Acts 13:4-12 Barnabas and Saul on Cyprus
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.
I am sometimes shocked by how often and in how many ways the enemy tried to stop the gospel. In this instance the governor sent for Paul to hear the gospel message. But a magician attempted to prevent the official from speaking with Paul. However, Paul, filled with a boldness that comes only through the Spirit, literally stopped the man in his tracks.
One of the lessons we can learn from this passage is that the gospel will not be stopped. The Holy Spirit still empowers us today to be bold even in the face of opposition as we share Christ with others.
May we go out today in the power of the Spirit and share Jesus with someone who needs Him.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 