Power Encounters
Introduction
A few years ago, David (not his real name), a young lawyer, was in our small group on Alpha. On the first night, he told us that he was an atheist and had come with a sole purpose of disrupting the small group, which he attempted to do every time he came. Unlike many who come with this attitude, he did not change at all throughout the course.
After the talk on ‘How Can I Resist Evil?’, one young woman, Sarah (not her real name), who was not a Christian, said that she definitely did not believe in the power of evil. This was a major stumbling-block to her becoming a Christian.
But later that evening David became extremely angry for no apparent reason and, as if he were taken over by a demonic power, he physically threatened one of the helpers in our group in a terrifying way. Sarah happened to witness the incident. She saw God’s power at work in the gentle, restrained reaction of the helper. Her eyes were opened to the whole spiritual world. She put her faith in Jesus that night.
John Wimber defined ‘power encounters’ as the clashing of the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan.
The apostle Paul writes, ‘Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but… against the spiritual forces of evil’ (Ephesians 6:12). God’s power in you is so much greater than the power of evil.
Psalm 78:32–38
32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;
in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.
34 Whenever God slew them, they would seek him;
they eagerly turned to him again.
35 They remembered that God was their Rock,
that God Most High was their Redeemer.
36 But then they would flatter him with their mouths,
lying to him with their tongues;
37 their hearts were not loyal to him,
they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he was merciful;
he forgave their iniquities
and did not destroy them.
Commentary
Understand the nature of evil
God wants us to learn from our mistakes and not to keep on repeating the same sins over and over again. The history of the people of God is that, ‘in spite of’ all that God did for them, ‘they kept on sinning’ (v.32a).
God, in his love for us, respects our freedom. Although he has the power to overrule our freedom, he does not. He acted supernaturally on behalf of his people. Yet, ‘In spite of his wonders, they did not believe’ (v.32b).
He disciplined them and they would return to him (v.34). ‘But they didn’t mean a word of it; they lied through their teeth the whole time. They could not have cared less about him’ (vv.36–37, MSG). Yet over and over again he was full of compassion and mercy, forgave ‘their iniquities and did not destroy them’ (v.38).
Why does evil seem to prevail so often in spite of God’s power? Perhaps this passage gives us part of the answer. It is not simply an encounter between the supernatural power of God and the supernatural power of evil. Human beings and human freedom are part of the equation. As the apostle James writes, ‘Each of you is tempted when, by your own evil desire, you are dragged away and enticed’ (James 1:14).
As you read of God’s power in this psalm, remember that, through the Holy Spirit, that power now lives in you.
Prayer
Acts 18:9–18, 19:1–13
9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.’ 11 So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment.
13 ‘This man,’ they charged, ‘is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.’
14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, ‘If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanour or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law – settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.’ 16 So he drove them off.
18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila... 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. . He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 21 … Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.
23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and travelled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervour and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
19 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when[a] you believed?’
They answered, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’
3 So Paul asked, ‘Then what baptism did you receive?’
‘John’s baptism,’ they replied.
4 Paul said, ‘John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’ 5 On hearing this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues[b] and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.
11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to those who were ill, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, ‘In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.’
Commentary
Take authority over the power of evil
Filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul took on the powers of evil. He faced ‘a united attack’ (18:12). ‘One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you”’ (vv.9–10). ‘That was all he needed to stick it out’ (v.11, MSG).
Presumably the Lord spoke to Paul in this way because he was tempted in the face of evil (being hauled off to court again on trumped-up charges) to be afraid, to give up speaking and to be silent. Do not give up in the face of opposition.
Paul saw power encounters between good and evil: ‘God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them’ (19:11–12).
The power of God in Paul’s ministry was so impressive that even people who were not Christians tried invoking ‘the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out”’ (v.13). Tomorrow we will see the dangers of this approach (vv.14–16). The attempt to ‘tap the power’ of the name of Jesus by these Jewish exorcists had disastrous consequences.
