12月18日
标 题：你们是谁呢？
经 节：恶鬼回答他们说：“耶稣我认识，保罗我也知道。你们却是谁呢？”（使徒行传十九章15节）
灵性经验是没有二手经历的。没有任何人可以为你培养灵性的成熟。有先祖基督教的遗产是项资产，但是它不能代替你与基督建立活力、成长的关系。
保罗与神同行。神大大地使用他，在他的生命中行了许多神迹奇事。有人由保罗身上拿手巾或围裙，放在病人的身上，病人就痊愈了。邪灵被赶走。保罗的讲道与教导，帮助建立以弗所的教会。保罗的事工是那么令人震撼，事实上，有人想模仿他。
犹太祭司长士基瓦的七个儿子，就学保罗的方法驱鬼。他们向那被恶鬼附着的人说：“我奉保罗所传的耶稣，勒令你们出来！”这些人想使用保罗历年来紧密与主同行所得的大能行事。他们模仿保罗所说的话，然而，他们不能仿效保罗与神个人的关系，而得到神的大能。恶鬼反驳：“耶稣我认识，保罗我也知道。你们却是谁呢？”那些邪灵恶狠狠地攻击他们，羞辱他们。邪灵畏惧耶稣的名（雅各书二：19），他们知晓保罗对抗黑暗势力的影响力。但是，邪灵不认识士基瓦的七个儿子。
你可以模仿灵性成熟的基督徒的言行，但你不能承继他们与神同行的生命。基督徒的成熟是需要付出心力的，它需要经过时间的培育。如果你忽略祷告，忽视你与基督的关系，你的信心不会成长的。仿效他人的信心不会带来胜利。只有当你细心培育自己与基督的关系，你的属灵生命才会成长，才会充满神的大能。
Who Are
You?
And the
evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are
you?” (Acts 19:15)
There
is no secondhand spirituality. No one else can develop Christian maturity on
your behalf. A strong Christian heritage is an asset, but it cannot take the
place of your own vibrant, growing relationship with Christ.
Paul
had a powerful walk with God. God used him so mightily that extraordinary
miracles occurred through his life. Cloths that touched Paul were taken to the
sick, and the sick were healed (Acts 19:10–12). Evil spirits were cast out.
Paul’s preaching and teaching were instrumental in building a strong church in
Ephesus. Paul’s ministry was so impressive, in fact, that others tried to
duplicate it.
Seven
sons of the chief priest, Sceva, attempted to cast out demons the way Paul did.
They confronted an evil spirit and attempted to exorcise it “by the Jesus whom
Paul preaches.” These men were trying to use a spiritual power that Paul had
acquired after years of walking closely with his Lord. They could imitate
Paul’s words, but they could not duplicate the power that was his through his
personal relationship with God. The evil spirit retorted, “Jesus I know, and
Paul I know, but who are you?” The demon then viciously attacked them and
humiliated them. The evil spirits were fearfully aware of Jesus (James 2:19);
they were familiar with Paul’s influence over the powers of darkness. But the
demons had no knowledge of the seven sons of Sceva.
You
can duplicate the words and deeds of a spiritually mature Christian, but you
cannot inherit his or her walk with God. Christian maturity takes effort; it comes
over time. If you ignore the place of prayer and if you neglect your
relationship with Christ, you will not grow in your faith. Imitating the faith
of others will not give you victory. Only as you nurture your own relationship
with Jesus will your life be filled with spiritual maturity and power.
