Satanic Devices to Hinder the Church
Introduction: I’ve entitled my sermon today, “Satanic Devices to Hinder the Church.” Ever since Jesus Christ proclaimed to His disciples, “I will build my Church,” Satan has had as one of his principal goals to render the Church anemic and ineffective. We’re going to see today in Acts 19 how he pursued that goal with a vengeance.
Now it’s interesting to me that the methodology Satan utilizes has some fascinating parallels to the methodology Communism has used to attempt world-wide domination. My point is not to make a statement about the Satanic nature of Communism, but rather simply to use that with which we are more familiar (Communist schemes) to explain that with which we seem to be less familiar (Satanic schemes). History has demonstrated that the first line of attack that Communism has employed is generally destabilization. That is, they have attempted to exploit the inherent weaknesses within a government so they can topple it from within. In fact, there is a good deal of evidence that this is currently going on in many Western countries.
When that hasn’t worked, Communism’s next line of attack has often been to join the political process and attempt to gain political power by portraying themselves as a legitimate party seeking to improve the plight of the workers. We see that happening today in France and Italy. The Communist Parties in those countries are using the political structure itself to gain power, rather than undermining it.
When even that tactic has failed, the final line of attack for Communism has been direct armed confrontation. We have seen that in our lifetimes in Hungary, Afghanistan, and Angola. This may be a rather simplistic analysis, but I think you’ll agree that destabilization, competition for power, and armed confrontation are three easily discernible methods used by Communism in its goal of world domination.
I see the same three approaches in Satan’s attacks on the Church. His first and easiest target is internal. Termites in the foundation. Disunity. Lukewarmness. Imbalance. Doctrinal heresy. Religious form without power. But if those things don’t derail the church, the Enemy will often move in the direction of competition, producing counterfeit demonstrations of spirituality and power. The Mormon Church comes to my mind here as a prime example of a Satanic counterfeit. The average Mormon exhibits certain evidence of external spirituality and righteousness, and the incredible growth of the Mormon church provides a facade of success. People often surmise, “If Mormonism produces so much good it must be of God.” But Mormon doctrine is completely unbiblical and even bizarre.
Other examples of Satanic counterfeit can be found closer to home. Even within the boundaries of mainstream Christianity there are groups that are claiming all kinds of signs and wonders which, upon examination, seem to be more sensational than genuine. Others are teaching a Health-wealth theology which attracts great followings but is clearly anti-biblical. Satan has succeeded in getting many to abandon sound doctrine in favor of thrilling experiences and worldly success.
But if the deception of counterfeit power doesn’t work, Satan has one more weapon he can use against the Church, and that is direct opposition. This occurs when the Enemy abandons his role as a serpent and becomes a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. We have largely been spared such an all-out frontal assault on Christianity in our country, but the day may come when we join our brothers and sisters who have experienced it behind the Iron and Bamboo curtains, as well as those in Muslim countries.
I believe Satan’s use of these three devices to hinder church growth can be demonstrated clearly from our text today, the nineteenth chapter of Acts. To demonstrate that in thirty minutes will require that we withhold comment on some portions of the chapter, but we will at least be able to touch upon the three main incidents recorded here.
First, however, a word about Ephesus, which was Paul’s base of operations during his third missionary journey. Ephesus was the third largest city in the Roman empire and the home of the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The temple was 240′ by 420′, almost 2 1/2 acres in size and some four times as big as the Parthenon in Athens! In addition, there was a theater that seated some 25,000 people, mentioned in verse 29 of our chapter. As a commercial center Ephesus was the leading city of Asia.
Now let’s read Acts 19:
Now it happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. 2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “On the contrary, we have not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
8 And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, having discussions and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took the disciples away with him, and had discussions daily in the school of Tyrannus. 10 This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
11 God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. 13 But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had the evil spirits, saying, “I order you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches!” 14 Now there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, doing this. 15 But the evil spirit responded and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know of Paul, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit, pounced on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. 18 Also many of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. 19 And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they added up the prices of the books and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord was growing and prevailing mightily.
