VBS General Session - Day 5

Synopsis

Seven Sons of Sceva

Memory Verse: Exodus 20:7

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

Today's lesson is about revering God’s name in our daily lives. 

Story of 7 sons of Sceva

Saul was an enemy of the friends of Jesus. He did not believe that Jesus was God’s promised king. He did not believe that Jesus was alive again. After a dramatic encounter with Jesus, Paul became a friend of Jesus. 

After Paul became a friend of Jesus, he had to tell everyone the good news about Jesus. This meant lot of journeys, journeys across the sea, journeys across the Land. 

Everywhere he went he made new friends for Jesus. Paul told them how much God loved them. 

God performed extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even his handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured, and they were healed. 

Many people loved Paul, but some felt Paul was playing some trick and healing people. But Paul was not playing any tricks, rather it was a gift from God.

There were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest. They saw how Paul was healing people and thought that he was playing tricks. They did not know that it was God’s power that was healing people. They did not know who Christ was. They wanted to drive out evil spirits too. They started saying, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out. 

One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house.

Many Jews and Greeks in Ephesus came to know about this, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 

They came to know that Paul is not playing any tricks rather it was the power of God. Word of God spread rapidly, and many people started believing Jesus.

What does this story teach us?

Sons of Sceva thought that if they simply use the name of Jesus all evil spirits will go away.

They assumed that the name of Jesus was like magic, but they did not know that Paul believed Jesus and that it was God’s power at work in him. Paul used Jesus’ name with deep respect. We cannot use the name of the Lord our God in vain.

What do we learn about God?

Conclusion

Paul respected and loved God and left a trail of respect and prayer whereas the sons of Sceva dishonored God’s name and left a trail of irreverence.