Saturday, September 5, 2015

When the Holy Spirit is at Work, It's the Word that is Prominent

Acts 13:4-12 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. 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. 
This is the first stop of Paul's first missionary journeys.  In a sense it sets the stage to confirm his call.  They proclaim the Word of God, when this encounter takes place.  The one who came to hear the Word of God believed, not because of this awesome demonstration of power against evil, as much as "the teaching of The Lord."  The Holy Spirit is not into showing off His powerful presence; He wants to get the Word out. He is used to being unseen, in the background. Anything He does is to draw attention to and faith in His Word.  He gives Christ's followers boldness, the words to say, and the lives to back it up.  May we be into what He is about.

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