Spirit @ Work

Acts 13:4-12 

4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. 6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 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.

Chairman

He introduced himself as a former BOT chairman from another church. He and his family applied for membership and elected leader few year later. After our missions journey, we looked for a church that we can help. We were surprised to see the former BOT Chairman applying for membership in the same church they left few years ago. Lately, I’ve learned that he and his wife returned to the other church.

Personal agenda confuses anyone; following God’s will inspires us to keep on. God establishes anyone in authority to fulfill His designed for His church. God decides when mission is completed; God choose anyone perfect for His plan.

True and genuine disciples should inspire harmony and not bring confusion. The Holy Spirit prepares genuine disciples to seek and to make disciples.

1.  Prepare Disciple

4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.

The Holy Spirit set apart Saul and Barnabas to go for a mission endeavour when the church in Antioch were praying and fasting John Mark, whom Saul and Barnabas brought with them from Jerusalem, joined them in their mission journey. The Holy Spirit was leading them where the Lord wanted them to go.

If we listen carefully where God want us to minister to, we will know that the Lord will surely lead us to where the person He has prepared for us beforehand.

6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 

God, for sure, has prepared the heart and mind of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. God sends and leads His servants to a potential believer who He has prepared. God has arranged everything, even before we pray for prospective disciples.

Christ instructed, “Go and make disciples”; He prepared someone to be discipled. We need to pray that God would prepare us to be effective in training disciple. Your spiritual gift or talent is the appropriate instrument for you train disciple. If your gift is teaching disciple future teachers; singer disciple singers; evangelist train evangelist; it’s like fisherman teach future fishermen and not to be farmers.

Paul, a Pharisee, he was more of intellectual person; most people God allowed him to encounter were intellectual also. Interestingly, the Bible describes the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, as intelligent and connected that intelligence to his desire to hear and learn more about God.

When a person has desire to hear and learn more about the word of God, however simple-minded that person is, he becomes wise.

Listening to God’s word brings peace that refreshes the weary soul.

Psalm 19:7-11

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

King David knew very well that he can truly find encouragement in God’s word. The more he understood the word of God the more he grew in his knowledge of God and the more he was strengthened in his faith in God.

You know that you are growing closer to your relationship with the Lord when there is a desire to read, re-read, repeat and enjoy reading God’s word. Closer relationship with the Lord is measured by our desire to read, re-read, and keep reading the word of God. Once you hear the sweet voice of the Lord, leading you to the disciple He has prepared for you will be easier to understand.

Pray that God would prepare you to be a disciple He wanted you to be. God is very kind not to send new or unprepared believers to go and make disciples. Not new believers but only genuine disciples are sent to go and make disciples.

Anyone can easily claim he/she is a believer but making disciple is a practical manifestation that a believer has matured as genuine disciple.

Persecution is the signature that a believer is growing to be a disciple. Trouble-makers are present when the church keeps in step with God’s will.

2.  Prevent Distraction

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.

There will always be distraction or trouble-makers promoting confusion in church. When God is at work, the enemy would not relax but sends anyone, mostly, prominent, or distinguish personalities to disrupt or distract the ministry.

Elymas is an Aramaic or Arabic name which means wise person, or magician, like the Magi from the East who visited the child Jesus. In NIV, Elymas was regarded as attendant to the proconsul Paulus, but other translations suggest that Elymas was a friend, or an associate which presents the idea that Elymas was a prominent personality.

The devil uses people with influence, highly educated, eloquent speaker, or even the wealthy; naturally, more people would listen to them when they speak. This is one of the major reasons that we need to grow closer to the Lord so that we will be able to discern genuine disciples from pretenders whose agenda includes bringing confusion and distraction in the ministry.

No need to worry whatever those Elymases might carry out to God’s work. The Holy Spirit will prevent them and give them what they deserve just the way the Holy Spirit punished Elymas when he tried to turn the pro-consul from faith.

Never Lord!

In Matthew 16:21-24, 21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

Peter was a disciple but Christ called him Satan because Peter was influenced by his human sinful nature; unmindfully, he thought he should save Jesus.

Many are those with great experience in the ministry would think they know how to save the body of Christ; they think they are the knight in a shining armour. They are very open at belittling or putting the less experienced elected leaders.

That was very true in the Corinthian church; this church is not exempted either.

In 1 Corinthians 1:27 Paul recorded this teaching,

27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Well, God does not need the intelligence of man; God prefers simple people. Just as it is insane to put water into a glass fully filled with water; God prefers simple people who are willing to learn from him.

True and genuine servants of God decide to go wherever the Holy Spirit leads them to minister to. There will be challenges, struggles normally experience by many individuals but there is more enthusiasm for God’s servants obeying His instructions. We cannot flatter the Lord with earthly credentials; He prefers impartial obedience.

Let us learn from Paul in Philippians 3:4-11…

4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

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