In this message we take a look at the missionary encounter on the island of Cyprus with a false prophet and the proconsul. God grants the victory!
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The Gospel Comes To Cyprus!
Acts 13:4-13
In Acts 13, we have the first missionary team being thrust out of the church of Antioch to bring the gospel to the remotest parts of the earth. This was an exciting time! As far as we know, nothing like this had ever happened. Yes, you had Philip preaching to the Samaritans, and Peter preaching to Cornelius and his household. But never before had a missionary team deliberately set about to travel far and wide to bring about the conversion of the Gentiles, as well as Jews.
We are told that there were prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch. Five men are named, among whom are Barnabas and Saul. As these leaders were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said (probably through a word of prophecy) that they were to set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work to which He had called them. I’m sure that group had mixed feelings. On the one hand they must have been very excited to see what the Lord was going to do through Barnabas and Saul. On the other hand, they were going to lose their two most experienced and seasoned leaders in the church.
Be that as it may, the group fasted and prayed some more, laid hands on Barnabas and Saul and then sent them out to do the work of the Lord.
We are going to focus this morning on what took place when this little missionary band sought to bring the gospel to the island of Cyprus. As we work our way through, I’m going to focus on four individuals: Elymas, Paul, Sergius, and John Mark.
1. Elymas (turning others away from the Lord)
13:4. Seleucia was about 16 miles from Antioch. It was right on the Mediterranean sea. It would take the better part of a day to walk that distance. When they got there, they paid their fare to get on a ship that took them to the island of Cyprus.
13:5. They disembarked at Salamis, a major city on the east side of the island. It was there that they began their usual practice of proclaiming the word of God in the synagogues. Paul would say later in the Romans 1, that the gospel was to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. So, the missionary team presented the gospel in the synagogues. In that day, any male Jew was given the opportunity to give a word of exhortation, so the synagogues were wonderful opportunities to preach Christ!
13:6-8. Salamis was a prominent city on the eastern side of the island. They began there, and went through the entire island until they got to Paphos on the western side, a distance of about 90 miles.
Elymas. We are told several things about him.
He was a magician. Like Simon the sorcerer in Samaria in Acts 8. He was able to do seemingly supernatural things, magic. How? I believe it was by the power of the devil. Paul calls him “the son of the devil.” Jesus said in Mt. 24:24 that “false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.” Elymas evidently was showing signs and wonders in order to deceive.
He was a Jewish false prophet. The magic he performed was to confirm his word. However, his word was not the word of God. He was a false prophet. Instead of spreading God’s truth, he spread the devil’s lies.
His name was Bar-Jesus. Here is another name for this man. Interesting – “Bar-Jesus”. Son of Jesus. In reality, he was nothing like Jesus. He was the son of the devil.
He was with the proconsul. In those days high ranking government officials would have a court adviser, a spiritist, someone that could give them advice and had a connection to the spiritual world. This might be similar to Nancy Reagan seeking the counsel of Jeanne Dixon and horoscopes on behalf of her husband.
He opposed the missionaries. He sought to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Why would he do that? Perhaps he knew that if this man turned to the Lord he wouldn’t need him any more! He would be out of a very nice cushy job.
Lesson: Just because someone is “spiritual” and can do some amazing things, even supernatural things, does not mean they are from God. Remember, Elymas was “full of all deceit and fraud.” He performed magic, and spoke “prophecies” even though they were false. Therefore, don’t accept everyone who says they are from God because they can do supernatural things. Remember Jesus’ words, “Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” It doesn’t matter if this person has a huge church, ministers at huge evangelistic rallies, is on TV, has his own personal jet, lives in a mansion and is a multi-millionnaire. None of that means anything. What you should look for is whether this person looks like Jesus. Do they practice lawlessness or holiness? Does he do his own will or the will of the Father who is in heaven? When you find a person who looks like Jesus, you’ve found the real deal.
2.Paul (turning others to the Lord)
13:9,11.
Saul, who was also known as Paul. This is the very first time that we are told that Saul was also called Paul. From this point on, he will always be referred to as Paul in the book of Acts, except when he is giving his testimony and telling what Jesus said to him (Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
Filled with the Holy Spirit. That tells us something very important. What is about to happen was not a guy getting in the flesh, and losing his temper (13:10). No, Paul was under the control of the Holy Spirit when he did and said what he did.
Fixed his gaze on him. This expression only occurs 3 times in the NT. All 3 of them are in the Book of Acts. And all 3 times, it is recorded right before a miracle takes place. In Acts 3:4, Peter fixed his gaze on the lame man at the gates of the temple. Then he took him by the hand and raised him up. Peter was absolutely certain that the man was going to be healed. In Acts 14:9 Paul fixed his gaze on another man who was lame from his mother’s womb, and saw that he had faith to be made well. Paul told him, “Stand upright on your feet.” The man leaped up and began to walk! Here in Acts 13:9 Paul fixed his gaze on Elymas and pronounced God’s judgment upon him. He told him in no uncertain terms that the hand of the Lord is upon him, and he would be blind and not see the sun for a time. In all three incidents, the apostle did a miracle. Two of them were healings, and one was a blinding. In all three, they spoke of something that was going to happen with absolute certainty. I believe they fixed their gaze, because God had got their attention with a word of knowledge and a gift of faith. At that moment, they knew what God was going to do, and so they acted accordingly.
13:10. Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke with great boldness!
