encountering
opposition
Do you find
Paul’s words to be particularly harsh?
_______ How do they compare with
Jesus’ words to Peter in Matthew 16:22-23 and to the scribes and Pharisees in
Matthew 23:13-33?
_______________________________________________________________
Is Paul digressing into
name-calling? Why do you think Paul spoke so bluntly and boldly, and in this
case, in front of other people?
_________________________________________________________________________
Do you find
any parallels between what he pronounces over Elymas, and what he himself
has previously experienced? If so,
what? Does he leave room for repentance
and restoration? _______________________________________________________________
It seems
that Paul had the privilege of being a conduit of God’s power to touch another
person’s life similarly to how he himself had been touched by Jesus. Our memory of our own times of rebellion can
give us a window into other sinners like ourselves. We may be better able to speak to their heart
condition because it was once so familiar.
This is not
about judgment. It is about truth,
encountering the darkness in which we dwell, repenting, finding Life and Light,
and letting the Light shine through us so that others may see the path. We are not told of the ultimate outcome of
the sorcerer, but we do see that the intelligent proconsul [governor] believed
as a result of what he observed.
Rebuke and
exhortation are part of our Christian life, just as are acts of mercy and
service. A well-rounded, truthful
communication of the gospel cannot ignore evil which is intent on turning
people away from faith in Jesus. We may
not be comfortable with this aspect of “Truth in us”, but our discomfort does
not change the reality.
Remember,
there had been much prayer and fasting prior to this visit. The evidence of
God’s power testifies to the fact that Paul was not just speaking out of
irritation. Paul was speaking truth so as to shine light on the dark lies being
used to discourage others from pursuing faith.
The repentance, prayer and fasting done prior to the encounter, prepared
and empowered Paul for the encounter.
What kind
of encounters might you experience? Are
you prepared and empowered? If not, this
would be a great time to delve into prayer and fasting, for opposition will certainly meet you at some point.
Read and pray: 1 Corinthians
2:9-10, Ephesians 2:4-10, 2 Timothy 1:6-10
No comments:
Post a Comment