21 Now after these things were finished, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” 22 And after he sent into Macedonia two of those who assisted him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
23 About that time a major disturbance occurred in regard to the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing considerable business to the craftsmen; 25 he gathered these men together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business. 26 You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made by hands are not gods at all. 27 Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as worthless, and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”
28 When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began shouting, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s Macedonian traveling companions. 30 And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him. 31 Also some of the Asiarchs who were friends of his sent word to him and repeatedly urged him not to venture into the theater. 32 So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 After quieting the crowd, the town clerk *said, “Men of Ephesus, what person is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from the sky? 36 So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; have them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly. 40 For indeed, we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no real reason for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering.” 41 After saying this he dismissed the assembly.
Satanic Device #1: Form Without Power (1-7)
Description of this Satanic device. What we are talking about here is the scheme of Satan to operate from within the church and rob it of its power. One way he does this, and the way he used effectively with the twelve disciples at Ephesus (verse 1), is to keep the church in the dark concerning its resources. We saw this last week in the case of Apollos, who knew only the baptism of John until he was enlightened by Aquila and Priscilla. We see it again today in the case of 12 disciples who were unaware of the full ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Church or in the lives of believers.
These men are professing believers but there is something about their lives that causes Paul to question whether they have received the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it’s a lack of power, or a lack of evidence of the gifts of the Spirit in their lives, or maybe he sees little evidence of the fruit of the Spirit. Whatever the reason, Paul asks them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” The question is a very serious one, for a person who doesn’t have the Spirit of God cannot be a Christian. Paul himself said so in Romans 8: 9: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” Faith in the Lord Jesus and the reception of the Holy Spirit go hand in hand; the one leads to the other. Paul is probing to find out if they were really Christians.
The answer from these disciples is straightforward and honest, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” One wonders how such a thing could happen until one realizes that even a brilliant preacher like Apollos was in the same boat with these disciples until Aquila and Priscilla filled him in.
At any rate, Paul assumed they were baptized (since all disciples were) and asked them into what they had been baptized. They responded, “Into John’s baptism.” Well, that was fine, but it wasn’t sufficient, for John’s baptism was preparatory, not complete. They had apparently taken the first steps of repenting toward God and anticipating the coming Savior, but they were unaware of the fact that Jesus was now living in the church through the power of the Holy Spirit. When they heard the truth, however, they immediately confessed their readiness to put their faith in the Lord Jesus and accept baptism in His name. Subsequently, Paul laid his hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. The fact that they were able to speak with tongues and to prophesy left no doubt about the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
Now there are some difficult issues about this incident that I don’t want to get bogged down in; yet at the same time, I don’t want to ignore the problems. Let me say that I believe we should not use this incident as normative for the church today, for several reasons. In the first place, this is the only time in the New Testament when anyone is rebaptized. Second, while the reception of the Holy Spirit follows baptism in this case, it precedes it in Acts 10:44, and is simultaneous with it in Acts 8:12-16. Third, while the reception of the Spirit comes by laying on of hands in this case, that was by no means the norm (see Acts 10:44). And fourth, while speaking in tongues and prophesying accompany the reception of the Holy Spirit here, that is not by any means the normal thing we find in the NT.
The biggest help I found in understanding this passage is from an illustration used by Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse:
“Suppose that you have a child, born in the United States. I congratulate you and say, ‘I hope that when your child grows up he will become an American citizen.’ You answer immediately that the child became an American citizen the moment he was born. Suppose I object, ‘Do you think that your child is better than George Washington? He was first a British subject for about 45 years, then a revolutionary for approximately eight years, and then he became an American citizen. So your child must go through the same process.’ You rightly protest that there is no connection between the two experiences. Washington lived in a transition period, the conditions of which do not obtain in our day. In exactly the same manner the people of the time of Acts were in a transition period.”
