Evening Service following the Lectionary
Saul and Barnabas set off from the church at Antioch having been called by the Holy Spirit to take the good news about Jesus to the Jews in other lands. Acts 13: 1-13
It was in the plan of God for the Jewish people to be the ambassadors of the good news to the rest of the world.
“Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness should be preached in his name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem.” Luke 24:46,47
Later in this chapter the Jews were filled with jealousy as the Gentiles were readily accepting Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
“And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.”
Fasting and Prayer The church at Antioch sought the will of God through fasting and prayer. Fasting enables a Christian to be more focused on prayer and less on the appetite, the delights of food.
Prayer is simply talking to the Lord as you would a friend, preferably finding a quiet place, free from the distractions of family, friends, TV and computers.
Paul and Barnabas travelled to Seleucia, from there they sailed to Cyprus were John Mark joined them. In the early days when they arrived at a town they always found their way to the synagogue, to tell their fellow Jews the good news about Jesus being the Christ.
They made their way from Salamis in the north to Paphos at the southern end of the island, preaching the good news about Jesus as they went. Jesus had said to his disciples when they asked him what they should do to do the works of God, “Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, and that you believe in him whom he has sent.” John 6: 28, 29. The work of God – the message of faith in Jesus taken out.
At Paphos Paul and Barnabas met the Roman Proconsul Sergius Paulus who was accompanied by a Jewish man called Bar-Jesus, who was described by the disciples as being a false prophet. He was also known as Elymas the magician, a sorcerer.
Sorcery – is the practice of the occult arts under the power of evil spirits or demons and has been common in all of the world’s history. Ungers Dictionary
Since the fall of Adam and Eve sorcery entered the world.
Roman Proconsul Sergius Paulus summoned Paul and Barnabas to hear the word of God. But Elymas intervened trying to turn Sergius away from the two disciples; he didn’t want Sergius to come to faith in Jesus.
Elymas was the Proconsul’s personal fortune teller/prophet.
Whilst I was studying this passage I had a phone call from a Christian friend who has since given me permission to write it about it on this blog.
My friend asked me to pray for her son’s wife who had come into contact with a lady who is a member of the Spiritualist Church. The Spiritualist Church do not believe that Jesus is God made visible in the flesh, and their spirituality is like Elymas the Jewish false prophet.(They also falsely communicate with the dead)
My friend said that her daughter-in-law was sat in the waiting room at her doctor’s surgery and as we often do we make conversation with the person we are sitting next too. The result was that she befriended this lady, who on another occasion proceeded to tell her fortune through tarot cards. She has become her personal counsellor.
My friend continued, ‘Whilst this was going on, my friend’s son, his best friend has become a Christian’, Her son told her that his friend had prayed with him and has invited him and his family to join him at the church where he attends.
However, her daughter-in-law is resisting going with her husband to his friend’s church and therefore is making it difficult for her son to go and hear the good news about Jesus.
It seemed that the reading spoke directly into the situation that she was faced with. We prayed over the phone lifting her son and his wife and the spiritualist medium to the throne of God’s grace to undertake in opening their spiritual eyes to the true faith in Jesus.
The following day the Lord gave me a word, ‘he came to release people from captivity and spiritual blindness.’ I use this word in my prayers for them.
(Update January 7 2012 Good news the lady is no longer having fellowship with the spiritualist lady.)
Paul used his gift of discernment and the power of the Lord Jesus’ victory over sorcery and prayed physical blindness upon Elymas. This was a witness to Sergius and he believed and he came to faith in Jesus.
I have found it difficult to understand why Paul prayed for this man temporarily to lose his sight. But what the Lord has shown me through this word is the spiritual blindness on Israel.
“Let their (Israel) eyes be darkened so that they can not see and bend their necks for ever. . . Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brethren, a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in and so all Israel will be saved as it is written. . . . As regards the gospel they are enemies of God, for your sake, but as regards the election they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.” Romans 11: 10, 25, 28.
