DCLM Daily Manna 2023: DCLM Daily Manna 29 January 2024: Demonstration of Apostolic Authority
KEY VERSE: Acts 13:11 “And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.”
TEXT: Acts 13:1-12
Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.
5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.
6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:
7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him.
10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
Joshua Travers wrote, “Ignorance has a terribly high price tag-but understanding and overcoming it can really pay off”, adding that “the greatest ignorance is when God’s law and the possibilities therein are ignored”. Souls are lost if believers fail to recognise this truth. But Jesus has given every believer the authority that defeats ignorance.
Commissioned by the Holy Ghost to the gospel work, Paul and Barnabas went to Cyprus. In the course of their journey, they encountered Bar-jesus, who though a Jew, made frantic efforts to hinder the deputy, Sergius from receiving the offer of salvation. Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost and apostolic authority, would take none of that. Immediately, he used this authority to silence Elymas. The deputy he tried to deceive graciously received sight to see the truth of Christ’s saving gospel. Christ wins, even in difficult terrains.
Believers have authority over all satanic forces and human opposition to their God-ordained purpose. The clear revelation of the Scriptures is that Christ “…spoiled principalities and powers, (and) he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15).
Salvation in Christ, sanctification and empowerment by the Holy Ghost imbue in the believer the kind of apostolic authority that Paul and other apostles manifested during their outreaches. Believers cannot afford to cringe in the face of assaults against the gospel and its preachers. For sinners to be converted, we must confront and silence the “Elymases” that seek to sway their attention and deceive them. We must do this with the demonstration of the Spirit and power of God.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: In God’s design, the gospel does not go without power.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Romans 7-9
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Demonstration of Apostolic Authority – by Pastor W.F Kumuyi
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Daily Manna 29 January 2024
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