You who are full of all deceit and fraud. This guy was a trickster, a scammer, someone out to deceive others for his own personal gain.
You son of the devil. That tells us plainly that his message and his magic were from Satan, not from God.
You enemy of all righteousness. His heart was set on sin, evil and unrighteousness.
Make crooked the straight ways of the Lord. The straight ways of the Lord is parallel to “the faith” in verse 8, and make crooked is parallel to “turn away” in verse 8. That means that to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord is to turn people away from the faith of Christ. This magician was getting in the way of people coming to faith in Christ.
Lesson: What this tells me is that you can be filled with the Spirit and still say some very hard things. Paul did here. He told the truth to Elymas even when it hurt. Jesus said some very hard things to the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23. He said that they were hypocrites, blind guides, sons of hell, fools, and serpents. John the Baptist said to the crowd, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” You can say some very hard things by the Spirit if what you say is true and you are motivated by the good of person you are speaking to. Now, don’t take this as an encouragement to go around trying to offend people. On the other hand, sometimes you may have to hurt someone before they can heal, and it will take speaking the truth in love to heal them. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy (Pr. 27:6).
3. Sergius Paulus (being drawn to the Lord)
13:7.
Proconsul. This means that he was the governor of the island. He was a governmental official, with the responsibility of ruling Cyprus. He had been given much responsibility.
A man of intelligence. He was bright. He would need to be in order to wisely govern an entire island. This probably also means that he was curious about the message that Paul and Barnabas preached and wanted to hear more.
This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. He wanted to know what these missionaries were teaching. He wanted to know what their message was. He was willing to give it a fair hearing.
13.12. The proconsul believed. When? When he saw what had happened – Elymas being struck blind by the apostle Paul.
Being amazed at the teaching of the Lord. Isn’t that interesting?! It doesn’t say he was amazed at the miracles of the Lord. He was amazed at the teaching of the Lord! Paul and Barnabas had spoken of God’s holiness, and justice, and righteousness. They had told them about man’s sinfulness and rebellion, and that God would have to pour out His wrath upon them. He told them about God’s love for sinners to the point of sending His only Son to live a perfect life and die a substitutionary death for them. He told them that this same Son of God rose from the dead three days later proving that His sacrifice for sin had been accepted by His Father. He told them He had ascended into heaven and now ruled and reigned from the right hand of God until He returned at His second coming. He told them that God saves sinners by His grace. He told them that they must respond in repentance in faith in order to lay hold on forgiveness of sins and eternal life. And as the proconsul heard all these things he was amazed at the teaching of the Lord! I love it! Would to God that more sinners would be amazed at the gospel of Christ!
Lesson: God had plans of mercy in store for Sergius Paulus. In spite of Elymas’ attempts to turn him away from the faith, God was drawing this man. God had chosen him from before the foundation of the world. God had spoken to the leaders at Antioch and told them to separate Barnabas and Saul for a special work he had called them to. Of course they didn’t know it at the time, but this work included preaching the gospel to the governor of Cyprus, and seeing him bow the knee to King Jesus. Paul and Barnabas and John Mark were nobodies! They had no political clout. And here they are speaking the gospel to the most powerful political person on the island, and God saves him! Do not prejudge who you will speak the gospel to. We think in our minds that this person will never listen to the gospel and so we don’t speak it. We don’t know. We don’t know if God has already been working in his heart and drawing him to Christ. So, just speak the truth to those people God puts in your life and leave the results to Him.
4. John Mark (forsaking his commitment to the work of the Lord)
13:13.
Paul and his companions. Did you hear that? Did you catch the difference? Up until now it is always “Barnabas and Saul” (11:30; 12:25; 13:2). Now for the first time the order has changed. “Paul and his companions”. Barnabas has gone from being the leader to one of Paul’s companions.
John left them and returned to Jerusalem. We will read later in Acts 15 that Paul was very upset when John left. In 15:38 it says that Paul “kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.” Now, why did John Mark leave and go home to Jerusalem. Some have speculated that he got homesick. Others think that he wasn’t willing to undergo the rigors and hardships of living a missionary life. Maybe, but I think there is a more likely explanation. His Uncle Barnabas had brought him along on this mission, and when he signed up, Uncle Barnabas was the leader. But now, Paul was leading the expedition. I think that made John Mark upset, and it was enough for him to quit and go home.
Lesson: I have found over the years that when a church goes through a Leadership change, some people just can’t handle it, and they will end up leaving. I know that was true when I became the pastor at Milpitas Bible Fellowship. There were a number of people who didn’t like it one bit, and tried to get me kicked out. Just a heads up for the future – when your church goes through a leadership change, be very slow to get offended and leave. Be patient. Pray for the new leaders. Get to know them and their heart. It just may be that God is going to use them in a very special way in your life!
Conclusion
May we learn from the exploits of this missionary team on Cyprus.
Let’s learn to never turn people away from the Lord like Elymas. In fact, we may have to confront that person who is doing that and rebuke them severely.
Let’s learn to turn people to the Lord, as Paul did for Sergius Paulus. Let’s be busy seeking out those who are lost and sharing the good news with them.
Let’s learn to appreciate God’s grace that draws people to salvation as it did Sergius Paulus, and to never prejudge whether someone may believe or not.
Let’s learn to not make the same mistake John Mark did and desert the work of the Lord when things are not going the way we want them to.
Let’s pray.
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