Read Part One HERE
A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS
PART XIII -III
"As arranged, this morning Barnabas and I, Saul, presented ourselved to the pro-consul of Cyprus, Sergius Paulus... He is a very gracious man... And he is wonderful host... For he spread out a table with all kinds of delicacies for us... However, we had not come to partake in these delicacies.... We had come to share the Word of God with him... So we began to preach to him the Good News that God had sent His Son for him to die on the Cross... In order that the pro-consul could be forgiven of his sins... And could become a child of God...The pro-consul listened attentively... It was very clear that he was taking in the message... While we were talking, we were interrupted... This Jewish man Elymas suddenly appeared from nowhere it seemed... He began to whisper to the pro-consul.... We could see that he was very agitated... Suddenly, the Holy Spirit spoke to me, Saul... He told me to deal with this man... For he was a sorcerer... And a false prophet.... So I did."... Please read the typed out attachment to learn details of how the Holy Spirit led Saul to deal with Elymas....
ATTACHMENT A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS
PART XIII - III
Elymas, the attendant of the pro-consul of Cyprus, was not pleased that the pro-consul wanted to listen to Barnabas and Saul, and tried to dissuade him from doing so as you can read in Acts 13:8
But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the pro-consul from the faith.
Why would Elymas want to prevent the pro-consul from accepting he message of Barnabas and Saul? Was it because he was concerned for the well-being of the pro-consul and did not want him to be misled by the message of these two men? Or was it because he had other reasons?
The truth is, Bar-Jesus or Elymas was a Jewish sorcerer and a false prophet. But the pro-consul did not know that. And Sergius Paulus trusted Bar-Jesus who, no doubt, had a very comforable life because of his position in society as an attendant of Sergius Paulus. He knew that if Sergius Paulus accepted Barnabas's and Saul's message, he might be exposed for who he really was: a sorcerer and a false prophet. And that must not be allowed.
However, what he no doubt, feared, did happen for the Holy Spirit prompted Saul to expose Elymas as a false prophet and let him to pronounce a word of judgement over this man as you can read in Acts 13:9-11a
Then Saul who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas (or Bar-Jesus) and said, "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?Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun."
The Holy Spirit knew that this man was an obstacle to the Word of God spreading throughout Cyprus and that something needed to be done to stop his activities. Saul was completely in tune with the Holy Spirit so when he knew he should speak these words of judgement he did so as led by the holy Spirit. And we know that he spoke these words of judgement in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit for as soon as he had spoken them Bar-Jesus was unable to see as you can know from Acts 13:11b
Immediately, mist and darkness came ove rhim, and he groped about, seeking someeon to lead him by the hand.
Read Part Four HERE
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