Ministry in Cyprus
TRANSLATION
(4) Sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, Barnabas and Saul went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. (5) When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. John Mark was with them as their helper.
(6) They traveled the length of Cyprus as far as Paphos. There they found a Jewish sorcerer, a false prophet by the name of Bar-Jesus, (7) who advised the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man sent for Barnabas and Saul, desiring to hear the word of God. (8) But Elymas, the sorcerer (for that is what his name meant), opposed them, trying to turn the proconsul away from the faith. (9) But Saul, also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked directly at him (10) and said, “You are a son of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right, filled with deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the righteous ways of the Lord? (11) Now, the hand of the Lord is against you. You will become blind, unable to see the sun for a time!” Immediately mist and darkness enveloped him. He groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. (12) Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, amazed at the teaching about the Lord.
OBSERVATIONS
Having sailed to Cyprus from Seleucia, Barnabas and Saul encountered opposition from a Jewish magician and false prophet called Bar-Jesus or Elymas. Saul, now called Paul, took the lead in confronting him, rendering him temporarily blind. As a result of this miracle, the proconsul of the island, Sergius Paulus, who had previously been under the influence of this magician, became a believer in Christ. Repetitions lead us to the emphasis of this segment: “the Holy Spirit” (vss. 4 & 9), “proconsul” (vss. 7 & 8), “Saul” (vss. 7 & 9), “of the Lord” (vss. 10, 11, & 12), and “hand” (vss. 11 & 12).
OUTLINE
I. Barnabas and Saul traveled on their first missionary journey to Cyprus. (4 & 5)
II. Upon meeting Bar-Jesus, Saul, now called Paul, confronted and blinded him which led to the conversion of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. (6-12)
IDEA STATEMENT
The first missionary outreach in Cyprus proved successful with Barnabas and Saul overcoming satanic opposition and leading the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, to saving faith in Christ.
APPLICATION
Characteristically, in the Book of Acts, we find Satan’s opposition accompanying the advancement of the Gospel. In Cyprus this obstruction came from a Jewish false prophet, a trusted advisor of the local leader, Sergius Paulus. It was Saul who took the lead in dealing with this threat to the Gospel. To this point, this missionary team had been designated “Barnabas and Saul.” From now on they would be known as “Paul and Barnabas” since Paul’s leadership gifts were obvious and Barnabas willingly assumed a supportive role.
We should particularly note in this passage the irresistible power of those who are “filled with the Holy Spirit.” Whenever we find ourselves engaged in spiritual warfare, we must remember that Christ has already triumphed over our enemy by his death on the cross. In Satan and his demons, we are facing a defeated foe. Our responsibility is to “put on the full armor of God” and boldly take our “stand against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:10-18). God gave Paul and Barnabas a great victory in Cyprus. Likewise, he has promised to give us the victory if we will trust him and rely on the spiritual resources which he has made available to us.