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CONNIE: Are you ready to get out of the house and do a little traveling this spring? How about a trip with the apostle Paul? Join us today as we go “On the Road With Paul and Barnabas!”

Giving God’s trumpet a Certain Sound for 75 years, this is the Voice of Prophecy.

CONNIE: Hello, I’m Connie Jeffery,

LONNIE: and I’m Lonnie Melashenko, welcome to our broadcast today, as we continue our look at the spiritual journey of one of the Bible’s greatest men—the Apostle Paul.

CONNIE: Our program today is the fifth in a series focusing on the spiritual journey of Paul, and today we’ll be traveling with him—and his faithful companion Barnabas—as they embark on one of the most important journeys in history.

LONNIE: Now, we promised when we started this series that it wouldn’t just be a story about “Then they went here, and from there they went to . . .” and we’ve been true to that promise. But today we will do a bit of travel-logging I guess you could say. But we’ll be searching out the spiritual lessons involved in each stop along the way.

CONNIE: First stop for Paul and Barnabas was the island of Cyprus, and it was there that the true spiritual dimensions of their journey became very obvious—in an encounter with a spiritualist magician named Bar Jesus.

LONNIE: The story of this encounter helps to open our eyes to the importance of what Paul and Barnabas had set out to do. And to help us see the relevance of their mission to our present day, we’ve invited Pastor Steve Wohlberg to join us to talk about a very popular series of books that many of our children are being encouraged to read today.

CONNIE: Lonnie spoke with Steve by telephone. Let’s listen in.

LONNIE: Steve Wolhberg, welcome to the Voice of Prophecy!

STEVE: Thank you Lonnie, it’s great to be here.

LONNIE: Well, it’s good to have an in-resident expert on magicians and modern day deceptions. The world has gone bonkers on this whole question of Harry Potter, hasn’t it?

STEVE: Potter mania is a very big cultural phenomenon of the 21st century, and it’s only going to get bigger.

LONNIE: We’re going to look at one of the stories of Paul that he had in his encounter with Elemis the sorcerer but let’s take a look at Harry Potter for a few minutes, what is the storyline there and what are the concerns that you see as a Christian?

STEVE: The storyline is about a young wizard boy who goes to a school called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Sorcery. The Potter series is seven novels, five are out so far and two are coming, and seven full feature Warner Brothers films, two are out now five are coming. What they do in a nutshell, in spite of the good elements that are within the series the biggest cause for concern is that they take witchcraft, sorcery, spells, and potions, and things such as this which the Bible specifically and very definitely forbids us to have involvement in at all. It makes these things out to be fun and interesting and exciting for kids.

LONNIE: Before we get to the harmfulness of that aspect, what are some of the good things…why do some of the Sunday schools and Christian groups say, “Hey, lets get our kids together and let them watch a little bit of Harry Potter and then we can discuss it”. What are some of the good points?

STEVE: What people basically say, what supporters say…I guess the number one praise for the books is that kids are reading them. That they are turning away from television and MTV and they’re actually reading books, and I think we’re all for that. They also say that the books teach classic lessons of good versus evil, and they develop the imagination, and I have actually read the first four books myself, and have seen the first movie so I do consider my self somewhat of an insider, as I have done research on the whole series and knew that I was going to be an author I felt that I should do my homework. I have read them and I know what’s in them and there are good things no question about it.

LONNIE: And that led you to write a book that has been recently released and you have been on television and radio and you have become a much sought after commentator on this, and the book is called “Hidden Danger’s in Harry Potter”. Let’s talk about some of those passions on your heart and why should we be concerned?

STEVE: Well, the biggest danger of this series, and this is Rauling the author of the series who is now richer than the Queen of England as a result of these books, she has researched the real world of witchcraft, occult, and sorcery and she has publicly admitted that about a third of her material is from the real thing, and she combines these elements with fantasy and makes them into a very interesting and intriguing storyline that just draws young people in , but which portrays the world of witchcraft and sorcery in a very positive and interesting light. I don’t know how many people really know this, or a least in the Christian arena, but witchcraft is a real religion in this country and it is growing. You can go on Amazon.com and find approximately 2,000 books that deal with the occult world, and the danger with the Potter books is that they take real witchcraft and make it fun for kids and desensitize young and old people to the real dangers to the occult world.

LONNIE: Are there different levels of the occult, where some people who believe that they are just taking an innocent little look at the occult actually get sucked into a much darker path?

