elsewhere discuss spiritual battles against the forces of evil (cf. 2 Cor. 10:3–4; Eph. 6:12; James 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8–9).
16:19 The slave girl’s owners were upset by their loss of profit. Throughout Acts, the profit motive often works against the gospel—with Simon the magician (8:18–24), Elymas (13:8–12), and Demetrius the silversmith (19:24).
16:20 The magistrates (Gk. stratēgoi), responsible for maintaining civil order, were the standard officials for a Roman colony, with two appointed to each colony.
Questions:
- In Acts 16, Paul and Silas encounter a slave girl that can tell the future through the power of an evil spirit. Demonic spirits possess real spiritual power. In fact, behind every false religion there is a real evil demonic spirit that is counterfeit to the real thing. It is a demonic power that wants to lead people away from the real thing. This is why it's critical for us to never entertain any other religious practices, ideologies, or even trinkets that pay homage to any other religions. This is polytheism. But we know there is only one true God and only one way to get to Him... and that's through Jesus. He is the only way to the only God. We must be vigilant and keep these demonic powers out of our lives. Why might it be a bad idea to have a statue of Buddha or other trinkets from false religions in your house? What are some other examples of ways some people might toy with false religions or demonic powers?
- It's interesting to note...even these demons recognized who the Most High God was. This should make it abundantly clear that simply having enough head knowledge to "believe" that Jesus is Lord isn't enough to save you. You must also bow your knee to Him and make Him Lord of your life. Do you know any "believers" that have a head knowledge of Jesus but don't exhibit any evidence in their lives that Jesus is their Lord? Have you ever been there? Are there any areas of your life where you've refused to make Him Lord?
Prayer Topics:
- That you wouldn't toy with any false religions or idols.
- That you would submit yourself ONLY to the one, true God.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
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