Evangelize - a power confrontation
Dr. Roberto Miranda
(Audio: Spanish)
SUMMARY: In Acts 13, we see the first event of the first missionary journey of the Apostle Paul and Barnabas. They meet a Roman government official named Sergio Paulo who is interested in hearing the word of God. However, they also encounter a false prophet named Bar Jesus who tries to prevent Sergio Paulo from converting. Paul rebukes Bar Jesus and declares a word of curse and judgment, preventing him from continuing to hinder the preaching of the gospel to Sergio Paulo. The lesson for us is that there will be opposition to the church of Jesus Christ when it wants to preach the gospel, and we must fill ourselves with the conviction and power of God to overcome it. We must adopt a positive mentality towards non-believers and believe that they are going to come to the gospel. We must also not be afraid to tell unbelievers about the Lord Jesus Christ.
The message encourages a positive mentality towards non-believers and to believe that they will come to the gospel. The devil tries to intimidate and prevent preaching the gospel, but Christians have a unique message and must stop fearing to share it. The story of a young woman who was murdered by her boyfriend and resisted the gospel is used as an example. The opposition to the gospel is highlighted, especially in the case of preaching sexual abstinence and homosexuality being wrong. Christians must not be afraid to preach the truth and must arm themselves with courage and wisdom. Spiritual warfare and intercession are necessary to bind the strong man and order Satan to release souls. The message ends with the story of the preacher who made a call and dozens of young people and adults raised their hands to receive Jesus.
The speaker believes that a confrontation of power is needed between the power of darkness and the power of the gospel. People need to be given a clear choice between the two. The speaker calls for an evangelistic anointing upon their church and declares a harvest of souls. They ask for courage, urgency, and authority to proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior. The speaker believes that God will lead people through this process and that many lives will be transformed.
The message encourages a positive mentality towards non-believers and to believe that they will come to the gospel. The devil tries to intimidate and prevent preaching the gospel, but Christians have a unique message and must stop fearing to share it. The story of a young woman who was murdered by her boyfriend and resisted the gospel is used as an example. The opposition to the gospel is highlighted, especially in the case of preaching sexual abstinence and homosexuality being wrong. Christians must not be afraid to preach the truth and must arm themselves with courage and wisdom. Spiritual warfare and intercession are necessary to bind the strong man and order Satan to release souls. The message ends with the story of the preacher who made a call and dozens of young people and adults raised their hands to receive Jesus.
The speaker believes that a confrontation of power is needed between the power of darkness and the power of the gospel. People need to be given a clear choice between the two. The speaker calls for an evangelistic anointing upon their church and declares a harvest of souls. They ask for courage, urgency, and authority to proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior. The speaker believes that God will lead people through this process and that many lives will be transformed.
Chapter 13 of the book of Acts, the last time we studied this book, we focused on the first three, four verses of chapter 13, and now I want to continue with the next eight chapters or so. The first event that meets the apostle Paul and the apostle Barnabas when they go out on their missionary journey. It says here: "Then, sent by the Holy Spirit, they descended to Sedeucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus, and when they arrived at Salamis they announced the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their helper. And having traversed all the island as far as Paphos" this is one of the cities, from Cyprus, "they arrived and found a certain magician, a false prophet, a Jew, named Bar Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paul, a prudent man. He called Barnabas and Saul wanted to hear the word of God, but Elymas resisted them." This same Bar Jesus with another name, because that is how his name is translated, Elymas, Bar Jesus, "trying to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul, who is also Paul, full of the Holy Spirit, fixing his eyes on him, said " Oh, full of all deceit and all wickedness, son of the devil, enemy of all justice, you will not cease to subvert the straight ways of the Lord." Paul became a Pentecostal there at the time, didn't he?
"Now then, behold, the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind, and you will not see the sun for some time, immediately darkness and darkness fell on him, and he walked around looking for someone to lead him by the hand, then the proconsul Seeing what had happened, he marveled at the doctrine of the Lord." What a beautiful passage, right? Look, here we see something interesting, right? It is the first event recorded in the Book of Acts, from the first missionary journey of the Apostle Paul, from now until the last chapter of the Book of Acts, what we are going to see are the different episodes of the different missionary trips of the apostle Paul, from chapter 13 to 29, what we have is story after story, of the different experiences that the apostle Paul had on his travels, where the Lord sent him to preach the gospel throughout the Empire Greco-Roman. And it's interesting that on this trip, the first thing they find is two things: a great opportunity to preach the gospel, and also a great opposition against the preaching of that gospel. Notice that God leads Paul and Barnabas to meet a man who is absolutely strategic, important, in the future proclamation of the gospel, he is an official of the Roman Empire, he is a bureaucrat, an official of the Empire that controls the entire geographical world around Paul and Barnabas.
"Now then, behold, the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind, and you will not see the sun for some time, immediately darkness and darkness fell on him, and he walked around looking for someone to lead him by the hand, then the proconsul Seeing what had happened, he marveled at the doctrine of the Lord." What a beautiful passage, right? Look, here we see something interesting, right? It is the first event recorded in the Book of Acts, from the first missionary journey of the Apostle Paul, from now until the last chapter of the Book of Acts, what we are going to see are the different episodes of the different missionary trips of the apostle Paul, from chapter 13 to 29, what we have is story after story, of the different experiences that the apostle Paul had on his travels, where the Lord sent him to preach the gospel throughout the Empire Greco-Roman. And it's interesting that on this trip, the first thing they find is two things: a great opportunity to preach the gospel, and also a great opposition against the preaching of that gospel. Notice that God leads Paul and Barnabas to meet a man who is absolutely strategic, important, in the future proclamation of the gospel, he is an official of the Roman Empire, he is a bureaucrat, an official of the Empire that controls the entire geographical world around Paul and Barnabas.
