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Rev. Andrew Hunt, III

Walking through the Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

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Answering God’s call...

Answering God’s call…

, [1] “Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. [2] While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” [3] Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

[1] Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. [2] While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” [3] Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

[4] So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. [5] When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. [6] When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. [7] He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. [8] But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. [9] But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him [10] and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? [11] And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. [12] Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.”

[6] When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. [7] He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. [8] But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. [9] But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him [10] and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? [11] And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. [12] Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.”

says, [10] Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. [11] For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” The clear command is to “make your calling and election sure,” or, as another translation puts it, “make every effort to confirm your calling and election.” A believer’s “calling” is God’s drawing him or her to salvation. Peter alludes to this calling earlier in the same chapter when he speaks of God “who called us by his own glory and goodness” (). A believer’s “election” is God’s selection of him or her to be saved from before time began. God is the one who calls and elects, so the believer’s calling and election are already “sure” from God’s point of view; therefore, the command for believers to diligently make their calling and election sure must refer to the believers’ point of view.

God wants us to have assurance of our salvation, and the best way to do that is to be pursuing godly virtues and actively growing in the Christian life.

Look at , [5] “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, [6] and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, [7] and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.” This passage lists godly qualities that believers should add to their faith. Those qualities are the “these things” of verse 10, and through them we are urged thereby to “make your calling and election sure.” And in doing “these things,” we will never stumble and are promised “a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom.” On the surface seems to affirm that one’s salvation depends on having the qualities listed in verses 5–7.

On closer inspection, however, it becomes apparent that Peter is addressing those who already have “faith,” which he lists as the first (and foundational) quality. Also, Peter presumes that some of those who did not demonstrate these qualities had in fact been saved, for “whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins”

(). So what does this mean? Well being cleansed from past sin does not automatically mean a person will grow in goodness, knowledge, etc., but, if he or she doesn’t “possess these qualities in increasing measure” as seen in (verse 8), then he or she is spiritually narrow-minded and forgetful of God’s grace.

Those who grow ever more like Christ will be “sure” of their calling and election. They will know they have eternal life,

, [13] I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” These believers will be living testimonies of the power of God to change lives.

Now in our passage this morning it also deals with the calling of two men, Barnabas and Saul. They call is to be set apart for the ministry of God, sent out to proclaim God’s Word and also to silence the devil and those who would oppose the church. Why? Because God has called them to the ministry.

Has God called you to ministry? Though all Christians are called to serve the cause of Christ, God calls certain persons to serve the church as pastors and other ministers.

Writing to young Timothy, the Apostle Paul confirms this

, [1] “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.”

Likewise, it is a high honor to be called of God into the ministry of the church. How do you know if God is calling you?

First, there is an inward call. Through His Spirit, God speaks to those persons He has called to serve as pastors and ministers of His church. The great Reformer Martin Luther described this inward call as “God’s voice heard by faith.” Those whom God has called know this call by a sense of leading, purpose, and growing commitment.

Charles Spurgeon identified the first sign of God’s call to the ministry as “an intense, all-absorbing desire for the work.” Those called by God sense a growing compulsion to preach and teach the Word, and to minister to the people of God.

This sense of compulsion should prompt the believer to consider whether God may be calling to the ministry. Has God gifted you with the fervent desire to preach? Has He equipped you with the gifts necessary for ministry? Do you love God’s Word and feel called to teach? As Spurgeon warned those who sought his counsel not to preach if they could help it. “But,” Spurgeon continued, “If you cannot help it, and you must preach or die, then he is the man.” That sense of urgent commission is one of the central marks of an authentic call.

Second, there is the external call. We Baptists believe that God uses the Senior Pastor, others in leadership and even some of those in congregation to “call out the called” to ministry.

All of these must evaluate and affirm the calling and gifts of the believer who feels called to the ministry. As a family of faith, we should recognize and celebrate the gifts of ministry given to its members, and take responsibility to encourage those whom God has called to respond to that call with joy and submission.

These days, many persons think of careers rather than callings. They are looking for affirmation and accolades and really have no true affection and adoration for the things of God and the privilege of serving Him.

