Nov 23, 2014
Acts 13:4-12
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According to “Real Time Net Worth” records maintained by Forbes, with $82.3 billion in the bank Bill Gates is the wealthiest person on earth. As a matter of fact, records show that since 2000 the “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation” has given away $30 billion to various charities in the hopes of effecting major social change around the globe. You should note that when the amount of money you give away $30 billion is still enough to still place you among the top 20 wealthiest people in the world, you’re pretty rich!
What is it that caused Bill Gates to become a self-made billionaire?
Obviously he's smart (Bill Gates has an IQ of 160) and there is no doubt he’s ambitious… Do you know how Bill Gates got his start? In January of 1975, after reading the current issue of Popular Electronics that featured the Altair 8800, Gates contacted MITS, the creators of the new microcomputer, to inform them that he and his friend Paul Allen were working on a BASIC interpreter for their new platform. The truth… Neither Gates nor Allen even owned an Altair yet alone ever written code for it.
Not knowing this was simply a ploy to get a meeting, MITS president Ed Roberts agreed to meet them for a demo. After weeks of programing (and obviously purchasing an Altair) their interpreter was so impressive Paul Allen was hired immediately and Bill Gates took a leave of absence from Harvard to help launch the project. They named their partnership Micro-Soft. Note: A year latter, November 26, 1976 they officially trade named Microsoft.
And yet, while Gates was undoubtedly smart and unquestionably ambitious, this still doesn’t explain how he became a billionaire while many equally intelligent and aspiring people end up as failures. In his book “Outliers” Malcolm Gladwell points out that Bill Gates’ success may actually be the result of two things, seemingly out of his control, aligning perfectly.
First, Bill Gates had a huge advantage because he was born in 1955! Because Altair came out in 1975 (when he was a 20 year old college student) Gates was just old enough to be able to take advantage of this new opportunity, but not to old that he couldn’t afford to take a risk. It would seem that even with all his talent and ambition if Bill Gates had been born in 1945 or 1965 he may have been in the wrong season of life to seize the opportunity!
Note: It’s interesting how many of the early tech pioneers were born during the early 1950’s… Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen was born in 1953, Apple co-founders Steve Jobs was born in 1955 and Steve Wozniak was born 1950, Sun Microsystems founders Bill Joy and Scott McNealy were born in 1954 (thanks for Java Script).
Secondly, when the Altair 8800 was released to the public Bill Gates was one of only a hand-full of people in the world to have already logged 10,000 hours of programing. (In his book Gladwell believes the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours).
Unlike most young men in the 60’s Gates had the good fortune to be able to attend a private school in Seattle that possessed its own state-of-the-art computer. This meant by the time the Altair computer kit became available to the general public Bill Gates was already a professional programmer. He had enough experience under his belt that he was perfectly prepared to take maximum advantage of the PC revolution.
Bill Gates was not only successful because he was smart and ambitious, but it would seem his incredible success can also be attributed to the reality he was prepared to take advantage of an opportunity the exact moment the opportunity presented itself.
Last Sunday we noted that “the success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts.” There is no doubt many of us have a computer in our homes because of Bill Gates and Microsoft.
Many speculate that the most viewed photo of all time was taken by the side of a highway in Sonoma County, CA by professional photographer Charles O’Rear. The photo is called, “Bliss” and has been viewed by over 1 billion people since 2002. I should mention it helps that this photo was chosen by Microsoft to be the default wallpaper of Windows XP. It is true that little causes can have big effects… The Law of the Few!
With this in mind, while Christianity was primed to tip from being just a regional movement to a global phenomena it still needed a specific man, with a specific set of skills, to accomplish the specific task of taking the Gospel into a lost world! This man would be Saul of Tarsus!
No one could debate that Saul was uniquely equipped for this specific task.
1. His notable religious pedigree would open doors within Jewish communities.
2. The fact he grew up and was educated in the predominately gentile city of Tarsus insured Saul understood the inner workings of Hellenistic culture beyond Judaism.
3. Intellectually, Saul was unrivaled in his day. He was not only an expert concerning the OT Scriptures, but as well see Saul was equally versed in Greek thought.
4. Beyond this, Saul was a seasoned believer… You might say he’d eclipsed his 10,000 hours of training since his dramatic conversion some 14 years earlier.
And yet, like Bill Gates, don’t overlook the fact that what would make Saul so effective was that he was uniquely prepared to take advantage of an opportunity the exact moment the opportunity presented itself!
You might say Saul had waited 14 years for this moment to come… Acts 13:4-5, “So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.”
First Missionary Journey featured… Saul, Barnabas, and John Mark.