I now realise that at Paul’s conversion on the Damascus Road when he opened his eyes he could not see and he was led by the hand to a house in Damascus. The Lord sent Ananias to pray for him to regain his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 9: 8, 17.
Jesus was blindfolded by Roman soldiers. Jesus after his trial was blindfolded by the Roman soldiers who attended him.
“Now the men who were holding Jesus mocked him and beat him; they also blindfolded him and asked him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” Luke 22: 63, 64
Jesus bore on the cross every spiritual blindness.
“So also the chief priests mocked him to one another with the scribes, saying, “He saved others but he can not save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Mark 15: 31, 32.
The Messiah’s Secret – Jesus’ death was hidden (Blindness)from the disciples and the people’s understanding.
Luke wrote in his gospel from material given to him from eye witnesses, the disciples and followers of Jesus. “And all were astonished at the majesty of God. But while they were all marvelling at everything he did, he said to his disciples. “Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of man.” But they didn’t understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.” Luke 9:43-45
“And taking the twelve, Jesus said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and everything that is written of the Son of man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon; they will scourge him and kill him, and on the third day he will rise. But they understood none of these things; this saying was hid from them, and they did not grasp what was said.” Luke 18:31-34
What Jesus had told them about his death conflicted with what they had been taught that when the Messiah came he would live for ever.
The people were taught that when the Messiah comes he will live forever. Peter’s response to Jesus’ words concerning his death,”God forbid. Lord! This shall never happen to you,” confirmed what the Jewish people were taught from the Law of Moses that when the Messiah came he would live for ever. “The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains for ever. How can you say that the Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man?” John 12: 34.
The Jews at that time didn’t believe that God would allow their Messiah to come and die. They expected the Christ to come and take up the throne of King David and rule from Jerusalem the eternal kingdom of God. They were the people who God would use to take the news of the Christ to the ends of the earth.
Jesus opened the eyes of his disciples and released them from their spiritual blindness. In Luke’s account of the evening of the Day of the Resurrection when the disciples where gathered in the house Jesus came among them. Jesus opened up their minds to understand the scriptures concerning his death and resurrection.
“Then he said to them, “These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened up their minds to understand the scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness should be preached in his name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem.” Luke 24:44-47
I now realise the Paul when he was converted on the Damascus Road when he opened his eyes he cound not see. He was led by the hand to a house in Damascus where the Lord sent Ananias to pray with him to regain his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 9: 8, 17.
Today there is a blindfold over the eyes of many millions of people. The church today like the Christians at Antioch we are separated and sent out by the Holy Spirit to tell people the good news about Jesus our Saviour.
The church is a sanctified people. Jesus in his humanity was sanctified, “I do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth, as thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they may be consecrated in truth.” John 17: 15-19
Sanctification -This means belonging to Jesus made holy by faith in him. It also means being separated from the world by following his ways, and by what he taught, the words of Jesus.
We should pray for the gift of discernment of spirits so that we made aware of the dangers we face when we are being tempted to engage with the practices of other religions. Especially be aware of the spirituality that comes from New Age or the age old practices of Sorcery.
The things we do in secret are seen by a wider audience. The angels watched the shepherds as they watched over their flocks by night in the fields at Bethlehem.
Satan watched Job and challenged God to allow him to test Jobs Godly fear and trust in God.
Many a Christian have fallen into the snare of the evil one, but through sincere love for the Lord’s word and having fellowship with the Holy Spirit, faith triumphs over evil.
The Lord is on our side; his love is always ready to defend us and draw us back to himself and rescue those whom we love through faith in him.
Tell the world that Jesus is risen God uses our weaknesses to reveal Jesus to the world. Jesus uses the church, his body which is made up of people from all over the world, to witness to the world of God’s love towards us.
Nothing can take away the truth about Jesus. Jesus speaks for himself through his recorded words in the gospels, his words are alive and when they are received in faith they have the power to open the eyes of anyone’s understanding.