“One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.” This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her. Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace.” (Acts 16:16–19, NLT)
Every now and then, you come across a person who bought an engagement ring from a wholesaler only to find that the diamond used in the setting was counterfeit. So too, it is not uncommon to find “knockoff” Gucci handbags, Prada accessories, and other name-brand fakes. From tools to hobby parts to electronics, cheap copies of the real thing are easy to acquire. I’ve seen many articles dedicated to distinguishing real from fake items. Sometimes, the fakes are difficult to spot!
Christian and spiritual fakes may also be difficult to distinguish in our world. These people claim to have a connection with God or to know scripture, when in fact they do not. A fake preacher can use all the familiar words that normally come from a pulpit, but the fake belief system will come out over time. Fake believers are much more common. They can hide their counterfeit trust in God. While fake preachers will be noticed due to their more public exchanges, counterfeit believers in Christ can hide their true nature much longer, even a lifetime. By going to worship, imitating the familiar words, utilizing phrases common to Christians, and singing hymns with gusto, they can seem faithful when they are not. What separates counterfeit believers from shallow Christians? Little. However, where shallow Christians have a weak connection with God, counterfeit believers have no connection with God. Their faith is an act. Their religiosity is for show only.
In 1984, Pedro DeMesones was sentenced to a three-year prison term for mail fraud and conspiracy. What did he do? He “expedited” medical degrees. He provided 100 people with false medical degrees from institutions they never attended. “Clients paid me from $5225 to $27,000 for my services,” DeMesones said under oath. The degrees were such good fakes that leaders in the American Medical Association expressed fear that as many as 10,000 physicians may have phony foreign medical degrees acquired with fraudulent diplomas. (Spokesman Review December 8, 1984) Some of these physicians could be still be in practice!
Would you want to be cared for by a doctor with a fraudulent medical degree? I bet you wouldn’t! Yet, did you know you can even purchase a seminary degree online today for a small sum without even attending one seminary class? Did you know you can buy a license to preach without even knowing the Bible? It’s true. Search it for yourself online. Being a counterfeit pastor can net you hundreds or thousands of dollars from people needing weddings or funerals. The fake degrees can even get you in the pulpit of a church. The purchased degrees and licenses do not mean you are a pastor in any manner of speaking. They are just pieces of paper in the hands of a counterfeit.
The scripture for today from Acts 16 contains an occurrence from the missionary journey of Paul and Silas through Asia Minor. As they traveled and preached, they were approached one day by “a slave girl who had a spirit (demon) that enabled her to tell the future” (Acts 16:16). As the demons in Jesus’ day could recognize Jesus, this girl’s spirit could recognize Paul and Silas as men of God. The girl began to follow Paul and Silas, but then began shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved” (Acts 16:17). The girl kept following Paul and Silas and kept interrupting their ministry with outbursts. This could get the missionaries in trouble in that area or stifle their outreach, so after a while, Paul exorcised the demon saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” (Acts 16:18). The demon was powerless when confronted by God’s true Spirit. The demon left the girl. However, the “masters” of the girl who made a lot of money off her fortune-telling were very angry that the demon would no longer make them money. They “dragged” Paul and Silas before the authorities (Acts 16:19).
Many pastors who preach about this scripture talk about the power of the Holy Spirit and the apostles to exorcise demons. They might include other stories from the Bible where Jesus healed people from demonic forces. However, I want you to notice the genuine and counterfeit faith at work in the people of this scripture. Paul and Silas were men of God who preached on how to be saved. They did what they did for the glory of God. The demon and girl and their “masters” did what they did for money. They used the demonic gift of the girl to make money through telling of fortunes and divination. The girl and demon and masters seemed to have a connection with heaven because of their knowledge of the future and their ability to do other "spiritual" acts. However, they were only in it for profit. For some in that day, the counterfeit demonic spirit that had amazing spiritual talents like fortune-telling was difficult to distinguish from godly spiritual gifts. Both the girl and the apostles could see into the future and see into the soul. However, the counterfeits were only there to make a profit while the real apostles were there to save souls. The counterfeits had an alternate agenda, while the true apostles were there to glorify God.
Be wary of spiritual counterfeits in our world. Sometimes, they can be motivated by profit or an evil agenda or even an evil spirit. They may be difficult to distinguish at first, but their “fakeness” will become apparent with time. Nothing can beat the real thing! God’s Holy Spirit will help you separate out what is the truth from what is a lie. Having God’s Spirit in your heart will enable you to see the true from the false in time. Don’t be surprised if you are hated for finding out the truth. When counterfeit faith is unmasked, the person will often respond in hatred and anger. I’ve even known counterfeit Christians to see to it that faithful people were ousted from their own congregation.
