40 Days of FIRE – Day 28
The remainder of the Book of Acts mainly focuses on Paul (formerly Saul) and his missionary journeys. After prayer, fasting and God’s leadership, Paul travels with Barnabas and John Mark to the Island of Cyprus. Pray for God’s hand upon our church’s missionaries as they boldly set out to Go Demonstrate God’s love in a hurting world.
JESUS today YOU will SAVE me.
Eat This Book
Read Proverbs Chapter 23
Acts 13
1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.
5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.
6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:
7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him.
10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
11 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.
12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
13 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.
14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.
17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.
18 And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.
19 And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.
20 And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
21 And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.
22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
23 Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:
24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25 And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.
26 Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
27 For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.
28 And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.
29 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.
30 But God raised him from the dead:
31 And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
37 But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
40 Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;
41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
49 And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.
50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.
51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.
The POFW Daily Bible Reading 
Verses 46-49 AMP “And [at the same time] Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and confidently, saying, “It was necessary that God’s message [of salvation through faith in Christ] be spoken to you [Jews] first. Since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, now we turn to the Gentiles. For that is what the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, So that You may bring [the message of eternal] salvation to the end of the earth.’” When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying [praising and giving thanks for] the word of the Lord; and all those who had been appointed (designated, ordained) to eternal life [by God] believed [in Jesus as the Christ and their Savior]. And so the word of the Lord [regarding salvation] was being spread through the entire region.” We must be like Paul/Barnabas, staying on track with boldness and confidence in sharing the good news with all who are willing to hear. If we face opposition, we must also like Paul/Barnabas do as verse 51 says “But [m]they shook its dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.” They didn’t stop…..they went (GO).
Things may not always go the way we think they should. As children of the most high God, we must be ready when a shifting takes place. God does not change, but the situations we deal with does. If we are not in tune with what God is wanting to do, we will miss the opportunity to be used by God. Distractions as a Christian will come, how we deal with those distractions will determine the outcome. My prayer is that we all learn the harmony of God’s word and be able to stay in sync with his plan.
51. But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
Matthew 10:
14. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. KJV
15. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
They weren’t being rude or arrogant, they were simply following the instructions that Jesus gave them. And while they likely didn’t want to give up on those people, they realized their time was limited and better spent sharing the Word with those hungry for it.
So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way. ACTS 14: 3 NLT
2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Barnabas and Saul were sent to do the work God somewhere else… They still fasted and prayed about it. The Bible is clear that we are to seek the kingdom of God first, and also says to try the spirits and see if they are of God. Not everything we hear that sounds like God truly is from the Holy Ghost. We must fast and pray and seek the voice of God to confirm and verify what we have heard, and often times it will come through the man of God over our lives. Remember that the devil was also an angel of Light at one time and would know exactly how to speak to us and a very persuasive and elegant way that would be easily confused as God. Not everything that we here is of God so we must check the scripture make sure we are covered and pray and fast for verification. Even Gideon had heard from God to do something but he still prayed to make sure that he had heard from God. God is not going to condemn us for making sure that we have heard from him and we have not confused it with another voice trying to steer us away from his kingdom. Because his word instructs us to do so
The demonstration of God’s love and power are difficult even for unbelievers to deny when they see and feel it expressed with their own eyes. How was Paul’s testimony capable of demonstrating the love and power of the gospel with such authority and impact? It didn’t happen by accident and it didn’t happen overnight. Good sent him to go find a man. He was sent to Damascus, he was sent to Jerusalem, he was sent to Antioch, he was submitted to those God had sent him to and was willing to share his testimony wherever he went.
It is not until the beginning of this chapter that we finally see Paul separated by the holy ghost for the work that God had called him to do. Ananius was told by God that Paul was a chosen vessel of the Lord, but that vessel was want in times past to persecute the very people good wanted him to save. He was going to need to be prepared for the work good called him to do and that preparation would come at the hands of another man. He had to learn submission in the kingdom of God before God could use him to expand his kingdom. None of us is able to save ourselves and none is iable to prepare ourselves for the anointing that God wants to place upon our lives and our ministry… regardless of what our ministry in the church may be.
It is significant that even after the holy ghost moved among them to separate Paul and Barnabas for the work good intended them to do, they laid their hands upon them to pray and SENT them to respond to God’s call. The mighty apostle to the gentiles, the chosen vessel of God to accomplish his work through much suffering and grief, was still sent into his ministry… just as he had been sent to everywhere else up to that point in his life.
