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But Saul (also known as Paul), filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at him and said, “You who are full of all deceit and all wrongdoing, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness—will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? Now look, the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind, unable to see the sun for a time!” Immediately mistiness and darkness came over him, and he went around seeking people to lead him by the hand.
At Paphos - the Holy Spirit speaks against Bar-Jesus, a Jew who was a sorcerer and false prophet. This is the same Saul that persecuted the church, sought to murder and imprison them all. Now he stands in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit speaking powerfully through him. There is no person beyond the reach of the grace and mercy of Christ. Now called Paul, he lives his new life in Christ - transformed.
But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him.
Solomon, free to choose anything, chose to ask God for a discerning heart, to know right from wrong. 1 Kings 3:10-14 says, “The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, ‘Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.’” True wisdom comes only from the Lord.
Now in fact all who want to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil people and charlatans will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves.
Things are going to get worse before they get better. This is affirming because God knows this. God knows He has called us to lives that will attract persecution and ridicule – after all, it is the life Jesus lived on this earth! It is the way He showed us by His actions. Every single thing He did was not hugely controversial, but there were a number of things that were unpopular, heresy according to some, and blasphemy according to others. His life was not filled with the certainty of retirement, social security, a pension, or a 401K, it was filled with the certainty of service, sacrifice, and death – even death on a cross. Take courage for the Holy Spirit lives within us as believers. “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
“A noise is heard on the hilltops. It is the sound of the people of Israel crying and pleading to their gods. Indeed they have followed sinful ways; they have forgotten to be true to the Lord their God.
Judges 10:6-7 says, “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines. And because the Israelites forsook the Lord and no longer served him, he became angry with them.” This is a theme throughout the book of Judges. They needed mercy and forgiveness, they needed grace, and they needed a Savior. Later, to the church in Ephesus, Jesus says “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” (Revelation 2:4-5) Do not let the current of this world pull you away. Anchor your life on Jesus.
Now we have such confidence in God through Christ. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as if it were coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who made us adequate to be servants of a new covenant not based on the letter but on the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Paul speaks here about the other apostles and those serving the Lord alongside of Him. He continues to boast only in the Lord, naming God as their sole sufficiency. It is God who made them “competent as ministers of the new covenant” (NIV), and the same holds true today. Those who have been called to ministry stand upon the foundation of Christ Jesus, according to the prerogative, authority, and sovereignty of God. If they minister truly, they do so because God is in them and speaks life through Holy Spirit. Men do not deserve worship, nor can they bear being worshiped. Those in ministry who are praised ought to redirect that worship to the Lord. He alone is worthy – it is He who has received all authority on earth from our loving Heavenly Father. The law does not save, men do not save, only Jesus saves.