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“And from thence they [Paul and Barnabas] sailed to Cyprus…and when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found…a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-Jesus: which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus…who…desired to hear the Word of God” (Acts 13:4,6-7).
Here we find a Jew who was actually a sorcerer — someone who casts spells and works miracles by the power of Satan. But one of the rulers of the area really wanted to hear the Word of God, and this man Bar-Jesus, the sorcerer, kept trying to persuade this ruler not to listen to Paul and Barnabas. We find later that Paul used the Lord’s power to blind this sorcerer for a while, in order to show him that God’s power was greater than Satan’s power. As a result, Sergius Paulus got saved.
Several years ago, my wife and I were privileged to spend a few days in Cyprus, and went to Paphos. It was interesting to see that no one mentioned this sorcerer, but there was a large plaque there, telling people that this was where Christianity first came to that area. We were thankful that people remembered this, and we too were able to hand out some gospel tracts, and speak a little about the Lord. You may read about this visit by Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13.
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