If we intended to demonstrate God’s love and ministry in his power and strength, we are going to need to first learn submission. Why is it so important? Ask yourself where Paul was going to receive his direction after he had been sent? There would be no one around him to guide him or remind him of God’s will and direction… he would have to be capable of following the direction of the holy ghost and we see that he did. That sensitivity was given in his submission to those that were also submitted to the holy ghost. We do not wake up one morning and suddenly hear the voice of God clearly anymore than we wake up one morning with all the talent and wisdom we need to accomplish God’s will for our life. That pattern of submission to authority is what prepares us for the submission to his will that is critical in our lives to truly demonstrate his love with power and strength!
Light in the Darkest of Night
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
God has filled us with His Power to be a light. We are plugged into the outlet the power source His Power through us. Babies are waiting to be born we must be ready willing available because when it is time to birth we have to have the strength to help these babies to be born. Oppositions will come but theugh twill blind out the darkness and the enemy will flee. Babies are born usually surrounded by light will we be that light to see souls born into the kingdom.
His Strength is Perfect
26 Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
Whoever feareth God, this is the beginning of knowledge. Pray for wisdom and knowledge God will bless you with both.
iLove to Go Blog
Acts 13:2-3 KJV As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. (3) And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Notice that in the verses above that it was the “Leadership” that prayed and fasted and that the “Leadership” heard the Spirit and sent Barnabas and the relatively new convert Saul (who would become the Apostle Paul) away to preach the Gospel. Barnabas and Saul did not pray and fast and tell the leadership that they were leaving. When did you ever see the sheep fast from the shepherd and join a new flock? The truth of the matter is, it is the shepherd that sacrifices his life for the safety of his sheep and when he gets the word from the father, he will send the sheep to another pasture when it is most beneficial for the sheep. To the sheep, the grass might look greener on the other side, but they don’t see the cliff.
It looks like folks today have this “praying and fasting” concept all backward. They say, “I prayed and fasted and the Lord is sending me over yonder to the Gate in the North…Poor folks don’t even know Jesus isn’t coming in from the north…that’s Santa. Jesus is coming in from the East and is gonna land in the West.
Matthew 24:27 KJV For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Poor fellas in the North are stuck with Santa while we who are in the West get to see Jesus! BOOM.
AMEN!
2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
49 And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.
Believe, Believe, Believe!!! As easy at it might sound, the enemy will always attack our faith. The enemy doesn’t want us to believe in God but to perish and destroy us. But because I believe in a true and mighty God I will always spread the gospel. We don’t need a pulpit to be doing Gods will. If we have the HG we have Him inside of us and what else do we need!!! We have the power to be the difference to someone. Lord use me daily to reach out to those that need you Lord!!!
28 And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.
29 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.
30 But God raised him from the dead:
Those who opposed Jesus thought that they could kill the God of the universe but they were wrong. I love verse 30 because its so simple yet profound. “But God raised him” I like to say it like this… “But God raised himself” Jesus himself said “I lay down my life, no one can take it from me.” When the devil thought he could rule the world and defeat Jesus He raised himself from the dead!
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
As a lighthouse brings light to the darkness of the sea, we are to bring light to the darkness of this world. A lighthouse shines a light out into the sea so that the ships that are lost in the darkness of that sea, will now be able to find a place of help. We are that lighthouse, it is up to us to shine our light on the people that are lost in sin and to lead them to the One from where the help comes from!
52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.
I feel the joy of the Holy Ghost all over me!
One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.
Acts of the Apostles 13:2-3 NLT
Thank God for the holy ghost
When you are looking for an answer and you don’t know what to do fast pray and God will send you the answer
This is what 40 days of fire 🔥 is all about
51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.
If we do what God has called us to do, no matter what the adversary sends our way, we can shake the dust off our feet and move on in JOY knowing that we have accomplished the will of God. If they receive it be joyful, if they don’t, be joyful. We are responsible to do our part, they are responsible for their actions.
Acts 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
Romans 1:16 For Iam not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jews first, and also to the Greek.
13:9,10 then Saul who was also called Paul,filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elimas and said: you are a child of the devil,and an enemy of everything that is right! Yo are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery . Will you never stop pervertingthe right ways of the Lord?
————
I WANT THAT!!!!! ( because I have been in that position and felt agrevate d by not doing anything about it.)
