These are the original teaching notes from this passage.
- Missionary Church…
- Growing Word…
- The WORD of God [λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ] was [active] continually [imperfect] GROWING…
- The STORY of the book of ACTS did NOT end with the death of James…
- And because it was GROWING – it was also [passive] continually [imperfect] MULTIPLYING…
- Including Antioch – where God fulfilled the command to go out into the WHOLE world – Acts 1:8
- Missionaries…
- God called out TWO men from the leadership of the church [experience – step of faith]
- As they were FASTING so they could hear from the Lord [flexible]
- The Holy Spirit said to the whole church [confirmation] – set apart Barnabas and Saul…
- And they agreed to step out in faith and go on the first MISSIONS trip!
- Preach the Word…
- Barnabas and Saul were SENT out [ἀπόστολος] – and sailed from Seleucia to Cyprus…
- And then they arrived at the port of Salamis – they preached the Word of God [growing]
- Because MISSIONS is all about the GOSPEL – people NEED Jesus!
- Growing Word…
- 1st – Recognizing… vs. 6–8
- 1st – The place… vs. 6
- Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos!
- Barnabas and Saul traveled across the whole Island of Cyprus…
- Covering the distance [about 150km] between Salamis [east] and Paphos [west]
- No doubt preaching the Gospel in all of the cities and communities in between…
- But Paphos was a particularly pagan city – famous for the worship of the goddess Venus!
- According to Greek mythology – Venus [Aphrodite] was born from the sea near the city…
- A great TEMPLE was built in Old Paphos there in her honor…
- Worship of Venus [goddess of love] was particularly sensual…
- Making the city markedly opposed to the message of the Gospel!
- We are ALL called to be APOSTLES [ἀπόστολος] – sent out by God to share the Good news…
- But we need to be WISE and know WHERE we are being sent to…
- Times may have changed – but the world has NOT…
- Rather than TEMPLES dedicated VENUS [beauty] – we have MALLS dedicated FASHION…
- We still live in a world that seeks PLEASURE – their focus is life on this EARTH…
- Therefore we should NOT be surprised – when they resist the message HEAVEN!
- 2nd– The Enemy… vs. 6
- Angel of light…
- They found a certain sorcerer – a false prophet – a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus!
- In Paphos they found a SORCERER [μάγος]
- The word does NOT mean MAGICIAN – rather it means WISE man…
- The same word used to describe the MAGI who came to see Jesus – Matthew 2:1
- He was a JEW whose name was Bar-Jesus [son of Joshua]
- Joshua [יְהוֹשׁוּעַ] – meaning God [יְהוָה] is Salvation [יָשַׁע]
- Everything about this man seemed GOOD – his title – his name…
- But he was NOT good – he was a LYING [ψευδής] prophet [προφήτης]!
- The impression most have of satan is a red horned – pitchfork wielding – ugly monster…
- But that description actually comes from the Greek god Pan [god of the underworld]
- Likely satan spread this misinformation about himself – so people would NOT recognize him…
- Satan is NOT ugly – God created him as the perfection of beauty – Ezekiel 28:12
- We might ASSUME we could recognize a FALSE prophet or teacher…
- But they do NOT announce themselves [hello I am a liar]
- They are like their MASTER – who transforms into an Angel of light – II Corinthians 11:14
- What they say…
- LYING prophets tell people what they want to HEAR…
- Because people do NOT like the TRUTH [that we are sinners]
- And would rather hear that God is OK with our SINFUL lifestyle [no consequences]!
- King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit King Ahab of Israel – I Kings 22:4-8
- Ahab wanted Jehoshaphat to join him in going to battle against Syria…
- Jehoshaphat wisely asked if they could seek the Lord for advice…
- Ahab agreed and called FOUR hundred prophets – all of whom promised VICTORY in battle…
- One of the prophets even made horns of iron [very dramatic]
- But the men were NOT prophets of God – they were all FALSE prophets…
- There was only one TRUE prophet in Israel – Micaiah [ratio – 400:1]
- But Ahab did NOT like Micaiah – because he always gave BAD news!
- Satan is NOT creative – he just copies what has worked in the past…
- Satan DECEIVED people in the past by telling them what they wanted to hear…
- SINCE it worked before – that is what he continues to do today…
- Not to say there is only ONE good church for every FOUR hundred…
- But it should motivate us to VERIFY what a CHURCH teaches – to be sure it is TRUE!
