UNUSUAL MIRACLES The Acts of the Apostles Part 21
The Teaching Ministry of Rick Trice
November 13, 2005
Trinity Fellowship
Acts 19:11-20
Mark 16:15-18
"Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits went out of them." Acts 19:11-12
PAUL’S SWEATY CLOTHES (V19:11-12
If you have a runny nose, and I offer you this clean box of Kleenex, would you take it? Probably
What if I offered you my clean handkerchief, which I promise has never been used? Maybe.
What if I offered you my handkerchief, after using it myself? Probably not!
Why not? Because it’s a little bit unclean now. It’s been used. It has some essence of “me” in it that's not quite pleasant.
I find it interesting that Paul is nowhere to be seen in this passage of scripture we just read. But his sweaty clothes are! You see, Paul was preaching and teaching and word of God’s miracles were spreading. Some who heard the word believed and were saved; some who heard rejected; but all could see the evidence of the miracles God did through Paul. Those who believed in God’s power were so convinced that they believed anything Paul had touched would contain that power.
So they took his stuff! I don’t think Paul was ‘blessing’ his hankies and passing them out. His sweaty handkerchiefs; the rags he wiped his hands on and the aprons he used as he worked in his tent making business. This stuff was probably just hanging around in the market stall, wherever he’d set up shop. And wasn’t under lock and key, because it primarily throw away rags.
I was traveling once, and listening to a late night radio preacher from somewhere out of the south on the car radio, and he was worked up real good, and shouting, and preaching. But then he stopped and asked us listeners to send an offering, and in return, he would “bless” a prayer handkerchief and send it back to you so you too could have the power of the holy spirit as you prayed.
Now I won’t mention this guy’s name, because I don’t like to knock another man’s ministry, because, as Gamiliel told the Sanhedrin, “you don’t want to accidentally be fighting against God.” But just speaking for me, another man’s handkerchief is not the way I need to get an anointing from the holy spirit!
But just like my handkerchief here contains some of my “essence,” Paul’s rags contained his “essence.” So why did God choose to use Paul’s sweaty cloths to perform a miracle? I believe it was because of the faith of the people doing this, along with their customs and ignorance of God’s ways.
(v11) Now note that the Bible says these were “unusual” miracles that God allowed to happen. You see, in the culture of these people, magic was very real. And magic was performed a multitude of ways. Primarily in two ways: the chanting of spell, or the repeating of magical names; the touching of something that belongs to someone else. And this first group of people did not have evil intentions; in their uninformed ways, they were glorifying the power of God…so God accommodated them… unusually.
God often did this…he healed the woman with an issue of blood when she merely touched the hem of Jesus’ robe. There was no magic in the robe…but it was her faith that healed her. It’s the same if I anoint you with oil and lay hands on you…there’s no “magic” in the oil. It’s the faith that accompanies the touching that heals you.
Jesus continually said, “you’re faith has made you whole! Some of these people who took Paul’s sweaty clothes had faith. But some of them didn’t…
ASSAULT AND BATTERY BY A DEMON
(V 13)
Some itinerant exorcists were passing through. “itinerant” is defined as “traveling on the job.” It’s not evil in and of itself. You could even say that Paul himself was an “itinerant tentmaker.” Or even an “itinerant preacher.”
What it does tell us about these people is they are not locals; they are exorcists, taking their traveling magic show from town to town to make money. And they’ve wandered into town in time to see and hear all this commotion about healing of the sick and driving out demons by some guy named Paul, using the name of some other guy called Jesus. And as we said earlier, this is a culture that is used to using magic charms, and chanting magic names. So to these traveling Jewish sorcerers, the perk up their ears because here are a couple of more names they can add to their tool chests: the name of Paul. And they name of this Jesus.
There is no power here! There is no saving knowledge of Christ! And most importantly, there is no faith behind it. It’s just a chant to use. “Jesus, Paul….Jesus….Paul”
I’m not saying don’t pray the scriptures, but without any faith behind it, you’re just chanting a mantra!! And hoping the magic spell works!
(15-16)
The devil whips them! There’s some real danger here, folks. When you start playing at this faith thing, and playing church, and playing at religion, and you don’t have any real relationship with Jesus behind it, two things are liable to happen:
*at best, nothing
*at worst, you’re gonna get whipped
GOD WILL BE GLORIFIED! (17-20)
The amazing thing here is that God is going to be glorified, no matter what the enemy tries to pervert.
Did you know God is going to be glorified, even out of evil? Think about it! And look around the world today. God is glorified in two ways:
*”if you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it will be done for you. By this my father is glorified!” (john 15:7-8)
*”for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness…” (
God will not be mocked! He will always be glorified.
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