I hope that helps you as it did me. Now I want to focus on the way Satan used this matter to retard growth in these disciples. So long as they didn’t know the Holy Spirit or have Him residing in their lives, there was really nothing for Satan to fear. He could be certain they wouldn’t be reproducing themselves or doing effective discipleship with others. He had them where he wanted them as long as they were ignorant of their resources.
If I may draw some parallels to the church today, I think there are many today that lack knowledge of how the Holy Spirit can empower their lives and gift them for ministry. Many in mainline denominations still refer to the Holy Spirit as an “it,” if they refer to Him at all.
Lloyd Ogilvie writes that “a leader in one of American’s great churches told me that he had not heard a sermon on the Holy Spirit from the renowned pulpit of his church in thirty years! A whole generation in that church could honestly repeat the Scripture, ‘We have never heard that there is a Holy Spirit.'” The whole focus is on the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, and the Holy Spirit is the forgotten person of the Trinity.
Others in the Church are ignorant of their liberty in Christ. They are living under a dark cloud of legalism, believing their acceptance with God depends upon their ability to keep a list of rules. That, too, is a device of Satan which is very effective in defeating the Church. On the other hand, Satan also uses compromise and worldliness, through which countless Christians have lost their distinctives as believers and their effectiveness in the process. Advocating “form without power” is a favorite tactic of the Enemy.
God’s remedy. God’s remedy in this incident was the clear teaching of the truth by the Apostle Paul. In fact, I believe nearly every attempt that Satan uses to defeat the church from within can be remedied by clear biblical teaching. If God’s people are hearing the whole counsel of God, and if it’s being applied to the nitty-gritty of their lives, then they are not going to be susceptible to the wiles of the Devil.
The second scheme of Satan is found in verses 8-20.
Counterfeit power (8-20)
As we said earlier, when Satan fails to destroy the church from within, he may well try to set up attractive counterfeits. Even Christian people are easily attracted to the sensational, the exciting, and the seeming miraculous. Where there are claims of divine healings and tremendous crowds it is only human nature to start asking, “Am I missing something? Could it be that this new group has discovered some truth that I haven’t been told?”
This is the kind of device I see Satan utilizing in the second major event of chapter 19.
Description of this Satanic device. Paul is still in Ephesus and is using the school of Tyrannus as a base of operations. Apparently, he worked in the early mornings to earn a living, taught during the mid-day hours when commerce was at a standstill, and spent his evening hours evangelizing. As a leather worker he used aprons and sweatbands. And God was performing such extraordinary miracles by his hands that even these cloth items that had touched Paul were being used to heal people. This parallels the healing of the woman who touched the hem of the garment of Jesus (Matt. 9:20-22) and the cure provided for those upon whom the shadow of Peter fell (Acts 5:15).
Certain wandering Jewish exorcists, noting the incredible power possessed by Paul, determined to capitalize on his success by using his formula for casting out demons, “the name of the Lord Jesus.” Ancient magic was predicated upon the idea that if one possessed the proper formula, he could compel the unseen powers to do his bidding. These seven sons of the Jewish high-priest, Sceva, I believe were Satanically motivated to counterfeit the power God had given to Paul. Had it worked, the uniqueness of Christ would have been watered down. Paul would have been seen as just one more religious guru, and the Church would have died on the vine.
It might cross your mind that it’s a bit strange that Satan would be involved in an effort to cast out demons, for aren’t demons his own helpers? The answer is that I think Satan will do anything necessary to distract people from the truth. In working toward his goal, he doesn’t even mind portraying himself as a very religious being. Regarding those who were attempting to undermine his ministry in Corinth Paul says, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore, it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their deeds.” (2 Cor. 11:13ff)
Within the church at large we should expect to find a number of false apostles, disguised as servants of righteousness, but in reality, they are servants of Satan. But it wasn’t successful this time, because God does not take kindly to counterfeits.