STEVE: Absolutely! Even those that are in it themselves don’t see the real dangers, but they get farther and farther and farther and one of the elements of witchcraft is communication with spirits and as people start getting involved with this we know what happens, and what the Bible says about familiar spirits, how they open themselves up to the powerful world of the supernatural, and to evil spirits who look friendly but are really out to destroy us.

LONNIE: You know, I think that you would agree with me, that Satan is no dummy. Ever since Eve and the fruit in the Garden of Eden you’ve got to make it look attractive. Talk to us a little bit about the attractive aspects that are a parent that is listening today, what cautions…what are some of the trouble signals that should cause alarms?

STEVE: Especially the Bible itself, Deuteronomy 18, lists a series of warnings about sorcery and witchcraft, spells, and potions and these are all interwoven into the Potter books and made out to be fun and exciting. I think especially for Christian parents that we need to keep a clear distinction of what the Bible says and to what it forbids and there is another supernatural world out there that is safe and friendly through the Holy Spirit, through the love of Jesus, through the study of the Bible, and I think that we need to steer our children away from the dangers of the fictitious world of Harry Potter and guide them towards things that are wholesome and uplifting to the Lord

LONNIE: Any final comments?

STEVE: Jesus is coming soon! Revelation 18: 23, says that through sorcery all nations are deceived, and that the devil is working overtime to gather as many on his side here at the end just before the world comes to an end, and we want to steer clear of Satan’s path no matter how sometimes interesting and intriguing it may look.

“The Battle Belongs to the Lord”, Worship for Men, from Face to Face CD,

LONNIE: Amen—that was a group called Worship for Men singing “The Battle Belongs to the Lord.” Which is very good news for all of us who are involved in spiritual warfare in any way.

CONNIE: I guess that would be all of us, wouldn’t it, Lonnie?

LONNIE: Very true. You know, the book of Acts tells about the encounter between the apostle Paul and a spiritualist magician—and direct conflict like that is quite dramatic. But each and every one of us has a battle of faith to win every day—maybe on a smaller scale, but it’s still a crucial fight for our faith.

CONNIE: If you enjoy stories about people who were willing to stand up and fight for their faith, may we recommend the book Faith against the Odds by Mark Finley and Steven Mosley? It’s a wonderful, faith-inspired retelling of the story of some of God’s most faithful servants—the Waldenses—who stood up for their faith under extremely trying circumstances.

LONNIE: We’d like you to have a copy of this little book, and we’ll send one to you as our gift—just give us a call at 1-800-872-0055, and ask for it.

CONNIE: We’ll also share our mailing address later in the broadcast—because we always like to hear from you—but right now, let’s listen to Lonnie’s message, “On the Road with Paul and Barnabas.”

On the Road with Paul and Barnabas

“In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off” (Acts 13:1-3, NIV).

So begins one of the greatest adventure stories of all time. A journey of epic proportions and colossal consequences. Could any of those present at this dedication service have possibly realized how much the mission thus begun would change the world? Only if the Lord revealed it directly through vision, I suppose. . . .

It must have seemed like a simple enough things. We do it every year at our church—we select men and women for ministry, and we pray for them and lay our hands on them, setting them apart for a special work. It’s no big deal.

But there was something special about the dedication service at Antioch that day. It was done in immediate response to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Saul and Barnabas had been specially chosen by God to fulfill a unique task. They were to take the gospel to areas where the salvation through Jesus Christ had not yet been proclaimed. And what adventures they would have along the way!

The world has recently been fascinated by the travels of a mythical hobbit named Frodo in the Lord of the Rings movies. But friend, the significance of that fictional journey across mountains and valleys to save “Middle Earth” pales in comparison to the journey of the apostle Paul. Frodo carried away the ring with special powers to destroy the earth. But Paul carried a message, whose truths would “ring” down through the ages.

Come; let’s follow Paul on this journey—which was just the beginning of his mission to the world.

From Antioch, Paul and Barnabas traveled down the Orontes River to its mouth at the seaport of Seleucia. There they booked passage on a ship headed for Barnabas’s birthplace, the island of Cyprus, about 60 miles off the coast. Traveling with them was Barnabas’s cousin John Mark, who was originally from Jerusalem. The missionaries traveled the whole length of the island, but we don’t get many details of their activities until they reach the far end, where the capital city was. It was there that they met and locked horns with a Jewish magician named Bar-Jesus, or Elymas.

