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THE KING’S BUSINESS
as the Spirit of God takes possession of him are very severe and very searching, and there are occasions when, if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, our words will be very severe and very searching. Plain ness and boldness of speech is a charac teristic o f'a Spirit-filled man (Acts 4:31; Eph. 6:19), even though “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meek ness, self control.” The words that Paul spoke exposed the deptj? of the infamy of Elymas. As the Spirit revealed the heart of Elymas to Paul he saw that Elymas was “full of all guile and of all villainy,” that he was a “son of the devil,” an “enemy of righteousness,” and that he would not “cease to pervert the right ways of .the Lord.” There are those who tell us today that all men are children of God. Paul here distinctly tells us that this man Vas a “son of the devil,” not merely a child of the devil, but a full grown son of the devil (cf. John 8:44; 1:12). God immediately set his endorsement upon Paul’s stern words. There had already fallen a mist and a darkness upon the soul of Elymas, and now the same judgment also touches his body. We have here a glimpse of how God will deal with men who choose dark ness rather than light, and oppose His, truth (2 Thgss. 2:11, 12). Opposition to God is dangerous business: God’s judg ments are not always as swift as this, but however slow, they are always sure. What Paul said proved just the right word for the occasion., Elymas was silenced, but better still Sergius Paulus was converted. We would see more impostors silenced if we had more Spirit-filled preachers and workers. Sergius Paulus was “astonished at the teaching of the Lord,” not only at the words that were spoken by Paul as God’s ambassador, but at the teaching of the Lord in what He did as well as in what Paul said. Monday, January 8. Acts 13 : 13 - 15 - The John here mentioned was John Mark, i.e., the Mark who wrote the second gospel
cut opposition, opposition of a subtle, strong and most dangerous character. # One need, not be frightened because men who make astonishing claims and who display extraordinary gifts arise to lead men astray. We see it was so in the first days of the church’s history, and yet the church went right on in the fact of this opposition. The “Theosophists” and “Christian Scientists” of today are no more dangerous than the Simons and Elymas of early days. Spirits filled' men were needed to oppose and con found them, and Spirit-filled men are needed to oppose and confound them now. Sergius Paulus, the consul, “was a man of understanding,” according to thé inspired record. He proved that he was indeed “a man of understanding” by calling unto him Barnabas and Saul and seeking to “hear the Word .of God.” ' Whatever claims to prudence and wisdom and common sense a man may make, he is not a “man of under standing” if he is not desirous to “hear the, Word of God.” Elymas, however, did not give up without a fight. The devil never does (cf. 2 Tim. 3:8). His chief business is turning men aside from the faith (v. 8 ; cf. 2 Cor. 4 :3, 4; Luke 8:12). But the opposition of Elymas for all his marvelous powers was in vain, for he ran up against a Spirit-filled man. Paul had been filled with the Holy Spirit soon after his con version (ch. 9:17), but now a new emer gency arises and there is a new filling for the new need. The Greek construction of this verse shows that the filling was some thing that took place instantly at that moment, as the need arose. We ought not to be content because we have once been filled with the Holy Spirit, nor even if we have been filled a hundred times. Even though we have time and time again known what it is to have the Spirit of God come rushing upon us and taking possession of our minds and giving us words of wisdom, boldness and power to utter, still we should realize our need of a new filling for each new emergency of service as it arises, and we should cast ourselves upon Him anew that He may fill us vanëw. Paul’s words
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