1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love, 5having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire, 6to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved. 7In him we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him 10to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in him. 11We were also assigned an inheritance in him, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who does all things after the counsel of his will, 12to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ. 13In him you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.
15For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you and the love which you have toward all the saints, 16don’t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, 18having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might 20which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule, authority, power, dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. 22He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
These Jewish exorcists were guilty of fraud, but also of violating the third of the Ten Commandments. They were essentially using God’s name in vain. They were attempting to use the power of God for their purposes. They had learned that the name of Jesus had power, and here they were, not even Christians, invoking the name of Jesus to cast out evil spirits. They made the big mistake of invoking the name of Jesus when they had no relationship with him. Jesus doesn’t share His power and glory with those whom He does not know.
Notice that they commanded the evil spirits to come out “by the Jesus whom Paul preaches”. They didn’t say, “We cast you out in the Name of Jesus, whom we love and serve.” You see, they were trying to borrow the name of Jesus for their exorcism show. Many so-called servants of God try to borrow the name of Jesus for their purposes, efforts, and endeavors. They claim to heal others or possess a special revelation, all while using the name of Jesus; however, their conduct leads one to question whether they truly know Him or have a relationship with Him at all. It is dangerous to use the name of Jesus without knowing Him. However, to the believer, there is power in the name of Jesus!
Jesus said that His followers would share in His power. (Ephesians 1:19-20; John 14:12). You and I are empowered to do great things in His name and in His power. Without a relationship with Him, we might find that if we try to do battle in His name, the demons will merely answer back, “Jesus, I know, and Paul, I know, but who are you?” Those seven sons of Sceva were attacked by the demon-possessed man who beat them senseless and ripped off their clothes. Draw near to the Lord, and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8) The power is available, but you must know Him and love Him. He said, “8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) As Gloria and Bill Gaither penned, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, there’s just something about that name. Master, Savior, Jesus, like the fragrance after the rain. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, let all heaven and earth proclaim, ‘Kings and Kingdoms will all pass away, but there’s something about that name.”