Truth Be Told

This evening we continue with a sermon series long on hold… a series we have not visited since the first of November, 2019. The series is called “First Church” and it is designed to look at the history of the first church as recorded throughout the Book of Acts.

This series is NOT to be historical by nature alone… but revealing as God’s timeless theological truths regarding His church are discovered.

And did you catch what I just said? This is GOD’S church. This is God’s chosen instrument to reach the unreached with the gospel message of Jesus Christ!

God, through His Son, opened the door for our redemption and salvation. Our faith in Christ is the common tie that holds and binds this community - this body - together.

God, through the Son, commissioned His church to go and make disciples and to leave no geographical area unreached. (Matt 28:19)

God, through the Holy Spirit, empowered His church to fulfill the mission He created His church to accomplish.

God, through the Holy Spirit, has gifted people of faith for the cause of reaching this world for His kingdom.

God created, commissioned, and equipped His church for His purpose! The church is the body of Christ, empowered of the Spirit, and is to be the extension of Jesus’ ministry until He returns.

Our last sermon in the series brought us to chapter 13 in Acts. And in the first few verses of this chapter, we see an ordaining… we see a sending out take place. Saul (who we know as Paul) and Barnabas are set apart, prayed over, and after the laying on of hands… are sent off.

And verse 4 gives info that is very important for us to note. Acts 13:4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.

It is not so much the location to which they traveled that we need to take notice of… it is the way in which they got there. Not on foot or by boat… but led of the Holy Spirit. God was guiding them in their work as He guides us in our work today.

And what was the work they were to do? To tell the truth. To deliver the gospel message. To be relentless in spreading the good news throughout the region.

God’s church is not something that is idle, indifferent, passive, lifeless, or without purpose. God’s church is something that is in motion, compassionate, active, full of life, and full of purpose. God’s church is FULL of His power and love!

When led by His Spirit, the church may not know exactly what lies ahead, but so long as God is in it… it is already done! As God’s church moves forward in faith we CAN EXPECT God to move when and where He leads us to go!

As Paul and Barnabas make this journey, we see something take place that appears to be rather… unique. But when we dive in deep, we discover that the circumstances they face are similar to what we might find as we continue to do the work of the Lord.

I want to reemphasize - (Main Point) we may not know what lies ahead… but so long as we are led by the Holy Spirit, God’s work will be accomplished.

All seems to be going well for the traveling group until they came to Paphos.

Paphos was a city on the southwestern extremity of the island of Cyprus. This city was known for, among other things, its cult worship of the goddess “the Paphian,” a divinity of Syrian origin identified with the Greek Aphrodite. This was associated with sexual desire, passion, love, beauty, etc.

The city was living in darkness. The city was in need of Jesus. The Light of the Word had come… but the enemy wasn’t going to make it easy on the traveling missionaries.

As we study this passage, we are going to see three points that help Paul and Barnabas overcome the obstacles the enemy tried to set before them.

Though the enemy might try, he will NEVER stop or overcome a move of God. As it says in John 1:5 “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” That light is Jesus - and we, the church, are called by Christ to shine His light to this dark world!

They Preached the Word.

Acts 13:6 is where we pick up the story. “6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.”

There is a lot going on here and we are going to take a different approach as we aim to know what is happening. We start at the end… at verse 7… and we find something very important.

The proconsul sends for Barnabas and Saul and he does so for a very specific reason - he wanted to hear the Word of God. He didn’t want to hear the word of any other person or of any other faith. Sergius Paulus wanted to come into contact with the Word of God.

Now… how did this proconsul know to send for these missionaries? How did he know they had brought the Word of God to the city? I have to believe it was because they were actively preaching the Word in the city! AND… they had met a man named Bar-Jesus who happened to be an attendant of the proconsul.

This man is identified as a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet… and that information will come into play in a moment. But the proconsul had heard the Word had arrived in Cyprus… and he wanted to hear it for himself.

Paul and Barnabas preached the Word. “Well pastor, what else would they be preaching but the Word?” These guys stayed on mission by offering God’s truth to the region they had come to.

Remember, these guys were led and directed by the Holy Spirit. They were doing the Lord’s business. They did not become distracted… they did not water down the message… they preached the Word.

The Word of God is powerful. The Word of God is truth. The Word of God is much different than the word of this world.

Sergius Paulus had heard other “words” throughout his life and time as proconsul. But when God’s Word came across his path… he wanted more of it. He wanted to hear it.

If Paul and Barnabas had come to town with any other word, I doubt the proconsul would have taken notice.

This is a simple reminder… this is a simple point to consider. We are God’s commissioned church… a church that is called to preach and teach the Word!

If we are preaching or teaching anything else… we cease to be the church. Our message is the Word. Our life is the Word. Our allegiance is to the Word… why? Because Jesus IS the Word! John 1:1; 1:14 reads, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

So let’s repeat what I just said a moment ago… If we are preaching or teaching anything else… we cease to be the church. Our message is Jesus. Our life is Jesus. Our allegiance is to Jesus!

When Paul and Barnabas arrived in Paphos teaching the Word… JESUS through Paul and Barnabas HAD ARRIVED IN PAPHOS!

As you go into your community, your neighborhood, your school, your workplace, your home, your grocery store, your marketplace teaching the Word… Jesus, through your ministry, has come to town!

We are His representatives. We are His ambassadors. We have the privilege and responsibility to bring the Word of God to the four corners of this world!