Christian and spiritual fakes may also be difficult to distinguish in our world. These people claim to have a connection with God or to know scripture, when in fact they do not. A fake preacher can use all the familiar words that normally come from a pulpit, but the fake belief system will come out over time. Fake believers are much more common. They can hide their counterfeit trust in God. While fake preachers will be noticed due to their more public exchanges, counterfeit believers in Christ can hide their true nature much longer, even a lifetime. By going to worship, imitating the familiar words, utilizing phrases common to Christians, and singing hymns with gusto, they can seem faithful when they are not. What separates counterfeit believers from shallow Christians? Little. However, where shallow Christians have a weak connection with God, counterfeit believers have no connection with God. Their faith is an act. Their religiosity is for show only.
In 1984, Pedro DeMesones was sentenced to a three-year prison term for mail fraud and conspiracy. What did he do? He “expedited” medical degrees. He provided 100 people with false medical degrees from institutions they never attended. “Clients paid me from $5225 to $27,000 for my services,” DeMesones said under oath. The degrees were such good fakes that leaders in the American Medical Association expressed fear that as many as 10,000 physicians may have phony foreign medical degrees acquired with fraudulent diplomas. (Spokesman Review December 8, 1984) Some of these physicians could be still be in practice!
Would you want to be cared for by a doctor with a fraudulent medical degree? I bet you wouldn’t! Yet, did you know you can even purchase a seminary degree online today for a small sum without even attending one seminary class? Did you know you can buy a license to preach without even knowing the Bible? It’s true. Search it for yourself online. Being a counterfeit pastor can net you hundreds or thousands of dollars from people needing weddings or funerals. The fake degrees can even get you in the pulpit of a church. The purchased degrees and licenses do not mean you are a pastor in any manner of speaking. They are just pieces of paper in the hands of a counterfeit.
The scripture for today from Acts 16 contains an occurrence from the missionary journey of Paul and Silas through Asia Minor. As they traveled and preached, they were approached one day by “a slave girl who had a spirit (demon) that enabled her to tell the future” (Acts 16:16). As the demons in Jesus’ day could recognize Jesus, this girl’s spirit could recognize Paul and Silas as men of God. The girl began to follow Paul and Silas, but then began shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved” (Acts 16:17). The girl kept following Paul and Silas and kept interrupting their ministry with outbursts. This could get the missionaries in trouble in that area or stifle their outreach, so after a while, Paul exorcised the demon saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” (Acts 16:18). The demon was powerless when confronted by God’s true Spirit. The demon left the girl. However, the “masters” of the girl who made a lot of money off her fortune-telling were very angry that the demon would no longer make them money. They “dragged” Paul and Silas before the authorities (Acts 16:19).
Many pastors who preach about this scripture talk about the power of the Holy Spirit and the apostles to exorcise demons. They might include other stories from the Bible where Jesus healed people from demonic forces. However, I want you to notice the genuine and counterfeit faith at work in the people of this scripture. Paul and Silas were men of God who preached on how to be saved. They did what they did for the glory of God. The demon and girl and their “masters” did what they did for money. They used the demonic gift of the girl to make money through telling of fortunes and divination. The girl and demon and masters seemed to have a connection with heaven because of their knowledge of the future and their ability to do other "spiritual" acts. However, they were only in it for profit. For some in that day, the counterfeit demonic spirit that had amazing spiritual talents like fortune-telling was difficult to distinguish from godly spiritual gifts. Both the girl and the apostles could see into the future and see into the soul. However, the counterfeits were only there to make a profit while the real apostles were there to save souls. The counterfeits had an alternate agenda, while the true apostles were there to glorify God.
Be wary of spiritual counterfeits in our world. Sometimes, they can be motivated by profit or an evil agenda or even an evil spirit. They may be difficult to distinguish at first, but their “fakeness” will become apparent with time. Nothing can beat the real thing! God’s Holy Spirit will help you separate out what is the truth from what is a lie. Having God’s Spirit in your heart will enable you to see the true from the false in time. Don’t be surprised if you are hated for finding out the truth. When counterfeit faith is unmasked, the person will often respond in hatred and anger. I’ve even known counterfeit Christians to see to it that faithful people were ousted from their own congregation.