4After Barnabas and Saul had been sent by the Holy Spirit, they went to Seleucia. From there they sailed to the island of Cyprus. 5They arrived at Salamis and began to preach God's message in the Jewish meeting places. They also had John as a helper. 6Barnabas and Saul went all the way to the city of Paphos on the other end of the island, where they met a Jewish man named Bar-Jesus. He practiced witchcraft and was a false prophet. 7He also worked for Sergius Paulus, who was very smart and was the governor of the island. Sergius Paulus wanted to hear God's message, and he sent for Barnabas and Saul. 8But Bar-Jesus, whose other name was Elymas, was against them. He even tried to keep the governor from having faith in the Lord.
9Then Saul, better known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit. He looked straight at Elymas 10and said, "You son of the devil! You are a liar, a crook, and an enemy of everything that is right. When will you stop speaking against the true ways of the Lord? 11The Lord is going to punish you by making you completely blind for a while."
Suddenly the man's eyes were covered by a dark mist, and he went around trying to get someone to lead him by the hand. 12When the governor saw what had happened, he was amazed at this teaching about the Lord. So he put his faith in the Lord.
A friend of mine is sending his daughter to college. He texted me and asked if it would be OK for his daughter to join a sorority if her intention was to witness. I told him it was the wrong question. It is, however, the question we generally ask..."can I do "X" if I also do "Y"?
We send a lot of people to do a lot of things. I wonder if our list of people sent is the same list the Holy Spirit has...
We should be able to answer based on clear biblical evidence. Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit...When the governor saw what had happened, he was amazed at this teaching about the Lord. So he put his faith in the Lord.
1. Are we sending "Spirit filled" people?
2. Are people putting their faith in the Lord?
That's all the evidence we need. So...my advice to my friend: Your daughter can go wherever she wants if she's filled with the Holy Spirit.
Live boldly out there today...
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