In our text, the proconsul wanted to hear the Word… so he sent for the men who were preaching the Word. And when they come together, another very important point is realized through their interactions.

They were Filled with the Holy Spirit.

Paul and Barnabas were filled with the Holy Spirit. These two guys were not operating under their own power and authority, but were moving and ministering in the power and authority of God’s Spirit. We see this truth in verse 9 of Acts 13, “Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit...”

I cannot stress enough our need for the Holy Spirit in these last days. What we are reading about took place… in the last days. We are living in the same ministry era as Paul and Barnabas - in the era in which God said He will pour out His Spirit on all people!

The engagement and ministry interaction took place through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. This empowerment was available then… and this empowerment is available now.

God does not expect His church to carry out the mission under our own power. A God-sized mission requires a God-sized power for acccomplishment!

We, the church, must rely on and be dependent on the Holy Spirit as we carry the Word of God to the unreached. Acts 1:8 makes clear the purpose behind God giving us the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. But… what good is this power if the people will not speak? What good is this power if the church will not testify? When the power of God’s Word is proclaimed THROUGH the empowered witness… well now that’s a formula in which things are gonna get done!

We recently concluded a Sunday Night Sermon series that looked at the person and activity of the Holy Spirit throughout Scripture. We established that not only can we know of the Holy Spirit… we can experience His ministry and power first hand in our lives! That power is given that others might also experience transformation in the Lord!

Here’s the deal… we’ve got to make time to allow God’s Spirit to be poured into us. Before we can pour into others, God’s Spirit needs to be poured into us.

Paul and Barnabas did not come to the region to lead on empty… they came and led while filled and anointed of the Holy Spirit. And here is something I want you to see… their teaching at Paphos was not without resistance.. we are going to talk about that next… but the proconsul saw something different in their message.

The proconsul was in the company of a false witness… he was in the company of a Jewish sorcerer. This guy, Bar-Jesus, has not spoken truth… only falsehoods. But once the empowered Word came to town… it broke through the darkness.

Listen… there’s a lot that can be listened to. There’s a lot competing for our attention. Only the empowered Word of God has the power to break through the falsehoods and shine the light of truth!

We the people of God are to be empowered of God. God is pouring out His Spirit on all who would believe and receive for the purpose of becoming His witnesses! We need His power every day as we strive to live and teach His Word!

They Resisted the Enemy.

Recall that I mentioned Paul and Barnabas faced resistance in their ministry efforts in Paphos. Bar-Jesus may have been the connection between the missionaries and the proconsul… but he also became an obstacle to the preaching and receiving of the Word.

We see this in Acts 13:8-12. But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.

Stop there for a moment. Why was this sorcerer suddenly a negative factor? How is it that he connected the missionaries with the proconsul but only now speaks up as an opponent to God’s Word? Because it went directly against the bondage of lies he had sold to the proconsul!

God’s light had come to Paphos… and although darkness is no match for God’s light (as we will see in a moment) it wasn’t going to go down easily. the sorcerer tried to stand between the proconsul and God’s Word.

Acts 13:9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

Paul and Barnabas resisted the enemy. The devil wasn’t going to let go of his influence here without a fight. But in reality, not much of a fight took place for the power of God prevailed.

Church… WE WILL FACE OPPOSITION when preaching the truth of God’s Word. This world has lived under a shroud of darkness for some time… and darkness is not going to go down without a fight. The enemy will try to get in the way… the enemy will even try to attack. This is spiritual warfare… and we must be ready to stand our ground against the enemy.

Paul speaks of this very thing in Ephesians 6.

In verse 11 he says to “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

In verse 13 he says, “13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

I find it interesting that not only did Paul write those verses under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit… he wrote from a position of experience!

He KNEW the power of God’s light over darkness. WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR when it comes to the attacks of the enemy or his intrusions SO LONG AS WE REMAIN FAITHFUL in our walk with God and to the leading of the Spirit in our lives.

Paul didn’t do anything “magical” in this moment. What took place was a prompting from the Holy Spirit. I believe Bar-Jesus was stricken blind by God so that he and the proconsul would see just how blind he was to the truth!

And then notice something very important here. It says in verse 12 that the proconsul believed. What was it that turned him from false teaching to the truth? IT WASN’T SIGNS AND WONDERS! It says, “he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord!”

Closing

The enemy tried through Bar-Jesus and the enemy failed. Imagine the changes that might take place now in that region as the proconsul became a believer! It was a major victory for God!

And it was all because of the three points we listed tonight. They preached the Word. They were filled with the Holy Spirit. They resisted the enemy. AND THE LIGHT OF GOD SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE LAND.

Church, it really is that simple.

Preach the Word - The world isn’t looking for more noise. It needs truth. It needs answers. And those answers are right here in God’s Word.

Be filled with the Spirit - God is pouring out His Spirit in these last days. And it matters greatly what “spirit” we follow into spiritual battle. We need to be filled with His Spirit and filled with His power!

Resist the enemy - be ready for attacks and STAND YOUR GROUND. With the help of the Spirit and with the full armor of God, the enemy has no chance - and never forget - the battle has already been won! The enemy is truly defeated!

Last week we talked about being faithful to the call in our AM service. Tonight is charge to march and to go were God is leading you to go.

Today is not a day to back down. Today is not a day for “cancel culture” to cancel you. Today is a day to stand for Jesus and to proclaim His truth.

Will you answer this charge? Will you tell the truth, while filled with the Spirit, and resist the enemy?