SAUL, CALLED PAUL
Acts 13:6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: 7 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. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. 9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, 10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt 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. 12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
This is the last time we shall read of the word, “Saul” identifying the Apostle Paul. Now “Paul” shall appear on the pages of our bibles 156 times. He shall sign all his letters as such, and when the Apostle Peter refers to him in 2 Peter 3:15, it shall be as our beloved brother Paul. And it is in this most important and pivotal chapter, marking the time of the church among the Gentiles, wherein we leave such names as “Sadducees,” “Pharisees,” and “High Priests” behind, wherein the change of his name is recorded.
And this change of his name marks the time and circumstances when the Holy Spirit causes him to rise up spiritually and take on his appointed and predestinated identity as the Apostle Paul. But this is not strange to us, for many have received a name change when the Lord God came nigh to them at the time of their appointed servitude for Him and his Church!
Abram, in Genesis 12:1, was instructed by the same Holy Ghost as were Barnabas and Saul in Acts 13:2. All three were all told to arise and separate themselves from their familiars, in order to go to a place of God’s choosing. And concerning Abram’s name change we read, Genesis 17:3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
And later in this same chapter the Lord changes Sarai’s name. Genesis 17:15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
Also in Matthew 16:15-19 we read of the Lord Jesus making a name change to one of his disciples. For he first refers to him as “Simon Bar-jona.” That is, “Simon, son of Jona.” Then he reveals to him that since the revelation of who Jesus was, came not from his natural “flesh and blood” line, but through the line of his spiritual birth, his spiritual name now is “Peter.” And that it would be upon this rock of regenerating grace, received by the gift of God’s faith imputed into the human heart, that he would build the entirety of the Christian church!
And we find yet another name change in Acts 4:36. For there we read that Joses, a Levite from Cyprus, began to express such a liberal, loving and giving spirit that the disciples changed his name to Barnabas! We see then that each one of these name changes came at a point where the individual was elevated by God into a spiritual realm of usefulness to his church!
And what of your name, dear reader? Has your name been changed by the Holy Spirit in redeeming grace? If you are a new creation in Christ Jesus, if old things have passed away, and all things become new by God’s salvation, you are then given a new name! Revelation 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Even God, Himself, takes on a new name, by which we come to know him in our being spiritually wed to him! For then we cease to call him, “My Lord,” and begin to call him, “my husband!” Hosea 2:14 Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. 15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. 16 And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.
For in this relationship of these two (God and the redeemed individual), becoming one spirit (1 Corin. 6:17), there is a blessed awareness above that which was ever thought to be known of Him! Hosea 2:19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. 20 I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD. 23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.
Isaiah 54:5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
“THE WORK”
In verse two of Acts 13 we read that the Holy Ghost says, “Separate unto me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” That Greek word, work, means, toil, and is the same word deeds in John 3:19-21. And as we see in that passage it is the work, or deeds that reveal to the individual just who he is by what he is doing! So the word not only speaks of the toil, but also the occupation of the worker! For those whose deeds are evil, and therefore are reluctant to come to the light of the gospel, love darkness and are under condemnation! But, like Saul, those who are doing, (not just knowing mentally, but doing and being spiritually), the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, actually find out for themselves that their toil, their work is actually accomplished by God, the Spirit dwelling within! THIS is why Abram and Saul had to be “separated” from their comfort zones with “birds of a feather!” For those who are much with familiars will never be much with God! Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
For “the work” shall reveal the ordained character of the worker! John 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. Dear Reader, it is your light that must shine within your person, that shall reveal your good works, and bring glory to your Father which is in heaven. (Matt. 5:16). For this is exactly how the Son of God was manifested, both to his own humanity and to us! John 15:24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
He even states that no one has to believe that he is the very Son of God if his works do not manifest him to be so! John 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? 37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
For spiritually ordained works require the blood of the Lord Christ! – Hebrews 9:14; always follow the redemption of the elect! – Ephesians 2:10; are always coupled with a worthy walk and an increasing in spiritual knowledge! And the lack of which always identified the reprobate!
PAUL & BAR-JESUS
Now let us look at the individual that the Lord raised up in order to launch this Apostle into his designed gift. 1 Corinthians 11:19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
Both Paul and Bar-jesus were Jews. Paul was an apostle. Bar-jesus was an apostate! Paul was a true prophet (Acts 13:1), but Bar-jesus was a false prophet. Both had two names. Saul is now called Paul. Bar-jesus wants to be called Elymas! Both ministered to Gentiles. Both were stricken blind! (Acts 9:7,8 w/ 13:11). {But only Paul had God send him an Ananias to recover his sight.} Both were very zealous concerning their relationship to the faith! (13:8). Both represented an invisible, spiritual higher power! (Galatians 2:20 & John 8:44). Both them and their spirits frequented Jewish synagogues! (See Acts 13:5, 17:1,2. Compare Mark 1:21-27. Read Revelation 2:9, 3:9).
And Paul, like David facing the giant Goliath, relied on the God of glory to deal with this adversary! 1 Samuel 17:45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
And with what result, as far as everyone knowing of his standing before God? 1 Samuel 18:5 And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.
And so Paul, never to be called Saul again after this instance, faces this child of the devil by the faith of one of God’s appointed apostles. And with what result? The proconsul, Sergius Paulus, is not astonished by a miracle of Paul, as he once had been by the sorcery’s of Elymas. He was now only astonished by the doctrine, or the teachings of the Lord through Paul! Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
This is a very notable thing. For our Lord reveals this matter of mistaking excitement concerning miracles to be any true spiritual work in the soul, as that which is in need of sovereign regeneration for its correction! For no souls have ever been saved by the viewing of miracles, but only by the gift of faith imparted by the Spirit, through the word! Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
John 2:23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. 24 But Jesus did not commit (This word, commit is the same word, believed in verse 23! For to those who “committed” themselves to him on the false foundation of miracles, he did not commit himself by redemption to them!), himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
It is interesting that it was at the time of Elymas’ blindness that Sergius Paulus eyes were opened!
Pastor Gene Breed
