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Acts 19:11-22
And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
Tom is an outstanding, dedicated, and successful servant of Christ. The church he serves is growing spiritually and numerically. The ministries he guides and supports are touching people’s hearts and changing people’s lives. The attention and accolades he receives are turned immediately toward God. “I am a clay vessel,” he says. “God is the one who is at work. I am his instrument.” Tom doesn’t care whether he gets the credit for any success as long as God gets the glory.
Robert is an up-and-coming church leader. He is on the front page of his church’s national newspaper. He is invited to event after event. He is sought after as a speaker, and envied by many in his church denomination. There is never a need to search for him. He manages to find the limelight wherever he goes. He’s happy to be recognized and receive the kudos for any successful ministry effort. He’ll also look for any trick or ploy to gain an advantage.
Tom is like Paul. Robert is like the sons of Sceva. Paul was completely dedicated to the work of God’s mission. Sceva’s sons were dedicated to using Paul’s fame and power to make a name for themselves.
On other occasions Paul would meet opposition, and even failure. Whether being stoned and left for dead, imprisoned, or ignored or opposed, Paul knew what it was like to struggle. But he never had to face it because he was pretending to be someone else, or borrowing someone else’s fame. And Paul didn’t fade into ignomy when he met opposition. Sceva’s sons run out of the house naked and wounded, never to be heard from again.
When someone’s skill and competence is not complemented by their character, dangerous things happen. If character is lacking, competent people can do great harm. God shaped Paul’s character through his suffering and hardships. We can keep this in mind whenever we meet challenges and difficulties of any kind. God is at work not only in the times of glory and success, but also when we face trials and tribulations. For our good and the good of others.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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