God’s remedy (15). One of the evil spirits these exorcists tried their experiment on responded, “’I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?’ And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” I doubt if these fellows tried messing with pseudo-Christianity again!
The results of this incident were far more beneficial than could have been anticipated. Not only did the whole city hear about it, resulting in fear and magnification of the name of Jesus, but the believers enjoyed a thorough house cleaning. They began to reexamine their own lives regarding involvement in the occult. Many of them had not cast off all their superstitious practices when they believed in Jesus. They had kept a horoscope or a rabbit’s foot or a fetish as sort of a cheap insurance policy. If Jesus proved to be unable to come through at some point, they at least wouldn’t have burned all their pagan bridges behind them.
But the sad experience of Sceva’s seven sons caused them to bring their magic books and horoscopes and other devices together and have a bonfire. Let me say without any timidity whatever this morning that there needs to be a bonfire in some Christian homes today. Perhaps some of us are unaware how widespread the occult is in our society. The year 1967 was historic in the American toy industry, for in that year Ouija boards took the lead over Monopoly as the favorite game of Americans and have steadily widened the margin ever since. In the decade following that year over 15,000,000 Ouija boards were sold in this country, and many of them found their way into Christian homes. Perhaps some view it as just a game, but it can easily become a substitute for authentic prayers for guidance and a vulnerable opening for Satan! In a recent year 35,000,000 people spent over half a billion dollars on personal horoscope materials, all to find what “fate” a particular day holds for them according to their sign.
It is my firm belief that if there is anything connected with the occult in our homes—a book of horoscopes, a Ouija board, an astrological chart, tarot cards, whatever, the sooner they are burned, the better. There simply is no way for Christianity to live in harmony with the occult. And that would go for some modern music albums that communicate occult ideas, as well.
The end result of this housecleaning is found in verse 20: “So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.”
Satan was unsuccessful in his first two attempts to undermine the Ephesian church. Form without Power was countered by sound teaching. Counterfeit power was countered by God’s intolerance of imitation and the believer’s response in clearing their homes of Satanic tools. Time for Satan’s third weapon:
Assault and battery (23-41). Frontal assault does not seem to be Satan’s preferred method, but he will do what he has to. He used it in Acts 19:23-41.
Description of this Satanic device. Verse 23 reads: “And about that time there arose no small disturbance concerning the Way.” “No small disturbance” is a euphemism for a full-scale riot. It started when the head of the local craftsmen’s guild recognized that Paul’s preaching was lowering the superstition quotient in the city. This was directly affecting his business, which involved licensing the silversmiths to make little shrines of Artemis, which were sold to the pagans for offerings at the temple. It was a good business because Demetrius would then buy back the silver from the priests at a discount and start the process all over again.
It all sounds rather bizarre, but it’s not without parallels even today. I have seen cathedrals in Latin America which had thriving markets in them, where people were buying various religious trinkets, pictures of the saints, and candles. The candles were placed near the altars, and later melted down and resold. If you tried to stop that kind of trafficking in pagan commercialism today, believe me, you’d stir up the same kind of riot that Paul found in Ephesus. Christian history is filled with bloody memories of what happens when the Gospel confronts vested interests. Only now some of the silversmiths are in the Church!
Demetrius was smart enough not to make his whole case a selfish economic one, however. In verse 27 he says, “And not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship should even be dethroned from her magnificence.” Blatant commercialism doesn’t go over as well as commercialism hiding behind a religious or humanitarian motive, a fact which has not been lost on businesses today. One of the worst cases I have seen is a promotion at local taverns (I should say I read about) which promised that for every beer you purchase they would donate one cent to the United Way. That’s rather ironic inasmuch as most of United Way’s funds go toward social problems caused by people drinking too much.
