Power of Jesus' name

Good evening sisters and brothers,
First, the church parking lot will be closed for resurfacing tomorrow and Friday (8/15 and 16). Many thanks to the Laurelton Fire Department for their generosity in including us in their resealing.

Today's reading provides two side stories that show how the power of the gospel spread. In the first, some people who don't follow Jesus try to cast out demons in Jesus' name. In the second people convert from seeking magical power to following Christ. How do you see the power of the gospel in your life?

God bless,
Sam

Acts 19:11-20

11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, ¹²so that when the handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, their diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.

¹³Then 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.’ ¹⁴Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. ¹⁵But the evil spirit said to them in reply, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’ ¹⁶Then the man with the evil spirit leapt on them, mastered them all, and so overpowered them that they fled out of the house naked and wounded. ¹⁷When this became known to all residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, everyone was awestruck; and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised.

¹⁸Also many of those who became believers confessed and disclosed their practices. ¹⁹A 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. ²⁰So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.