Same pasión, same boldness, withought being afraid of confronting those evil spirits. In Jesus name.
SHAKE IT OFF AND GO
51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.
Too often people allow opposition to define their attitude. One of the greatest assets of a believer is the ability to shake off opposition and or bad news. The key to unprecedented JOY is being filled with the HOLY GHOST.
Shake the dust of opposition off today and GO to the next opportunity to serve JESUS. When challenges arise, we should find a place of PRAYER and Pray until we are filled with the JOY of JESUS by being filled with the Holy Ghost, evidence by speaking with other tongues.
iRepent
iPraise
iPray
iWork
iGive
iReap
iGo
2-4 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.
It is unavoidable–people will leave our church, sometimes for valid reasons, sometimes not. Pastor has to face the reality of people who have been part of this church deciding to leave. More often than not, these people have received a great deal of Pastor’s time, influence and ministry and have been given special attention to get them through difficult times. And though it may not be talked about much when people leave, it usually hurts.
One of the basic reasons people leave a church is that they simply never let Jesus “plant” them so their roots can go down deep and bring forth fruit. Another reason is running from the truth. This reason is probably more common than we think. When the Word of God is preached or taught through the anointing, it brings with it truth and reality, about both God and ourselves. I have resisted these convictions and can recognize when someone else is resisting the Word of God.
Another popular excuse is offenses, whether being offended by the Pastor or by other members. The most alarming excuse is loss of hunger for God. God is taking our church to a new level. To move to the next level, sometimes, God will want us to leave certain things behind. When we are not sold out and do not want to let go of certain things, there is separation. Consider the story of Ruth, Naomi and Oprah. Orpah went back to Moab, but Ruth went on to Bethlehem. There are people who want to go to new levels, and there are those who don’t.
50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.
51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.
44.On the next day Sabbath almost the whole city came together to thee whole city came together to hear the word of God.
45. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul.
52. and the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
The disciples were preaching full with the Holy Spirit and boldness, most of the city came to hear the Word of God, but the Leaders of the Law, opposed because of envy, The disciples were filled with Joy and the Holy Spirit because seeing what the Lord was doing in the people, they were not paying attention to the persecution ( the negative side). How impacting testimony of a faithful servants. Praise the Lord/!
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
be a light unto the world
24. When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Is’-ra-el. 25. And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose. We need to repent daily !!!!
42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
Preach to me preacher!
When people hear the Word of God and don’t want to hear it. There are others that want to hear it. So when we hear the man of God Preaching, we must get behind them. Support them and hear what they have to say.
#GOdosomething
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
Mary’s first time to Blog yea!
He wants us to Go and witness to the world!
7 He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. The governor invited Barnabas and Saul to visit him, for he wanted to hear the word of God.
No matter the position, even someone in a high position will believe in God. Let’s never be intimidated by someone over us. They need to hear about God just like we do.
Too good for the Gospel
46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
It would be easy to condem them because they did not recieve the Word. Yet how often is the Word of God preached and it falls on deaf ears and hard hearts because we think “oh that’s for new belivers” No honey, the Word is for all, all the time. It doesn’t matter if you’ve grownup in church and heard it a million times it’s still for you and me. We cannot get to the point where we “judge ourselves unworthy” of the Word the man of God is preaching. If we do that we put ourselves in the same place the Jews found themselves in.
I Love To Worship The Lord
Vs-45
Jealousy
How tragic to be so upset over another’s popularity that we ignore the truly vital issues of life
And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
There will always be someone hungry for the word of God. Do not cease to preach/declare for there is a people that is hungry and thirsty for righteousness.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
We are the light to this crumbling world. Everyone we walk around has a candle but most of the candles have never been lit or ounce was lit but now it’s blown out by sin and evil. What if this world knew the end without Jesus and had any idea what Jesus is trying to do for them. Our hearts all need to be hungry for the lost. Jesus put people in my path that are willing to receive you with joy and hunger, for I want to win a souls! Thank you Jesus!
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
Thank you Jesus for salvation and truth!
50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.
51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.
There’s no time to dwell on who doesn’t accept the truth. We have to move on and find those that are looking for an answer, those that are hoping for a better life. There is an answer to those who seek God. Shane the dust off your feet and find someone to teach, someone to disciple.
Acts 13:38 (NLT)
“Brothers, Listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness of sins.”
GO Proclaim that through Jesus there is forgiveness of sins.