The biblical challenge to “consider your call” should be extended from the call to salvation to the call to the ministry.

John Newton, famous for writing "Amazing Grace," once remarked “None but He who made the world can make a Minister of the Gospel.” Only God can call a true minister, and only He can grant the minister the gifts necessary for service.

But the great promise of Scripture is that God does call ministers, and presents these servants as gifts to the church.

Consider your calling. Do you sense that God is calling you to ministry, whether as pastor or another servant of the church?

Do you burn with a compulsion to proclaim the Word, share the Gospel, and care for God’s flock? Has this call been confirmed and encouraged by those Christians who know you best?

God still calls ... has He called you?

Let us pray…

“A true Christian lives and labors on earth not for himself but for his neighbor. Therefore the whole spirit of his life him impels him to do even that which he needs not do, but which is profitable and necessary for his neighbor.” ― Martin Luther

Answering God’s call… means being set apart.

Now the text tells us, “Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers…”, effective and strong churches always have godly leaders, and the church at Antioch was not exception. God has always put a premium on spiritual leadership.

, [1] “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. [2] Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, [3] not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. [4] He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, [5] for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? [6] He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. [7] Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. [8] Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. [9] They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. [10] And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. [11] Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. [12] Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. [13] For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.”

Now these five men mentioned in the text were the heart of the ministry at Antioch. Luke describes them as prophets and teachers, two important New Testament terms. When we think of prophets we understand the significant role that played in the apostolic church. , [28] “And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.” Just like the apostles these prophets were preachers of God’s Word and were responsible in the early years of the church to instruct the local congregations. Sometimes they received new revelation directly from God. Look at [28] “And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius).” And now look at

, [10] “While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. [11] And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”

Both of those incidents record that the prophets, in contrast to the apostles, received practical, not doctrinal revelation. The prophets function seemed to be as receivers of divine revelation for that time. Pastor-teachers and evangelists have replaced their office as well as the office of apostles; who also were the elders and overseers spoke of in the Pastoral Epistles.

The prophets edified the saints by preaching and teaching in an expository manner revealing existing revelation.

, “Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.” Do not despise prophecies.” We believers are to be open to the disclosure of God’s will through fellow Christians exercising the gift of prophecy. The Thessalonians apparently despised manifestations of prophecy and were cutting off a valuable source of encouragement and extinguishing the Spirit’s fire. In stead they were commanded to test everything. Rather than rejecting prophecies outright on the basis of inferior prophetic words, the Thessalonians needed to weigh prophecies to distinguish the true from falsehood. These tests presumably include the prophecy’s conformity with authoritative biblical revelation, its value for edification, and its evaluation by those with spiritual discernment.

Although prophets of this unique kind no longer exist, the similar gift or preaching the Word of God remains. It is given to pastors, teachers and evangelists, who proclaim what Peter called the “the prophetic word” and that it is still vital to the spiritual health of the church. Teachers are critical in today’s church. A teacher’s ministry must find its emphasis on pedagogy rather that just proclamation.

What is pedagogy pastor? We I’m glad you asked! Pedagogy is the act or science of teaching; it is the function and the work of a teacher. As a pastor the Word of God drives it for the people of God.

It seems to be a different gift in some of the texts within the Bible but some times the same man can be gifted with both with preaching and teaching. As we see in , “But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.”

So the text tells here that God had five men who where both and preachers or teachers and at least two men who were preachers and teachers.

Let me call the roll for a moment here; (1) There was Barnabas whom, we already know, he has appeared several times in the book of Acts. His birth name was Joseph, but the apostles named him Barnabas, which means “ Son of Encouragement”—an apt description of this gentle, loving man. It was Barnabas that convinced the skeptical and suspicious believers at Jerusalem. It was Barnabas that the Jewish leadership sent to investigate the fact that the Gentiles had been saved.

It was Barnabas who went looking for Saul in Tarsus when the church exploded in growth and need solid leadership. It was Barnabas, who alone with Saul, who were trusted to carry the Antioch’s church’s contributions for the relief of the Judean church to Jerusalem. Still calling the row of the text we come across three men that we know little about; Simeon, Lucius, and Manaen.