Motion of the Text: These three men leave Antioch and travel on foot 20 miles SW to the port city of Seleucia. From there they sail to Cyprus and port in the city of Salamis (largest city in Cyprus) where “they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews.”
Why did they choose to begin in Cyprus?
1. The island was known for its immorality. It’s been said, “The Light always shines the brightest in darkest areas!” While there were pockets of Jewish communities in Cyprus, the vast majority of the island was comprised of gentiles who worshipped the Roman goddess Venus (the goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility, and prosperity).
Because sex was a pivotal component of the worship of Venus, temple prostitution and sexually perverse behavior was the norm. At some point in their lives most of the females living in Cyprus would have been required to serve a season as a prostitute. Note: There’s evidence venereal diseases were rampant in Cyprus.
2. Barnabas was from Cyprus. It would appear as Barnabas and Saul were determining where to go first the most logical place to begin was at home! I like that… Saul, “We’re going to take the Gospel into the whole world! Where should we start this exciting venture of faith?” Barnabas, “I don’t know… Let’s start at my house!”
Method of Evangelism: Throughout Acts we’re going to see a constant pattern emerge where upon entering a city Saul and Barnabas begin their outreach in the local Synagogue.
While the existence of a Synagogue was never mandated in the OT Scriptures, during the Babylonian exile a custom developed whereby any city that contained 10 or more Jewish men was required to have a meeting place for the community. In addition to proving a place for the Jewish residence to gather to worship and read the Torah on the Sabbath, these Synagogues would double as a school / community center the rest of the week.
There seems to be 4 reasons starting with the Synagogue made strategic sense:
1. Jews were required to show hospitality to other ethnic Jews traveling through town.
2. The Jewish worldview was conducive to the message of Jesus.
3. More often than not seeking gentiles (known in that day as “God-fearers”) would have already associated with the Jewish Synagogue. (Example: Cornelius)
4. There was what was known as the “Custom of the Curtesy of the Synagogue.” Because of Saul’s former status within Judaism (Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin), he would be given a platform in the Synagogue to teach the people.
Luke tells us they “preached the word of God…” Don’t miss this detail. How did Saul and Barnabas seek to reach the lost? It was simple… They communicated Truth through the teaching the Word? Pastor Chuck always said, “If you want to rid a room of darkness don’t take a baseball bat and try to beat the darkness out… Instead, just turn on the light.”
Acts 13:6-7, “Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.”
Motion of the Text: The crew leaves Salamis (located on the far eastern side of Cyprus) and make their way 90 miles across the island to the city of Paphos (far western side). Since Paphos was a popular vacation spot for the Roman aristocracy, think of the city as being a weird hybrid of Panama City Beach during Spring Break and Las Vegas.
Luke continues by introducing two additional characters:
1. “Sergius Paulus” was the Roman “proconsul.” As such he was the direct representative of the Roman senate who oversaw all the activities of the island of Cyprus.
Luke says Sergius was “an intelligent man” who “sought to hear the word of God” which explains why he “called for Barnabas and Saul.” Though we don’t know what precipitated his inquiry, it appears this missionary duo was making such waves throughout the island that it had caught the attention of even the Roman higher-ups.
2. “A Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus…” As we’ll see in the next verse it is likely his name was “Elymas Bar Jesus” or literally “Elymas the Son of Jesus.” (Don’t forget Jesus was a common Hebrew name during the first century.) Luke also informs us Elymas was a “sorcerer” and “false prophet” who possessed great influence in Paphos.
While Sergius desired a meeting with Barnabas and Saul, fearing his political influence might be undermined… Acts 13:8, “Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.”
As Barnabas and Saul make their way to Sergius, we’re told Elymas “withstood them…” In the Greek this word “withstood” or “anthistēmi” literally means “to set one's self against, to resist, or oppose.” While we do not know how he attempted to withstand them, we are told why Elymas engaged in such behavior… He knew Sergius was ready to convert! Luke is clear Elymas desired “to turn the proconsul away from the faith.”
Acts 13:9, “Then Saul, who also is called Paul…”
As we mentioned in our initial character profile of Saul back in Acts 9, because he was ethnically Jewish but also a Roman citizen by birth it is likely his full legal name was “Saulos Paulus…” “Saul” being his Jewish name and “Paul” being his given Roman name.
Because Saul’s mission was called to reach the gentiles (Acts 9) it is likely he now switches to being called Paul in order to be more relatable to the culture he was seeking to reach.
It should also be pointed out that “Saulos” meant “desired one” whereas “Paulus” meant “small or little.” In his famous book “Mere Christianity” C.S. Lewis wrote, “True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.”