Demetrius’ tactic worked, for the enraged craftsmen began to chant in concert, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” The noise attracted attention throughout much of the city, and people were drawn almost involuntarily to the theater, the only place where a large crowd could assemble. Word must have spread quickly that the demonstration was against Paul and not simply on behalf of Artemis, for Paul’s associates, Gaius and Aristarchus, were seized. Paul wanted to go in and speak to the crowd, but the believers restrained him, believing there was no reason for him to risk his life at the hands of men who had been turned into fanatics.
The picture given in verse 32 is mass confusion and ignorance on the part of the majority as to what they were even supposed to be advocating. This brings to mind some of the public demonstrations we have seen in Iran, where Muslims are stirred up into a nearly demonic frenzy against the “great Satan,” the U.S., or some other real or imagined enemy.
The Jews sent one of their men, Alexander, to speak to the crowd, apparently to assure them that the Jews were not responsible for what this itinerant preacher named Paul had done to their commercial interests, but the crowd wouldn’t even let him speak.
Finally, the town clerk, actually the chief executive officer of the municipality, succeeded in quieting the crowd. And it is at this point that we see God acting through an unbelieving city official to offset Satan’s device.
God’s remedy. The executive officer makes four assertions. First, in a very clever fashion he affirms their religious prejudices in such a way that they are forced to see that their concerns about Artemis are unfounded. For after all, if the image of Artemis came down from heaven, as they believed it did, then she was not a man-made god at all. Therefore, Paul’s assertion recorded in verse 26 that “gods made with hands are no gods at all” doesn’t apply to Artemis. Therefore, they shouldn’t be concerned with Paul’s preaching.
Second, he asserted the innocence of Gaius and Aristarchus, thereby exonerating Paul as well (verse 37). Third, he pointed out the legal methods of obtaining a hearing, i.e., through the courts, the proconsuls, and a legal assembly (verses 38-39). And finally, he warned of the political implications of the commotion in the city. They would be hard-pressed to give Rome a legitimate explanation of this riot, and the city could be deprived of some of its liberties because of it.
So, God neutralized Satan’s scheme against the church by using a pagan government official to quell a riot and to allow the church to continue its ministry and its growth. Paul had to leave shortly after the riot, but in his three years in Ephesus he had succeeded in laying an excellent foundation for the future. A strong church was in existence despite the best of Satan’s efforts to hinder it. Nowhere is the truth seen more clearly that “greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.”
Conclusion: Now this morning we have seen a church that in a short time was the target of three different Satanic devices to disrupt its growth and render it impotent in the world. First, the Enemy tried to disrupt from within by having the disciples focus on form without power. He kept them in the dark doctrinally, with the results that their lives were spiritually anemic.
Second, Satan tried to dilute the Church’s effectiveness and deny its uniqueness by imitating its power. If the miraculous power of the Apostle could be demonstrated by Jewish exorcists as well, then the uniqueness of the Gospel message could not be demonstrated.
And third, he tried direct, armed confrontation against the Church, stirring up a riot with the apparent attention of making the church the scapegoat for economic problems and removing the Apostle Paul through assassination.
In all three cases God provided the solution so that the Church could continue its work unabated. There is a Satanic device, however, for which sound doctrinal teaching is no cure, for which a bonfire has no effect, and for which God will not step in and provide the remedy. And it’s one that eventually almost destroyed the Ephesian church. It’s the device of spiritual self-sufficiency.
Turn with me to Revelation 2:
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus, write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.” Verse 7: “He who has an ear. let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Friends, that is the greatest danger facing the Church today—becoming self-sufficient, believing that we have it made and forgetting that all that we are and all that we have are the result of the grace of God. Especially is that true when things come easy, when the church is growing without trying, when opposition is minimal, and when resources are readily available.
Perhaps there is someone here today who has been fooled by the Enemy into thinking that being religious is of some value. It is not—not one whit! It may actually be fatal. Being saved by the grace of God is all that counts.
Tags:
Satan
Form without power
Holy Spirit
Occult