252 – Acts 13: What Kind of Believer Are You?
Among
the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas,
Simeon (called “the black man”), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood
companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul. One day as these men were worshiping the Lord
and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Dedicate 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. So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit.
They went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed for the island of
Cyprus. There, in the town
of Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the word of God.
John Mark went with them as their assistant. Afterward they
traveled from town to town across the entire island until finally they reached
Paphos, where they met a Jewish sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar–Jesus. 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. But
Elymas, the sorcerer (as his name means in Greek), interfered and urged the
governor to pay no attention to what Barnabas and Saul said. He was trying to
keep the governor from believing. Saul, also known as
Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the
eye. Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of
every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never
stop perverting the true ways of the Lord? Watch
now, for the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be
struck blind. You will not see the sunlight for some time.” Instantly mist and
darkness came over the man’s eyes, and he began groping around begging for
someone to take his hand and lead him. When the governor saw
what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching
about the Lord. ACTS 13:1-12 NLT
Everyone is a believer
You
say you have faith, for you believe that
there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. JAMES 2:19 NLT
Not everyone believes in the truth
People believe in themselves
There
is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. PROVERBS 14:12 NLT
People believe outright lies
People believe people who twist the truth
You
are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. GALATIANS 1:7 NLT
People need to know what God believes about
them
All people are loved by God
Long
ago the LORD said to Israel: “I have loved
you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have
drawn you to myself.” JEREMIAH 31:3 NLT
All people are separated from God’s
love
This
includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated
from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to
himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has
brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand
before him without a single fault. COLOSSIANS
1:21-22 NLT
Jesus is the only way to experience
the love of God
Jesus
told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father
except through me.” JOHN 14:6 NLT
And
when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of
the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. ACTS 13:48 NLT