Have you ever met someone and felt a heavy sense of evil presence? When you are a Christian, you will sense the presence of evil around you. The Holy Spirit will enlighten you if you are living close to the Lord. I think if we stop and think, we have all had a meeting with evil at some point in our lives.
Paul knew what it was like to meet with evil. It happened far too often with him, but on one occasion, God intervened in a way that no one expected and all knew it was of God.
Paul and Barnabas had sailed to the island of Cyprus and traveled to the capital city of Paphos. There, they met Sergius Paulus, who was a Roman governor of the country under the Roman emperor. He was known for being an intelligent, prudent, and considerate man who reasoned things out, rather than allowing his passion to dictate his decisions. The area was known for its false goddess Venus. It was an area where Paul needed to preach to destroy and counter the works of the devil with the beautiful gospel of Christ. Sergius wanted to hear Paul, but Paul was met with opposition by those who practiced sorcery.
When Paul first arrived on the island, he met a sorcerer named Barjesus. He was with Sergius, and it does not seem that he incited much opposition. Sergius Paulus wanted to hear Paul and Barnabas, so he sent for them to come to him. However, we met a sorcerer who opposed Paul and Barnabus. Elymas was his name. He was a Jew and would do all he could to keep them from sharing the gospel. He could not shut them up, so his best defense was to seek to turn away the deputy from placing his faith in Jesus. In verse 8, it says that Elymas withstood them. Elymas knew that if Sergius were to become a believer, he would be seen as an impostor. His income and influence would be gone.
He was right! Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit, and as he looked at Elymas, he revealed who and what he was. Paul pronounces him to be a child of the devil, full of evil, and an enemy of righteousness. Paul proclaims in the name of the Lord that Elymus would be blind for a season. It happened immediately. He was blind and totally dependent on someone else to lead him around.
This miracle was the beginning of the gospel in this area. Sergius became a believer in Jesus Christ for his salvation.
Act 13:6-12 “And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.”
Paul did not allow an evil spirit to stop his preaching of the gospel. He saw the big picture of life and knew the only hope for those on the island of Cyprus was the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are still multitudes of people who risk their lives to witness for Jesus in countries where it is against the law to speak of Jesus. They, like Paul, love Jesus and those that Jesus loves, so much that they are willing to suffer for their faith.
We, too, know the only hope for a lost world is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, we go about our daily lives without ever thinking that we may be the only chance for some to hear the gospel. God gives us opportunities every day to witness for Him. We come into contact with work associates, friends, neighbors, people in stores, restaurants, and even online. We have more opportunities to witness and make a difference in the world than Paul ever did, yet we often fail to take advantage of them. The world is full of evil. We see the effects of it every day. We know that Satan is the prince of the air, but we serve the King of the Universe. Why are we not doing more to share the gospel?
One day we will stand before God and give an account of our lives. What will we say when he brings to our minds the opportunities we had but were too shy, lazy, or self-consumed in the world to care enough about people’s eternal life to take time to share the gospel?
