Acts 16 presents to us an account worth noting, an account showing Paul rebuking someone for saying that he and his companions were preachers of the Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Riding on the fame of God
Acts 16:16-18 tells us what happened, how and why Paul rebuked this person:
"Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation." And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And he came out that very hour."
The account is clearly giving us an important lesson here. Paul saw something wrong in it and did not waste any more time in stopping it. What did he see?
Before we answer that, we've got to get our facts straight.
- First, there's a slave-girl who was possessed with a spirit of divination. This girl operated as a fortune-teller, and made her masters richer with her work.
- Second, we read that Paul and Silas were praying when they saw this possessed slave-girl. Later, we read that the girl followed them.
- Third, we read that this girl, who was possessed by a spirit of divination, kept following Paul and his companions around, shouting about who they were and what they did: servants of God who preached the Gospel of salvation.
- Fourth, Paul was so annoyed by this girl's actions and all her shouting that he rebuked the evil spirit and commanded it in Jesus' name to come out. The spirit left her, and soon her masters became mad.
So, why did he rebuke her?
He rebuked the girl because he was annoyed. And why was he annoyed? Because someone possessed by an evil spirit was riding on the real deal: the Gospel of Christ. She may have recognized them as people spreading the Gospel, but the foundation and source of her ability was not Christ, it was a demon.
You see, friends, this scenario isn't just about Paul rebuking someone. It's about putting a stop to counterfeits who present themselves as "Christs." It's about discerning the spirit behind each and every person's choices and decisions, and acting accordingly.
Friends, we've got to recognize the counterfeits among us so we can pray for them, stop the lies they could be spreading, and work towards their salvation.
Paul saw what was wrong with the slave-girl, addressed the real issue, and allowed God to use him to set her free from demonic possession. That's what we should be doing, too.
