The beloved physician Luke wrote how Barnabas and Saul, “had gone through the isle unto Paphos”, and “they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus 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. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, and said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief, you child of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall 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. Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord”, and in chapter thirteen and verse thirteen of the book of Acts Luke shared how Paul and his company, “came to Perga in Pamphylia” where we read:
Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia:
and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.
The verse begins, “Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia:” Luke began with the words, “Now when Paul” which means “moreover at the time and moment Paul whose name means small or little” “and his company” or “and Paul's assemblage of people” “loosed from Paphos” which means “launched out and set sail from the maritime city on the west end of Cyprus with a harbor whose name means boiling or hot” “they came to Perga” or “Paul and his company arose and appeared in Perga which means earthy and was a town in Pamphylia, on the river Cestius, at a distance of 7 miles (10 km) from its mouth, and famous in antiquity for the worship of Artemis (Diana)” “in Pamphylia” which means “of every tribe and was a province in Asia Minor, bounded on the east by Cilicia, on the west by Lycia and Phrygia Minor, on the north by Galatia and Cappadocia, and on the south by the Mediterranean Sea”. Luke shared how “Paul” and the people traveling with him set sail from “Paphos” and arrived in the city of “Perga” which was within the province of “Pamphylia”.
The verse continues, “and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.” Luke added the words, “and John departing from them” which means “and John whose name means Jehovah is a gracious giver and was surnamed Mark which means a defense” “returned to Jerusalem” or “went back to Jerusalem whose name means set you double peace and is the capital of Palestine”. Luke shared how “John Mark” left “Paul” and his company and went back to “Jerusalem”.
When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we learn how “Saul” is referred to as “Paul” which was his Roman name, and he will be known by “Paul” from this point on through the book of Acts. He and his company left “Paphos” where they shared the gospel with “Sergius Paulus”, but they needed to “sail” to their next location. They traveled to “Perga in Pamphylia” but “John Mark” decided to leave them to “return to Jerusalem”. This would eventually be an area of contention between Barnabas and Paul in the future as we read, “but Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. (See Acts 15:38), but for now let us give our attention to the idea of “Paul and his company” continuing to share the gospel with people who had not heard. God loves people, and His desire is to have a personal relationship with them through His Son Jesus. Everyone in the world is invited to receive Jesus as their “Savior and Lord”, and regardless of where they are located, every person may surrender themselves to Jesus and be forgiven of their sins and receive everlasting life.
Next time Luke shares how Paul and his company, “they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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