“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” (Acts 13:11).
TEXT — Acts 13:1-12
Message
Joshua Travers wrote, “Ignorance has a terribly high price tag – but understanding and overcoming it can really pay off”, adding that “the greatest ignorance is when God’s law and the possibilities therein are ignored”. Souls are lost if believers fail to recognise this truth. But Jesus has given every believer the authority that defeats ignorance.
Commissioned by the Holy Ghost to the gospel work, Paul and Barnabas went to Cyprus. In the course of their journey, they encountered Bar-jesus, who though a Jew, made frantic efforts to hinder the deputy, Sergius from receiving the offer of salvation. Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost and apostolic authority, would take none of that. Immediately, he used this authority to silence Elymas. The deputy he tried to deceive graciously received sight to see the truth of Christ’s saving gospel. Christ wins, even in difficult terrains.
Believers have authority over all satanic forces and human opposition to their God-ordained purpose. The clear revelation of the Scriptures is that Christ “…spoiled principalities and powers, (and) he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15).
Salvation in Christ, sanctification and empowerment by the Holy Ghost imbue in the believer the kind of apostolic authority that Paul and other apostles manifested during their outreaches. Believers cannot afford to cringe in the face of assaults against the gospel and its preachers. For sinners to be converted, we must confront and silence the “Elymases” that seek to sway their attention and deceive them. We must do this with the demonstration of the Spirit and power of God.
Thought for the day
In God’s design, the gospel does not go without power.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
Good morning. Very inspiring message.
I love the post. A group of 15 persons having reason together has manifested a worldwide congregations. Thanks be to God.