- 3rd – The motive… vs. 7-8
- Proconsul… vs. 7
- [He] was with the proconsul – Sergius Paulus!
- Bar-Jesus was always [imperfect] with the PROCONSUL [ἀνθύπατος] of the Island…
- Paulus [Παῦλος] his given name – meaning small or little!
- Sergius [Σέργιος] his family name – a powerful family with historic ties to the Roman Senate!
- The Roman empire was divided into TWO kind of provinces…
- IMPERIAL – those who the Caesar had direct authority over…
- SENATORIAL – who were under the control of the Senate…
- The role of this man meant had a LOT influence [in Rome] and power [in Cyprus]!
- Seeking God… vs. 7
- An intelligent man – [he] called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God!
- Since [instrumental] Sergius was an INTELLIGENT man…
- He called for Barnabas and Saul – because he REALLY [ἐπί] wanted [ζητέω] to hear…
- The WORD of God [λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ] from them…
- Yet the only reason Sergius had the opportunity to HEAR the WORD…
- Is because Barnabas and Saul obeyed the call to go and SHARE!
- Romans 10:15 – “How shall they preach unless they are sent?”
- In the rural regions of Myanmar the Karen people had an oral tradition…
- One day a pale man would come and give them the lost WORDS of God [Ywa]
- As a result when missionaries came – thousands were SAVED!
- It is amazing to think – there are people who REALLY want to hear the WORD of God…
- They are just waiting for someone to come along and share it with them…
- All we have to do is be willing to say YES – and GO!
- Resisting God… vs. 8
- But Elymas the sorcerer [for so his name is translated] withstood them.
- Seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith!
- Bar-Jesus – tried [imperfect] to STOP Sergius from hearing the WORD…
- Because he wanted [ζητέω] to keep the PROCONSUL from THE faith…
- His MOTIVE is hinted at in the ADDITIONAL name given to him here – ELYMAS…
- ELYMAS – from the Aramaic [אַלִימָא] meaning POWER…
- He did NOT want to lose his access to the PROCONSUL – because it gave him POWER…
- ELYMAS likely profited a LOT from their relationship…
- And if Sergius heard the Gospel and believed – he would be out of a job!
- II Peter 2:3 – “By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words!”
- One EASY way to spot a FALSE teacher – follow the MONEY…
- FALSE teachers do NOT look to HELP others – they only look to HELP themselves…
- Pass the OFFERING plate one more time – focus on the blessings of GIVING [to them]
- Everything they do is about getting more MONEY!
- Philippians 3:17-19 – “They are enemies of the cross of Christ. Their future is eternal destruction. Their god is their appetite… all they think about is this life here on earth.”
- 1st – The place… vs. 6
- 2nd – Confronting… vs. 9-12
- 1st – Holy Spirit… vs. 9
- Little…
- Then Saul – who also is called Paul!
- Then [δέ] SAUL – the name means to ASK [שָׁאוּל]
- Also known as PAUL [Παῦλος] – small or little…
- This is the FIRST time Saul is called Paul in the Bible…
- And from this point on it will be his ONLY name – Saul is now PAUL!
- Philippians 3:4 – “If others have reason for confidence… I have even more.” [NLT]
- Saul was a man who thought he had it all – he was ARROGANT…
- But he was also OPPOSED to the work of God – he persecuted the church…
- Only when he realized he was NOTHING [little] – could God use him!
- Philippians 3:8 – “I also count all things loss for… the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.”
- If we think that we can do it on our OWN – God will let us try…
- Once we have FAILED enough – been BROKEN completely – understand we are LITTLE…
- That is when we realize NOTHING else matters – all we NEED is the Lord!
- Filled…
- Filled with the Holy Spirit!
- What caused the CHANGE from SAUL to PAUL…
- He was [aorist] filled [passive] with the HOLY Spirit!
