Ok, so we are continuing to see the ministry of the Gospel as it is being spread around the world! This is a really cool story about how the Holy Spirit intereviened to show the power of the gospel even when people would stand against the disicples! Have you ever had people stand against you? That is ok, God is always victorious and as long as you are on his side, you are going down the right path! Lets read:
Acts 13
1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
Preaching in Cyprus
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
5 And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.
6 Now when they had gone through the island[a] to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus,
7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him
10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
Another great story about the spreading of the gospel! I love several things about this passage! I will point out the things that spoke to me in the questions that I ask: Answer the questions below!
1. So from the beginning we see that there were certain ministers and teachers that were serving together and God said, you have done a good job at training a team of disciples, now I want to sent out a group of disciples to go around that part of the world to share the gospel! Who are the THREE people that went around that part of the world to share the gospel?
2. Verse 5 is great, it says, they arrived, they preached the word! There is no hesitation! There is no process of finding a home, and learning the language, and waiting five years to start a home group! NO! They jumped right into action by preaching the gospel! How much hesitation do you have in witnessing?
3. So there was this sorcerer named, Elymas, who was trying to discredit the three men. This translation says that He withstood them. What does that mean? Well other translations explain that it means that he opposed them, or worked against them. So what happened next?
4. No joke! Paul layed the smack down in verses 10 and 11, saying, you are trying to work against the Lord? Oh you will pay for this! You will be blind, and you will not see for a time. How long did it take for Elymas to become blind?
5. I love that verse 11 says that he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. This man that was trying to guide everyone down a false path was now begging to be led around himself. It is a powerful picture that shows that the lost are blind, but when we get saved, we gain sight from the Lord. What song talks about going from being blind to being able to see? Type the title, and the line that says that phrase!
6. Verse 12 explains that when the proconsul saw this, they believed! You know, had Elymas never given the disciples a hard time, I wonder if the proconsul (the religious leaders) would have accepted Chrust! You know? The disciples would not have had the same opportunity to glorify God. Well today, we sometimes receive opposition as we try to talk about God! We need to undersand that it is ok, and it may even be a good thing, because the opposition is what God uses sometimes to show his glory! Just make sure that we respond correctly to opposition when it comes! How can we respond correctly to opposition about our faith?
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