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."
Acts 16:17
Acts 16:17
The
Apostle Paul and his evangelistic team were led by the Holy Spirit to take
their message to Europe and they began preaching in Philippi, one of the chief
cities in Greece. This was a whole new territory and the satanic opposition was
evident. Almost from the very beginning of their time there, a girl who was
possessed by a demon followed them and became very distracting. In her spirit
affected voice, she announced the missionaries to be “Servants of the Most High God.” Paul cast the demon out
and the opposition just intensified.
It is a
very curious thing to note that this title of Christ actually came through
demonic channeling. Demons are nothing more than the fallen angels who were
cast out of heaven by the Lord of Glory, so they know who He is. When Jesus
approached the demoniac in the county of the Gadarenes, the man fell down
before the Lord and the voices inside him also recognized Christ as “Jesus, Son
of the Most High God” (Luke 8:28).
This was no profession of faith on the part of the evil spirits but an
acknowledgement that He was their God and one day He would condemn them to go
into the abyss.
The
Apostle James makes this point when he wrote: “You believe that there is one
God. You do well. Even the demons believe --- and tremble!” (James 2:19).
Actually, the dark host has a better response to the Savior than the
stiff-necked human race does. Demons acknowledge Christ’s deity, bow down
before Him, and believe that their punishment is sure. They, however, rebelled
willfully against their creator, so the grace of God was never extended to them
and their doom is a sure thing.
People on
the other hand, were deceived into sinning, so God provided a way to escape
through the blood of the Crucified One. Salvation is extended to those who
approach Christ in faith, confessing their sin, and acknowledging Him as the Most High God.
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