- Recall – there are THREE prepositions that are used to define the WORK of the SPIRIT…
- PARA [παρά] – the Spirit comes ALONGSIDE and convicts the world of their SIN – John 16:8
- EN [ἐν] – the Spirit comes and lives INSIDE of the believer – I Corinthians 6:19
- EPI [ἐπί] – the Spirit comes UPON the believer to give them POWER – Acts 1:8
- This can be called the BAPTISM of the Spirit – being FILLED with the Spirit…
- What it describes is something that happens AFTER salvation…
- It is a SINGLE [aorist] occurrence that happens when we NEED it…
- The Holy Spirit comes UPON [ἐπί] us – to empower us for the Work God…
- Not just ONCE – we need to daily ASK [שָׁאוּל] to be filled with the Holy Spirit!
- Ephesians 5:18-“Be [continually] filled with the Spirit.”
- 2nd – Correcting… vs. 9-10
- Son of the devil…
- Looked intently at him [Paul] said: O full of all deceit and all fraud – you son of the devil
- FULL of the Holy Spirit – Paul set his complete ATTENTION [ἀτενίζω] on Elymas…
- Because he could now SEE exactly who this man was…
- A man FULL of all [πᾶς] kinds of MANIPULATION [δόλος]
- He was NOT there to help Sergius – he wanted to control him…
- And FULL of all [πᾶς] kinds of MISCHIEF [ῥᾳδιουργία]
- There was NOTHING he was not willing to do to get his way…
- Which marked him as the SON of the DEVIL [διάβολος] – false accuser…
- Likely because he was making wild accusations against Barnabas and Paul!
- After Jesus forgave the woman caught in ADULTERY…
- He confronted the Religious leaders – who had used her to try and TRAP Him!
- John 8:44 – “You are of your father the devil and the desires of your father you want to do. He… does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.”
- Enemy of God…
- You enemy of all righteousness!
- The SELFISHNESS of Elymas – made him the ENEMY of all [πᾶς] RIGHTEOUSNESS…
- His obsession with NOT losing his POWER over Sergius – made him the ENEMY of the God
- James 4:4 – “Whoever therefore is a friend of the world is an enemy of God.”
- People do NOT chose to be the ENEMY of God…
- What they CHOSE is the world – and that makes them opposed to God…
- Their DESIRE for this life – causes them to miss out on ETERNAL life!
- Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters.”
- We have a simple choice – who do we choose to live for…
- If we live for this WORLD – then we will be rejected by GOD…
- But if we live for JESUS – will be rejected by the WORLD – John 15:18
- 3rd – Blinding… vs. 10-11
- Challenge… vs. 10
- Will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
- Now indeed the hand of the Lord is upon you – you shall be blind not seeing the sun for a time!
- Paul was NOT angry with Elymas – he wanted to HELP him…
- He challenged him – stop TWISTING the straight paths of the Lord [κύριος]
- No doubt Elymas was NOT convinced by those words…
- Therefore – LOOK [imperative] – the hand of the Lord was upon him…
- He would [future] NOT be able to see the SUN for a season [not permanent]
- God blinded Elymas [physically] – to show him he was blind [spiritually]!
- Paul had his own experience with being BLINDED – Acts 9:8
- As a result of his BLINDING experience he came to SEE and know Jesus…
- Paul likewise wanted Elymas to see he was BLIND – so he could find the TRUTH!
- Seeking help… vs. 11
- Immediately a dark mist fell on him.
- And he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand!
- Immediately – a MIST [ἀχλύς] fell on him causing DARKNESS…
- And [καί] – as a RESULT of becoming BLIND…
- He began [present] SEEKING [ζητέω] someone to LEAD him by the hand!
- John 9:39 – “I have come… to show those who think they see that they are blind.”
- We CANNOT convince a BLIND man that he is going the WRONG way…
- Until we first help him to see – that he is BLIND!
- 4th – Seeing… vs. 12
- Salvation…
- Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had been done!
- Ironically – because of the BLINDNESS of Elymas – Sergius did SEE…
- He had listened to Elymas – because he thought he could lead him to God…
- It was obvious now that Elymas had NO idea where he was going…
- When he saw what had been done – he put his FAITH [πιστεύω] in Jesus!
- If we are honest – where do we go when we have a question…
- If we want to KNOW about some health issue – or a good investment…
- We run to the internet – we ask AI – we look the WORLD!
- People run to the WORLD – because they think it has the answers…
- But the WORLD is just full of the ideas of BLIND men…
- And if we follow BLIND men – we are going to end up in a DITCH – Matthew 15:14
- Instead we should be looking to God – to His Word – for all the answers!