The name Simeon is used of four men in the Bible: Simeon, son of Jacob (); Simeon, a man in Jerusalem who met the baby Jesus (); Simeon, named in the lineage of Jesus (); and Simeon of the church in Antioch ().

This Simeon was called Niger, (which means black) he was an African. Then there is Lucius and is identified with the city of Cyrene in North Africa. And also Manaen who had been brought up with Herod Antipas the tetrarch. The phrase “brought up with him is the word “Suntrophos” with can be translated as “foster-brother, he was reared in the household of Herod. And of course there was Saul, soon to be Paul, who needs no introduction. Through his conversion and God’s tireless efforts through him the gospel spread throughout the Gentile world. These were the shepherds who lead the flock are Antioch to effectiveness and great impact in the body of Christ.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul…”

Answering the call of God comes with a host of responsibilities, one, which is, devoted themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word of God. This was worshiping was to be accomplish by living the words of , “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” The word in our text in Acts is the word “leitourgeo” which means to discharge a public office, in the Romans passage it is the word latreuo which means to serve, minister, and to paid homage in worship to God. Now in Scripture, however, leitourgeo means more that public service, it describes priestly service. In the Septuagint it speaks to the priests who ministered in the tabernacle. Serving in leadership roles in the church must be viewed as an act of worship to God. Such service consists of offering spiritual sacrifices to God as the requires. As well as

, “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

This includes prayer, oversight of the flock, studying, and preaching and teaching the Word.

Their act of worship and ministering was not to the congregation but to the Lord. It is crucial to understand that God is the always the audience for all spiritual ministry.

, “Serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The goal of a preacher-teacher is to worship before the people and ministered to God before the people, if a minister, ministering to the people he will quickly compromise to achieve the pleasure of the people.

When we make God the object of our ministry removes the need for congregational compromise. We as pastors must be like the Macedonia believers and we must first give ourselves to God and only then give ourselves to the people. We are to diligent present ourselves to God to be approved and not to men. We must do our work heartily as unto the Lord and not men because it is God whom we serve.

The text now speaks of the posture in which they arrived at a decision, they worshipped and they fasted. The Bible frequently connects fasting with times of vigilant, passionate prayer.

, “But I when they were sick- I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest.”

, “Then I turned my fact to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.”

“As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”

Believers, who become so concerned and concentrated of the spiritual issues of life, can lose their desire to eat in the midst of intense intercession or in sincerely seeking the Lord. Again, Scripture does not command Christians to fast. God does not require or demand it of Christians. At the same time, the Bible presents fasting as something that is good, profitable, and beneficial. The book of Acts records believers fasting before they made important decisions (; ). Fasting and prayer are often linked together (; ).

Too often, the focus of fasting is on the lack of food. Instead, the purpose of fasting should be to take your eyes off the things of this world to focus completely on God. Fasting is a way to demonstrate to God, and to ourselves, that we are serious about our relationship with Him. Fasting helps us gain a new perspective and a renewed reliance upon God. Fasting is not intended to punish the flesh, but to redirect attention to God. By taking our eyes off the things of this world, we can more successfully turn our attention to Christ. Fasting is not a way to get God to do what we want. Fasting changes us, not God. Fasting is not a way to appear more spiritual than others. Fasting is to be done in a spirit of humility and a joyful attitude.

declares, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Here you see spiritual men with effective spiritual ministries who are submitting to God’s call and being set apart for a greater spiritual mission. God will always choose someone who is active in His ministry, a workhorse not a show horse. “God does not choose people because of their ability, but because of their availability.” ― Brother Andrew

God is not going to chose the person that avoids ministry until its Sunday, then calls late Saturday night to be brought up to snuff to what’s being going on in the ministry. God is not likely to take an idle Christian down off the shelf, dust him or her off and entrust them with the important work of the Lord.