Paul overcame the power of evil through the power of Jesus to perform miracles. This was part of the multifaceted way in which the Holy Spirit worked in his ministry. We see here some of the different areas of ministry where we need training and that our theological colleges, training schools and discipleship of all church members need to cover:
1. Teaching
‘He stayed another year and a half, faithfully teaching the Word of God to the Corinthians’ (18:11, MSG).
2. Mentoring
Paul spent a great deal of time ‘strengthening all the disciples’ (v.23). Priscilla and Aquila were probably among those that he mentored. Often those who have been mentored well become the best mentors.
For example, Priscilla and Aquila then mentored Apollos. Apollos was ‘a terrific speaker, eloquent and powerful in his preaching of the Scriptures. He was well-educated in the way of the Master and fiery in his enthusiasm’ (vv.24–25, MSG).
Priscilla and Aquila took him aside. ‘They invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately’ (v.26). He then became even more effective. ‘He was a great help to those who by grace had believed’ (v.27).
3. ‘Ministry’
We see an example of ‘ministry’ in the power of the Holy Spirit. ‘Paul placed his hands on [the Ephesians], the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied’ (19:6). Every Alpha Weekend, we have the immense privilege of laying hands on people and praying for them to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
4. Discussion
Paul ‘had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus’ (v.9). The small group discussion on Alpha is perhaps the most important part of the course. It gives people the opportunity to explore, to talk through issues and to begin to find some answers to their questions.
5. Apologetics
Part of the discussion involved ‘apologetics’. This comes from the word ‘apologia’, which Paul uses at his trial when he says, ‘I make my defence (apologia)’ (26:2). It means presenting a rational basis for the Christian faith against objections and misrepresentations.
Paul ‘reasoned’ with them (18:19). He argued ‘for three months [and] spoke boldly, persuading and arguing and pleading about the kingdom of God’ (19:8, AMP). He taught Apollos, who entered into public debate, ‘proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ’ (18:28).
Prayer
1 Kings 21:17–20
17 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite: 18 ‘Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. 19 Say to him, “This is what the LORD says: have you not murdered a man and seized his property?”
20 Ahab said to Elijah, ‘So you have found me, my enemy!’ ‘I have found you,’ he answered, ‘because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD.’
Commentary
Be prepared to confront evil
Most of us do not like confrontation. But sometimes God calls us to confront evil.
In this passage we read about Ahab who, ‘pushed by his wife Jezebel and in open defiance of God, set an all-time record in making big business of evil’ (21:25, MSG).
First, we read of an encounter between evil and evil. Ben-Hadad king of Aram attacked Ahab. Out of the mouth of an evil man come wise words: ‘One who puts on his armour should not boast like one who takes it off’ (20:11). It is never a good idea to boast about what is going to happen. It is better to report it afterwards!
Then, we see how God’s power is greater than the power of Aram (chapter 20).
Next, we see just how evil Ahab and Jezebel are in the way they treated Naboth (chapter 21). In order to steal his land, they plotted to have him taken out and stoned to death. Then they stole his vineyard.
Elijah was a man of extraordinary courage. He was utterly fearless in the face of evil. God told him to go and ‘confront Ahab’ (v.18, MSG). Fearlessly he accused him of theft and murder and told him that he was in ‘the business of evil, defying God’ (v.20, MSG). He warned him that God’s judgment was about to fall on him.
Elijah’s words were so powerful that when Ahab heard them he repented: ‘He tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted… and went around meekly’ (v.27). Remarkably, God showed him mercy (v.29). No matter what we have done, it is never too late to repent and seek God’s mercy.
Prayer
Pippa adds
1 Kings 21
Choose a good spouse. Jezebel was the most evil woman we hear about in the Bible. Ahab might not have done quite so badly if he had chosen a good wife.
Verse of the Day
Acts 18:9–10
‘Do not be afraid, keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you…’
Thought for the Day
God’s power in you is so much greater than the power of evil.
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References
The Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel (commentary formerly known as Bible in One Year) ©Alpha International 2009. All Rights Reserved.
Compilation of daily Bible readings © Hodder & Stoughton Limited 1988. Published by Hodder & Stoughton Limited as the Bible in One Year.
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised, Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica, formerly International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.
Scripture quotations marked (AMP) taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.