Acts 19:13-15

"A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits.  They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, 'I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!'  Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this.  But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, 'I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?'"   (New Living Translation)

Reflection by Kenneth L. Samuel

Make no mistake about it, our identities are confirmed as much by our foes as they are by our friends.  We are known not just by the company we keep, but by the haters we incite.  In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus warns his followers to "Beware when all people speak well of you."

Comfortable, close, cordial relations with everybody, in every place and in every situation, can raise some serious questions about who we really are.  If our lives reflect no lines of distinction between truth and falsehood, then does the truth really matter to us?  Can we really love children and yet be comfortable in institutional cultures that cover up child molestation? Is it truly possible for us to embody the American mantra of "liberty and justice for all" and yet raise no resistance to insidious attempts to disenfranchise millions of American citizens based on race, class, religion and sexual orientation?  And how invested in education are we really, if we make no effort to defy school systems that fail to reward good teachers and replace bad teachers, using pertinent criteria beyond student test scores?

The work of Christ necessarily involves attracting the same enemies Christ attracted—including inciting the wrath of certain "powers, principalities, rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places."  The mission of Christ is not for the faint of heart or for those willing to sell their souls at the altars of perpetual popularity. 

How many demons of destruction resist our presence?  What unjust systems are being shaken by our commitment to human rights?  Do any spirits of bondage and addiction tremble and flee because of our faith in God?  Do our names appear on anybody's bigoted hit list?

Prayer

Dear God, give us faith and courage to resist every force that would bind us to abuse and that would threaten the life and liberty you have given to each of us.  Amen.

About the Author Kenneth L. Samuel is Pastor of Victory for the World Church, Stone Mountain, Georgia.

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