The truth is that all ministries are to be done for the Lord and reinforced by the Holy Spirit’s command to set his workers apart. What does it mean to be set apart? Well, I’m so glad so asked! To be set apart is comparably to what the Bible says in , “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

You are called on and set apart! God says it is true but do you believe it? Barnabas and Saul were set apart for God’s use and purpose! It seems like a bold statement because it is. And so are we! The lies of the world will create doubt to make you think you are not special in the eyes of God. The world tells you that it is okay to give into your sinful desires because after all “you are not perfect”. While we are not perfect God tells us to be good, righteous, and holy as He is. To the world, which is not realistic, its not surprising that people would doubt you, downgrade your gifts, or even walk away from your relationship with them.

You are called to be set apart because God has chosen you specifically out of the world in order to glorify His kingdom. Do you remember that moment when you were saved? In that moment you had the most radical experience with God. It was so radical you or others may question if it really happened.

“But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” -

WAIT, did you just see that…God has summoned you by name. Yes while God did call on you HIS words were that he “summoned you”. The Dictionary definition to summon someone states it in this way: “authoritatively or urgently call on (someone) to be present in a court of law.

God, the creator of all things, picked you to join Him in heaven for all eternity. He has not only called on you but He has done so with an urgent call. There is this urgency because your life is like this courtroom and you are the witness in this court of law.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit–fruit that will last–and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. -

So the next time you wonder, “what is my purpose?“… Remember that the Lord has given you a great purpose. You have been called out (summoned) of many people and set apart so that God’s will may be carried out. Your purpose doesn’t just affect people in your family it affects people generations after you.

Answering God’s call… means being sent off for the works, which He has, call you to do.

, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.”

Because God, Himself had called Barnabas and Saul, they were His and he had the right to sent them wherever he wished. A major principle that flows directly out of this text is that the Lord our God is sovereign. The church did not chose Barnabas and Saul, God did, in fact they might have been the last two people they would have chosen. Barnabas and Saul did not volunteer, but we drafted by God and called to full-time ministry and service. We also see that God has perfect timing is all that He does. The Antioch Church did not concoct some scheme or map out some seeking sensitive strategies to reach the Gentile world. They just preach and taught the Word and the Gentile world came. The key to discerning God’s will for the future is to do His will in the present. As the prophets fasted and prayed and laid their hands of Barnabas and Saul, guided by the Holy Spirit, the idea of failure never crossed their minds. Having prayed for Barnabas and Saul and publicly identified with then, the Antioch church sent them out. A better translation of apoluo is they sent them away that let them go. It is clear in the text that the Holy Spirit drove this action; the Spirit sent them out not the people. Leaving Antioch to begin their mission, they went down to Seleucia, sixteen miles away near the mouth of the Orontes River. Seleucia was the port of Antioch. Here they could travel by boat down the Orontes and sailed to Cyprus. Cyprus as the third largest island in the Mediterranean, after Sicily and Sardinia; about 60 or so miles of the Syrian coast, during these New Testament times its two major cities were Salamis and Paphos the capital.

Barnabas and Saul chose to begin their missionary work on the isle of Cyprus. First, it was home to Barnabas and familiar territory, it was close to Antioch, and it had a large Jewish population. It was the idea starting point for them both to reach out the Gentile world.

Arriving at the main port city, Salamis, they begin to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. To preach the gospel first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles was Saul’s custom throughout his ministry. Cyprus had a large Jewish settlement and there were many synagogues to preach in there and throughout Salamis. As they traveled from synagogue to synagogue, that found a helper a man named John Mark. He was a native of Jerusalem and was Barnabas cousin. When Barnabas and Saul returned to Antioch from Jerusalem delivering relief aid, John Mark came with them. Though at this time John Mark was traveling with them he would soon desert them and return to Jerusalem as they were sent out for the gospel. The “layman” need never think of his humbler task as being inferior to that of his minister. Let every man abide in the calling wherein he is called and his work will be as sacred as the work of the ministry. It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. The motive is everything. Let a man sanctify the Lord God in his heart and he can thereafter do no common act.” ― A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

Answering God’s call… means being able to silence the devil.

, “When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.”

