The power of God...may we respond as Legion

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare what God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole town what Jesus had done for him.  (Luke 8:38-39)
The man Legion was aptly named, for so many were the demons that had entered him (v30). The mighty, frightful power of Jesus is shown by two things in this text,

Firstly is the fear that the multitude of demons had towards him when they saw him
When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before him, and shouted with a loud voice, "Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God! I beg you, do not torment me!"  (Luke 8:28)

And they began to beg him not to order them to depart into the abyss.  (Luke 8:31)

Second is the fear that the people of the town of Gerasenes had when they realised that he had cast out the demons that had made Legion so fearful in their sight:

So the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus. They found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.  (Luke 8:35)

The power of God is incomparable in measure. It is a glorious truth that this same power is applied to us who believe, and was most clearly illustrated when The Father raised Christ from the dead and gave him all authority on earth (Eph 1:19-22). But to see this power in action, is a frightful thing to behold. The Gospels are filled with instances of Christ's power and authority over death, sickness and nature left his followers shaking in fear:

So the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they began to glorify God, saying, "A great prophet has appeared among us!" and "God has come to help his people!"  (Luke 7:15-16)

Then he said to them, "Where is your faith?" But they were afraid and amazed, saying to one another, "Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him!"  (Luke 8:25)

The response to the power of Christ is vital as it indicates the condition of our hearts towards him. The response to the fear that may arise in our hearts in beholding him in his power is of utmost importance as we either join him or leave him at the point at which he glorifies himself in his power.
The power of God, as like all other things in the universe, is, according to the purpose of his will, to be to the praise of his glory (Eph 1:11-13). Thus God is to be glorified in it. The people in the town of Nain (in Luke 7), when they saw Christ's power over death, they were understandably fearful, and gave glory to God, saying that "God has visited his people" (Luke 7v16). The disciples similarly marveled in their fear at his authority over the wind and waves (Luke 8v25).

In contrast, the people at Gerasenes(where Legion was from) are said to have asked him to depart from them because of the fear that seized them when they saw his power over the demons (8v37). And because of their poor response to his power, it happened that only the most ostracised member of their community, the demon-possesed Legion believed in Christ, becoming an obedient follower (v38).

We can have our eyes either too dull and unbelieving that he does not reveal his power among us (Mark 6:4-6) or too concerned with his power that we fail to give him the glory and want it for our own praise (as Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8) but his power is real, and we need to have a correct response to it when he reveals himself through it. It is for his glory and his glory alone that he reveals his power. Let us not be held back in glorifying him by our fear or our unbelieving, hardened hearts.

I suspect that it is this same danger that Paul addresses to the Thessalonian church when he advises them not to quench the Spirit, not to despise prophecies but to rather test everything, holding fast to the good. (1Thess5:19-22). Could this speak a message to some conservative evangelical thought? Are we possibly allowing our fear of the unpredictable might of God to quench what may be legitimate works of his Spirit to bring him glory? May we be humble in seeking his truth, that we may hold to what is good and not quench his Spirit.

Let us choose to be a converted Legion, who follows him obediently after seeing his power rather than an unbelieving Nation of Gerasenes that doesn't.

To him be all the glory