They went across the whole island to the city of Paphos. There they met a Jewish man named Barjesus who did magic. He was a false prophet. He always stayed close to Sergius Paulus, who was the governor and a very smart man. He invited Barnabas and Saul to come visit him, because he wanted to hear the message of God. But the magician Elymas (as Barjesus was called in Greek) spoke against them, trying to stop the governor from believing in Jesus.
But Saul (also known as Paul), filled with the Holy Spirit, looked hard at Elymas and said, “You son of the devil, full of lies and all kinds of evil tricks! You are an enemy of everything that is right. Will you never stop trying to change the Lord’s truths into lies? Now the Lord will touch you and you will be blind. For a time you will not be able to see anything—not even the light from the sun.” Then everything became dark for Elymas. He walked around lost. He was trying to find someone to lead him by the hand. When the governor saw this, he believed. He was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.
Acts 13:6-12 ERV
It must’ve been so exciting when the governor invited Barnabas and Saul! Now they’d get a chance to present Jesus to a very important person. But first, they had to deal with the devil, who used his good servant Elymas to try and stop the audience. It’s important to remember that there’s an enemy out there, and he’s actively trying to stop or destroy God’s work.
In my early days as a pastor, it wasn’t uncommon for the service to get a little rocky. Sometimes people would speak out, even argue with me as I preached. We even had people giving prophecies that denied the work of Christ. There were other distractions too, like sound problems, people with physical issues, and well-meaning saints who got excited and said silly things. I knew that Satan comes to steal the Word, drawing attention away from the message and the presence. I’ve learned to deal with them as they come up, but it was still a distracting nuisance.
Then one Sunday at the end of the service, a new couple stood up during the ministry time at the altar and gave a tongue and interpretation that was totally off. I had to stop and correct it so no one would be deceived. Some people thought I was being rude to these folks, but I knew I was just doing my job as their shepherd. It really made the atmosphere toxic. After the service, I heard the Holy Spirit on the inside of me say, “You don’t have to put up with that, you know.” I knew right away what he meant. I could stop the devil in his tracks in services where I was the overseer.
I had always prayed with the ministry team, especially the worship team, in the sanctuary before the service. We usually prayed the typical “Oh, God, bless and help us” kind of mournful, powerless prayers. After the Lord instructed me, I started exercising my authority over the spiritual atmosphere in the house: “Devil, you are rebuked, bound, and cast out. I command you to go. You have no place here. No Spirit will speak here except the Spirit of the Living God, in Jesus’ Name.” The change was instant, noticeable, and lasting. I would encourage you today to clean house before your service. It matters.
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