When God’s people seek to advance His purposes, satanic opposition is unavoidable. Whenever God builds a church, Satan always builds a chapel. The missionary team had by now traversed the whole island from Salamis in the northeast corner as far as Paphos on the southwest coast. Besides being the seat of the Roman government, Paphos was a great center of pagan worship. The greatest festival in Cyprus was in honor to Aphrodite, it was called the Aphrodisia; it was held for three days each spring. It was a festival to celebrate sexual desire. Paphos was a city that was rite with immorality and extensive religious prostitution in their pagan worship.

Here also in the capital city was a certain magician. As happened when Peter and John brought the gospel to Samaria. Now a magician in their ministry now confronts Barnabas and Saul.

The word Magician is not always a negative; there were three wise men in Matthew were called the magi; who were men well versed in astronomy, mathematics, and history and could interpret dreams. But later in the New Testament, this term magician was used to describe all sort of satanic practitioners of magic and dabblers in the occult. Bar-Jesus, being Jewish, obviously was not one the magi. Bar-Jesus was a false prophet, his name ironically, means “son of salvation”-strange name indeed for a deceiving false prophet. Remember, , “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”

It was not accident that this man attached himself to the Roman proconsul. The kingdom of darkness is eager to influence those who rule and those who are truly seeking God.

If you are truly seeking God there are those who work for the devil who will try and attach themselves to you. Attach themselves to thwart you progress and to steal your worship. Much of the evil in this world can to clearly trace to the “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

The Roman governor of Cyprus was Sergius Paulus, as man of great intelligence. As an intelligent Roman, the governor has a keen interest in Judaism. Barnabas and Saul appeared to him to be two more Jewish teachers from whom he could learn more about the Jewish faith. Further, his duties as governor prompted him to investigate this new teaching that was sweeping Cyprus. Accordingly he summoned Barnabas and Saul to hear the word of God. Alarmed at the prospect of this, that the governor could become a Christian. Now, Elymas and Bar-Jesus are the same person, Elymas is the Greek word that translates to the word magician or sorcerer. Remember many were know by two names in the New Testament. The battle for the soul of Sergius Paulus now reached its climax, Saul is now known as Paul, had enough of the magician’s interference. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, Paul fixed his gaze upon that false prophet. As with all those who dabble in the occult and demonic doctrine, Bar-Jesus was full of all deceit and fraud. Deceit is the Greek word for “a snare.” Like a cleverly disguised snare, Bar-Jesus was not what he appeared to be to his unsuspecting victims. Radiourgias [fraud] appears only here in the New Testament.

It meant originally, “ease or facility in doing, hence readiness in turning the hand to anything, bad or good; and so recklessness, unscrupulousness, wickedness. Far from being a “son of salvation,” Bar-Jesus was accused by Paul as being in reality, a son of the devil. Bar- Jesus fancied himself a righteous prophet, but Paul said he was the enemy of all righteousness. Why? Because Bar- Jesus constantly twisted and perverted God’s truth, leading to Paul’s withering question, “will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?”

Here we see the spiritual victory of Bar-Jesus as a positive in the ministry as they defeat Satan’s emissary and silenced him once and for all. Now God allows Barnabas and Saul to win the battle for the very soul of Sergius Paulus.

Have you ever felt like the Lord was leading you somewhere, into a path unknown, and your friends and loved ones tried to convince you how wrong you were? Some even rejecting you, trying to convince you to go in completely the opposite direction of where you know the Lord is directing you?

Bar-Jesus was trying to do that with Sergius Paulus.

The text tells us that when the proconsul believed and saw what had happened, he was amazed at the teaching of the Lord.

God uses a miracle to confirm the authenticity of His messengers and the truth of His Word.

Look at verse 11, “And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.”

The text leaves the door open for the repentance of Bar-Jesus by the fact that the blindness seems to be temporary, when it said; “ you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.”

This seems like a clear indication of God’s mercy. For we all have been spiritually blind and unable to see the son for a time, I’m talking about the Son of God. Yet, I want to look at the result in Sergius after he saw the miracle, verse 12, “Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

Every day is important for us because it is a day ordained by God. If we are bored with life there is something wrong with our concept of God and His involvement in our daily lives. Even the most dull and tedious days of our lives are ordained by God and ought to be used by us to glorify Him.” ― Jerry Bridges, Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts

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