Acts 13:9-12, “Then Saul, who also is called Paul filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.”
Confrontation hardly describes what takes place. While Elymas desired to “withstand them” he had no idea these were men who would not back down. Recognizing what was taking place and why Elymas was doing what he did Paul acts with strength and decisiveness!
Now before you shrill at Paul’s approach, notice the context… “Paul filled with the Holy Spirit looked intently at him and said…” Please understand, Paul was not acting out in the flesh… Paul had not lost his cool… Instead, Paul was acting under the directive of the Holy Spirit!
Since Paul was under the promoting of the Holy Spirit, take a look at heavens evaluation of Elymas: He was “full of deceit and all fraud…” The “son of the devil…” The “enemy of all righteousness…” Who would “not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord.”
Though this is not exactly the description you want associated with your name in the annals of heaven, the underlying reality was that Elymas was a man who knew the truth, but had still made a conscientious decision to work against the will of the Lord.
And the result… Paul goes all Gandalf on him by saying “the Lord” was going to “blind” him “for a time.” Then immediately Luke tells us “a dark mist fell on him and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand” but no such help would come to his aid.
Vine’s Expository Dictionary makes this observation about the phrase “a dark mist…” “In the single place of its New Testament use it attests the accuracy in the selection of words, and not least of medical words, which 'the beloved physician' so often displays. For him it expresses the mist of darkness... which fell on the sorcerer Elymas, being the outward and visible sign of the inward spiritual darkness which would be his portion for a while in punishment for his resistance to the truth.”
I can’t escape this initial detail that Paul “looked intently at him…” Was it a look of anger? Did his eyes spark of an inner rage? I don’t think so! I believe Paul had the look of pity. Why? You see I’m convinced in Elymas Paul saw the reflection of his former self.
If you recall in a similar way Paul “withstood” the work of Jesus… And what had been God’s prescription for his resistance? Blindness! For three days Saul had sat in darkness contemplating what his foolishness. Paul looked at this man and his heart broke!
If there is any lesson that can be learn from this story it’s that the most dangerous place for any person is between a seeker and the God in whom he’s seeking!
Commenting on this passage David Guzik issued this sharp warning, “If you want to commit spiritual suicide that’s your prerogative, but how dare you take another soul to hell with you!”
Understand, some of the most sever passages in Scripture are reserved for those who’d intentionally lead a person astray. In Matthew 18:6 Jesus said, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”
Now that Elymas was incapacitated, notice the reaction of Sergius Paulus… “the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.” Note: His belief was not based in what had just happened to Elymas. Rather his belief was based in the Word of God! “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”
In conclusion, I think it would be advantageous to explain that 3 essential components must exist for any epidemics (disease or ideas) to the spread.
1. A message must be so memorable that “it can create change and spur someone to action” immediately. This is typically called “The Stickiness Factor.” In the world of medical epidemics this describes the level of contagiousness inherent within a disease.
2. Once a message begins to yield a real result it can matriculate quickly within a group of people. “The Power of Context” states that since “individuals are acutely sensitive to their present environment certain situations can be so powerful they can overwhelm our inherent predispositions.” In the world of epidemics this happens when enough people are infected that chaos ensues making it virtually impossible to then contain the contagion.
In 1969 Philip Zimbardo, a Stanford psychologist, arranged an interesting experiment concerning human behavior. Two cars (with no license plates and the hood up creating the appearance of abandonment) were parked one in a Bronx neighborhood and another in Palo Alto, California. Within minutes of its abandonment the car in the Bronx was attacked. Within twenty four hours everything of value had been stripped from the vehicle. At the same time, the vehicle in Palo Alto sat untouched for more than a week. That is until Zimbardo went up to the vehicle and deliberately smashed it with a sledgehammer. Soon after, people joined in for the destruction. The experiment demonstrated that once a behavior becomes the accepted norm it has the ability to influence the behavior of all. Examples: Mob Think, Great Awakenings.
3. And yet, none of the other two results are possible without an initiator or as that person is called in epidemics “Patient Zero.” Please understand… While the Gospel contains the stickiness factor and has the power to quickly move within whole groups of people, it needs you to be the tipping point that will set the whole progression in motion.
We noted in our introduction that what enable men like Bill Gates and the Apostle Paul to be so effective tipping the tide was that they were uniquely prepared to take advantage of an opportunity the exact moment the opportunity presented itself.
Are you prepared for the opportunity? In 2 Timothy 4:2 Paul would say, “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season.” Again in 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul would exhort that you “be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
This is what I find so radical about this passage… Paul (a man who wanted to reach the whole world with the Gospel) was willing to fight for the soul of just one man!