- II Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God – and is profitable for doctrine – for reproof – for correction – for instruction in righteousness.”
- Word of God…
- Being astonished at the teaching of the Lord!
- It was NOT the blinding of Elymas that convinced Sergius to believe…
- What convinced him – was the TEACHING of the Lord…
- The power of the Word of God – that came [ἐκ] and HIT [πλήσσω] him!
- Ephesians 4:14 – “We should no longer be children – tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine – by the trickery of men.”
- There will always be men who will try and deceive us – keep us from Jesus…
- And if we listen – we will be like a ship tossed about in a storm…
- Never knowing where we are – or where we are going…
- It is only as we are grounded in the Word – that we will know truth from a lie!
- John 17:17 – “Your word is truth.”
- 1st – Holy Spirit… vs. 9
- 3rd – The calling… vs. 13-14
- 1st – New leadership… vs. 13
- Paul’s group…
- Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos – they came to Perga in Pamphylia!
- They departed from Paphos and came to the capital city of Perga [250km]
- Located in Pamphylia on the southern coast of modern day Turkey…
- At this point on the journey – there was a change in LEADERSHIP!
- Up till now Barnabas was always mentioned first…
- He was the one who first brought Paul to the church in Jerusalem – Acts 9:27
- Barnabas was the one who went to get Paul to help in Antioch – Acts 11:25
- Barnabas was the Senior pastor of the church in Antioch – Acts 13:1
- He had been the one to lead the first missionary journey – until now…
- Now Barnabas is NOT even mentioned – it is Paul and his party!
- Filled with the Spirit…
- Why the CHANGE – because PAUL was filled with the SPIRIT!
- When King Saul rebelled against the Lord – the SPIRIT of God left him…
- And instead the SPIRIT of God came upon David – I Samuel 16:13-14
- Which is why the LEADERSHIP of Israel passed from the one to the other!
- Leadership within the Church is NOT decided by ABILITY or SENIORITY…
- It comes from the SPIRIT of God working in our lives…
- Because the MINISTRY cannot be a work of MEN – it must be a work of GOD!
- John Mark…
- John departing from them – returned to Jerusalem!
- It would appear NOT everyone was happy with the change…
- John [Mark] at this point chose to LEAVE – and return to Jerusalem…
- Although we are NOT told why – the timing is likely NOT a coincidence…
- Mark was the cousin of Barnabas – Colossians 4:10
- And seeing his uncle REPLACED – appears to have gotten him upset enough to leave!
- Mark leaving would eventually drive Paul and Barnabas apart…
- When they were preparing for the SECOND missions trip – Acts 15:36-38
- Barnabas wanted to take his cousin again – but Paul refused…
- Their dispute became so heated – they went separate ways!
- When we hold onto something in our hearts – let BITTERNESS set in…
- It does NOT go away – instead it festers…
- And if it is NOT addressed – it will come back and cause DIVISION!
- Ephesians 4:31 – “Let all bitterness… be put away from you.”
- 2nd – The Jews… vs. 14
- Synagogue…
- When they departed from Perga they came to Antioch in Pisidia.
- And went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down!
- When they left PERGA – they came to ANTIOCH in the region of Pisidia [200km]
- It was a very mountainous region – difficult travel [known for robbers] – II Corinthians 11:26
- But when they arrived – they went right into the SYNAGOGUE on the SABBATH…
- This was the repeated pattern of Paul over his THREE missionary journeys…
- He would always make it a point to start in the SYNAGOGUES!
- The burden…
- Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles – Romans 11:13
- But wanted more than anything to be able to reach the JEWS – Romans 9:3
- Paul knew his BROTHERS were destined for Hell – because they did not believe…
- And even though God told him they would REJECT him – Acts 22:18-21
- He never gave up hope that some might be saved!
- II Peter 1:10 – “Be even more diligent to make your call and election sure.”
- Our calling does NOT always line up with our DESIRE…
- We might have a heart for something – but what we need to look at is the FRUIT…
- We will KNOW what God has called us to do – because it WORKS…
- As we recognize we are LITTLE – and desire to be FILLED with SPIRIT…
- We will see God working in our lives – and know our CALLING!
- 1st – New leadership… vs. 13