Acts 13:8-13:20a
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “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? 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”
Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.
13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”
16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! 17 The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country; 18 for about forty years he endured their conduct e in the wilderness; 19 and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. [1]
___________________-
What’s striking to me in this passage is that a curse led to faith. The text says that Paul cursed Elymas, who is struck blind. Witnessing this, the proconsul believes. Actually what tipped the scales for the proconsul was witnessing the power of God over the power of Elymas the sorcerer.
But note that Paul’s curse was not simply Paul losing his temper and lashing out in anger. The text says that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. This didn’t come from Paul, but from the Holy Spirit.
Now, I don’t think the text is meant to encourage us to engage in curse evangelism, seeking to witness by striking people blind and proclaiming God’s judgment on the people around them. But what it does point to is the power of the Holy Spirit in witnessing. The key for Paul was simply being filled with the Spirit. In this case the Spirit apparently led Paul in a surprising direction, but one that resulted in the proconsul coming to faith. The proconsul, a man of considerable power in the political and military sense, was led to Christ by a demonstration of power. The Holy Spirit knew this is what it would take and so led Paul in this way. As a result, it led to the most high profile conversion the church had experienced.
The point is that if I want to be witnessing in the way that God intends, it’s all about the Holy Spirit. Now, to go into that topic in any detail is way beyond the scope of this devotion. But suffice to say it is another reminder to be in the Word, the voice of the Spirit, and constant in prayer for the Spirit’s filling and guiding, and diligence in following Christ in obedience and faith. When I place myself in step with the Spirit’s presence and influence, He will lead.
So my prayer today is to be led and filled by the Spirit that I might be an effective witness for my Lord.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
[1] The New International Version. 2011 (Ac 13:8–20). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Leave a Reply