Conflict In Advancement
Opening Prayer
Praise the Lord for the wonder and power of the Gospel message—for what it means to you and others.
Read Acts 13:4-12
[4] The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. [5] When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. [6] They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, [7] who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. [8] But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. [9] Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, [10] “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? [11] Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. [12] When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Reflect
What good did the blinding of Elymas achieve?The first missionary journey began with time in Cyprus (4). As was normal at that time, they began their declaration of the Gospel in the synagogues (5). The main event during this time in Cyprus unfolded in vs. 6-12 where they met strong opposition. Here they had the opportunity to preach to the proconsul (Roman governor of the island) who was eager to hear the Gospel (7). Great! Here was access to a sympathetic person in power; however, others were not so excited about this, and this Jewish sorcerer did not want to see his influence diminished (6,8). (Jews were forbidden to practice sorcery.) Have you been in a situation where you are discussing your beliefs with someone who is genuinely interested when an antagonistic person joins the conversation? That makes my heart sink. Paul, however, tackles the issue head-on (9-11). What a strong condemnation! What an amazing miracle! It is very clear that the Lord has led him to make this declaration (9,11) but it is not something we are accustomed to doing. Why not? Looking carefully at v. 12, we see that the combination of preaching and a miracle convinced the proconsul.
Apply
How well are you prepared to deal with opposition or antagonistic people when you speak to others about your faith?
Closing prayer
Ask the Lord to increase your confidence in the power and truth of the Gospel. Ask for appropriate boldness.
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