Hannah: “48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.” The word of the Lord is for each and every person on this Earth. He died for each and every one of us. He is so marvelous and he is filled with so much mercy. He died for all of us to be saved and he gave out his word for every person. Without him we would be lost he gave his life so we could be washed from our sins. Never stop proclaiming his gospel and continue to proclaim his word to all nation’s. Everyone needs him and we need to reach out to as many souls that we can. I could never thank the Lord enough for everything he has done in my life and I never want to live without the Lord in my life.
This chapter is a wonderful example of what we can be doing in our lives! As we dwell in this world we need to be sharing the gospel to everyone who will listen! We cannot go wrong by showing the love of Jesus everywhere we go. Yes, there will be some who will turn away from the gospel and reject the truth, yet we should not be discouraged! We can always do what Paul and Barnabas did: shake the dust off our feet and go and share the gospel to more people! There will always be someone who is hungry for God, we should be willing to GO and find them and share the truth with them. As Jesus said in Mark 16: “GO ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Josiah: 47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
“a light unto the Gentiles…unto the ends of the earth” God did not just die for you and me. He died for everyone. God wants everyone who wants to be saved and who obeys to be saved. I pray that I always be that light everywhere I go and be that Christian example to everyone I meet. LET US GO IN JESUS NAME AND BE THAT LIGHT! LET EVERYONE THAT HATH BREATH PRAISE THE LORD. PRAISE YE THE LORD.
Acts 13:45
How tragic to be so upset over another’s popularity that we ignore the truly vital issues of life.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
Their envy of the Gentiles receiving the things of God causes them to reject his word. Hopefully a few of them later stopped and reflected on the scriptures…but most importantly, God made a way for the Gentile to be saved. Praise God!
7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
Be careful who you associate with, who you attach yourself to. You never know what god they bow to or what form of sorcery they may dabble in. Keep yourself and your house protected. Stay prayerful of anyone you keep close to you. Hallelujah!
Thank you Jesus!
2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
A person can be called and sent or deceived and went. People will come and go in our lives the importance is our example we leave behind. Leaving our covering leaves prey to the attacks of the enemy.
51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.
3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
In every life changing decision we make, it is good to seek some guidance from your leaders.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
I wander if this guy was a very rebellious person, or if he practiced magic too… I know that the Word says, that rebellion is a sin as of witchcraft, and if someone is practicing witchcraft, they are in rebellion to Jesus, but I wander… Some people might be less distractive if they were worried that they might go blind…
46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
God will always find someone to use, someone to speak to, someone to save, someone with a humbled spirit, etc. He will not allow a single proud, ungrateful soul to hinder the moving of His Spirit; His will, will always be accomplished.
51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
There will be fakes who presume to be Christians and pretend to be righteous God knows their intention. Others who will totally deny Christ. Hypocrisy is everywhere be careful who you talk to because they’ll stab your back to get their way.
Barnabas and Paul moved on from this kind of behavior there is a mighty God who is for us he knows all and sees all be careful wolves dressed in sheep clothing God is the judge all lies and evil intentions will find you out.
“And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar–jesus:”
Acts 13:6 KJV
There will be times when we are going from here to thee, or maybe even doing the will of God when we will be faced with something that is close to the truth, but it is not. We must know the word and its meaning. We must be able to discern good and bad. If our discernment is slightly altered it can cause a great tradgedy like that of Adam and Eve. We must follow after the example of Jesus and know exactly what the word says and what it means so we are not fooled by something that “sounds pretty close” to what it means.
Acts13:38 ( English Amp) So let it be clearly known and understood by you, brethren that through this Man forgiveness and removal of sins is now proclaimed to you. Go brothers and sisters and proclaim that God forgives sin .
35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
God is holy and mighty, and even in death, no corruption touched his body. May I continue to walk and reach and grow more into that holy walk that God requires and wanted for his holy people. To walk upright in all his ways and paths.
The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.(Acts 13:17 KJV)
God chose Israel to be his people and lead them to the land of Egypt and protected them and lead them out. If God leads us to it, as his people he will also bring us through it.
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed
49 And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.
I am so very thankful for this precious truth that came into my life and the lives of those that I love! Our Jesus did not have to save us but he chose to do so because of his everlasting love. Now we cannot hide this precious truth of salvation as something to be put away in a safety deposit box for protection.we must joyfully share it with all we encounter with our testimony.