Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 256

September 13;       Acts 13:12;       102/260(III);       ‘The Word and the Power’

Acts 13:12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

Paul (Saul) and Barnabas went to Paphos and encountered a sorcerer, a false prophet, named Bar-Jesus.  This sorcerer was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus.  The proconsul was an intelligent man and wanted to hear the Word of God.  Elymas (Bar-Jesus name translated) did all he could to hinder the proconsul from hearing the Word and turning to the Lord.  Paul, was a Spirit filled man of God, and confronted Elymas.  Paul, by the power of the Holy Spirit, called Elymas a son of the devil and said he would be temporarily blinded.  This excites me.  The devil has some power, but it is nothing compared to the power of God, flowing through a born again, Spirit filled Christian.  Sergius Paulus believed on the Lord when he saw what happened to Elymas and when he heard the Word of God.  We are spirit beings, made in the image of the Lord and there is a real part of all of us that longs to see the supernatural.  We can see that in the number of movies and books that deal with the supernatural and science fiction.  Virtually none of these movies and books reveal the greatest power on earth, the power of the Holy Spirit.  When we, as born again, Spirit filled Christians continue the ministry of the Lord Jesus, sharing the Word and healing the sick, the lost will turn to Jesus just as Sergius Paulus did.  What we have is real, not made up or demonic.  Our power is used for good, to bless and open the hearts of the lost so they can accept Jesus.