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God sent Saul to open the eyes of the lost (Acts 26:17-18).
Ironically, Saul’s first miracle on his first missionary journey is to blind one man’s eyes in order to open another’s. Sergius Paulus, the governor of Cyprus, wants to hear the Word of God. His conversion could impact the whole island. If he were only an errand boy, he would be just as important and precious to God.
God wants all people to know the Truth and to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). That’s why He sent Saul to Cyprus.
But Elymas, the governor’s guru, stands in the way. He is not at all pleased that Saul and Barnabas now have the governor’s ear. He does not welcome the competition. His other name, Bar Jesus, means son of Jesus. But he is a son of the devil, a false prophet. The ultimate power play here is not between Saul and Elymas. It’s between God and Satan.
The devil blinds the minds of pre-believers to keep them in darkness (2 Corinthians 4:4). He always seems to have an Elymas on the ground to resist the Gospel. But God has His man in place. Saul takes authority and blinds Elymas for a season. Back in Damascus, Saul’s temporary blindness led to his conversion (Acts 9). Perhaps he hopes the same for Elymas.
Are you astonished by the teaching of Jesus? Or have you become more enamoured with signs and wonders?
The governor of Cyprus probably never saw a miracle before. Now he witnesses the spectacular blinding of his spiritual advisor. But Luke makes it clear that Sergius Paulus was more impressed with the Message than the miracle: for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord (Acts 13:12).
Are you astonished by the teaching of Jesus? Or have you become more enamoured with signs and wonders?
Miracles don’t save. The Message saves (Romans 1:16). But miracles are as important as road signs on a highway. Besides relieving human suffering, they attract attention. They point people to Jesus as the Way of salvation. And they bear witness to the truth of the Gospel (John 10:25, 38). It is not wise to downplay miracles in favour of the Message.
Throughout the Gospels, the Book of Acts and Church History, miracle and Message have worked hand in hand to bring people to faith and wholeness in Christ. Sometimes we get excited about the wrong thing. Or too excited about a good thing. We rave and crave for manifestations as ends in themselves. But are we just as eager to share the Message of salvation with the lost? If we were, we would probably see more miracles.
Fast and pray
- One of the signs of revival is a high regard for the Word of God and a remarkable eagerness to respond. During the First Great Awakening, for example, Jonathan Edwards observed that the minds of the people were wonderfully taken from the world, and yet they did not neglect their secular duties. May it be so in First World Singapore! May such a great awakening start with you and your church. May it reach a tipping point and spill over into the marketplace. May men and women of influence and intelligence like Sergius Paulus be wonderfully captivated by the Word. May they hear the Message clearly and be astonished! May their conversion trigger a turning point for the Gospel movement in our city.
- Ask God to expose Elymas-types in every sector of our society: False teachers and false prophets who pervert the ways of the Lord. Post-modern thinkers who dismiss biblical Truth. Fake news mongers who discredit the Church. Activists who promote liberal ideologies that keep men and women in deep bondage. Pray by name for any Elymas-types you know. Ask God to foil their clever schemes that confuse the public, polarise society and incite religious distrust. Cry to God for mercy. May they and their fans encounter Christ in dramatic ways, experience the power of the Gospel and be marvellously saved. Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind but now I see.
- Here’s one thing the Singapore Church should get excited about! 2019 is the Year of Proclamation — a God-ordained kairos moment coinciding with our bicentennial. Reflect on this insight from Bishop Rennis Ponniah. Agree with him in fervent prayer: Over the last year or so, God has placed on my heart and on the hearts of several pastors … that He is visiting our land with grace and mercy. A vital expression of this is that God will bring an amazing number of people to saving faith in Christ Jesus … this will take the shape of ‘Celebration of Hope’ rallies at the National Stadium from 17-19 May 2019 … Is this wishful thinking or a vision to be embraced with faith? Is it possible, that in the midst of increasing strife and flux on the one hand, and moral darkness, ethnocentrism and hardened secularism on the other, God is preparing a mighty harvest? I believe it is, because with God nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37, Jeremiah 32:17). Today and every day until May 2019, prepare the way of the Lord. Ask God to visit Singapore in manifest presence and power. Pray for mighty miracles that will cause Singaporeans to sit up and listen to the Message, turn from darkness to light and become practising disciples of Jesus.
Read the devotional from Day 7: Martyrs of Antioch here.
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