Acts; Magicians and Children of the Devil

Sept. 2

Read: Acts Chapt. 13,14 / Focus: 13:4-12

Acts;

Magicians and Children of the Devil

“But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?” (v.9,10)

At every turn of their missionary journeys, Paul and Barnabas are met with both success and great opposition. The message of Christ is traveling alongside powerful signs and miracles. It is both their teaching as well as the supernatural work of God that is calling the people to believe. (cf. 13:11,12, 14:3,8-10, 19-20 etc.) In this, we can see a few truths about the nature of the Kingdom of God and the work of Jesus Christ:

1.) The Kingdom of God always travels in both word and deed.

The work of Christ is not in a vacuum. It is both proclaimed as well as experienced. The message of Jesus and the Kingdom that he is ushering in is something that we participate in as much as it is something that we learn about. The Holy Spirit is guiding Paul and Barnabas each step of the way. (cf. 13:2,4,9,51 etc.) They are experiencing many respond to the message of Christ as well as many signs and wonders. We must remember that the message of Christ is both proclaimed and experienced.

2.) Until Christ comes again - Christianity will never be the global “norm”.

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”- Jesus  (Matt. 7:13,14)

Even when Paul and Barnabas come into a city and they are welcomed on the front end, sooner or later the people become divided. For instance, the Jewish leaders invite them to comment and welcome them to teach; yet in the end they oppose them and drive them out of the town. (cf. 13:15,16,45, 50, 14:2,19 etc.) Paul and Barnabas understood this and were not dismayed or discouraged by it. The forged ahead undeterred by the hardship recognizing that it was a part of the way that the message of Jesus would go out into the world. They knew that someday “every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” (Is. 45:23, Rom. 14:11, Phil 2:10)

3.) There are those who are aligned with the devil and adamantly oppose the message and work of Jesus.

These agents sabotage the message of Christ and seek to stop others form hearing and responding. These people are called “Children of the Devil”. (cf. Matt 13:38, 23:15 John 8:44, 1John 3:10, etc.)  This is not simply a rejection of the Gospel of Jesus… it is something greater… more diabolical. We see this in Acts 13 with the magician who is actively seeking to hinder the preaching and teaching off Paul and Barnabas. (cf. Acts 13:8) These sorts of people represent a concerted effort to turn people away from faith and hinder the message of Jesus going out. Notice how this person is known as a “magician”. They are using evil spiritual trickery to get into these positions of power. The proconsul wouldn’t just listen to this magician on a whim… there was something that he was actually doing that made him seem powerful. This “power” went unchecked until Jesus shows up in Paul and Barnabas… then this magician and his power were put in their place! Paul calls this man a “son of the devil”. (Acts 13:10) I know it is hard for us to believe, but there is truly a war around us where the message of Christ is being opposed by people who are literally aligned with the devil. There is a certain amount of petty “magic” that they seek to wield to deceive and ensnare others… but the power of Jesus is greater than anything they bring to the table. Paul was not afraid to look at this magician and call it as it was. The days of the devil running unchecked have come to an end in Jesus! We need not shrink back nor be afraid… and we must not give ground to these nay-sayers and enemies of the Lord.

How did Paul and Barnabas react?:

“But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”  (Acts 13:51,52)

As the people of God, we are filed with joy and with the Holy Spirit as we bring the message of Jesus in word and in deed to the world around us. Even when we face opposition from the evil one… or when there are those who rally against us… It doesn’t matter. This is how God fills us up. This is when the Spirit bears fruit in us… JOY… and we can be excited at what comes next. Think of those who responded to Christ in this passage. They were filled with joy and hope. Many churches began gathering together in the wake of Paul and Barnabas. Set our eyes on the positive and fruitful ministry of the Lord around us and “shake the dust off your feet” from those that war against the Lord. Set our hearts and minds on things above… not things below! (Col. 3:2)  Do not grow weary brothers and sisters. Love you guys. - JDP