What follows is spiritual warfare. The Holy Spirit versus the powers of magic and darkness. Paul minces no words in taking his stand against the powers of darkness. Looking Elymas full in the face, he says, “ ‘You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?’ ” (Acts 13:10, NRSV). And the next thing that happens reveals where the real power lies. The magician is struck blind, just as Paul had been in his own encounter with the power of God. We don’t know the end of the story—whether Elymas ever got his sight back like Paul did, or whether he accepted Jesus as Savior—because the account in Acts hurries on with the apostles as they board another ship, this time headed for mainland Turkey.

This is just the beginning of the story of the missionaries’ struggle against the powers of darkness. They have set out to proclaim the gospel in areas where no such thing has been heard of before. In areas where people have worshiped other gods since time immemorial.

If you follow their progress on a map, you can see that they first headed north into the center of modern Turkey, and then turned to the southeast, headed down a road that could be followed all the way back to the Mediterranean coast at Paul’s hometown of Tarsus. As they traveled, they went farther and farther into the regions of darkness that desperately need the light of God’s good news. And of course they faced more and more difficult challenges at each stage of their journey.

When they disembarked from their ship, John Mark apparently decided he’d had enough of being a missionary for the time being. If you go back to the beginning of Acts 13, you notice that John Mark wasn’t included in the special ceremony setting aside missionaries for this journey. Maybe he went as far as Cyprus out of curiosity; who knows? Maybe his cousin Barnabas had told him of the wonders of that place, and he just went along for the ride. But when it came time to travel into unknown territory, he lost interest and found a ship that would take him back home. I guess you could say he was a short-term missionary.

Not Paul and Barnabas. No, they headed up a steep and dark mountain valley into the heart of the territory. 125 miles north, the way crow flies, they found themselves in an important crossroads city called Antioch of Pisidia (there were actually 16 different cities named Antioch in the ancient world). “And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading of the law and the prophets, the officials of the synagogue sent them a message, saying, ‘Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, give it’ ” (Acts 13:14-15, NRSV).

Can you imagine Paul turning down an invitation like that? Not on your life!

He had a message these good brothers needed to hear. The long-awaited Messiah had come! And so he eagerly stood up and began to proclaim the good news. After quickly reviewing the history of the Jewish people, he announced that the thing they had been hoping for all along had finally happened—a new descendant of King David had come, and had fulfilled the prophecies. He had been crucified, but had risen from the dead and was even now in heaven with God.

It’s hard for us to imagine the impact that such an announcement would have on a synagogue that had never considered such a possibility before. News quickly spread from that Sabbath meeting throughout the whole city, and soon the Gentiles were clamoring and asking Paul and Barnabas to teach them the same things. By the next Sabbath their message had moved the city to such an extent that a huge crowd gathered to hear their teaching.

Now here’s where the story gets really amazing. It’s almost as though the Jews get jealous when Paul starts preaching to the Gentiles as well. And jealousy soon turned to opposition, and opposition soon drove the missionaries out of the city.

Undeterred, Paul and Barnabas simply shook the dust off their feet (as Jesus had instructed) and headed on down the road toward Tarsus.

Three more cities would be the beneficiaries of their ministry on this journey. They stayed in Iconium for a long time, even though some of their opponents from Antioch apparently followed them there and stirred up trouble. They were able to rise up a church composed of both Jewish and Gentile believers in Iconium, but finally the opposition got the upper hand, and the missionaries headed out again, stopping next in the small city of Lystra—their first stop in a town without a synagogue to preach in. Looking about, Paul noticed a crippled man, and in the name of Jesus healed him.

That got the people’s attention! Suddenly the religious leaders of the town decided Paul and Barnabas must be the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes—legend had it that those to gods had previously visited the territory and rewarded the man who received them. Before Paul knew what was happening, the priests had a bull ready to sacrifice to the traveling “gods.” Paul was barely able to stop them by proclaiming himself human and preaching to them about the one true God that they should worship.

Apparently they stayed in Lystra for long enough to form a company of disciples, but then their opponents from Antioch showed up, and before all was said and done the people of Lystra had formed a mob and stoned Paul, hoping to kill him.

But Paul survived, and seemingly unperturbed, he and Barnabas headed on to the next town, Derbe. After raising up a company of believers there, they had to decide where to go next.

They could easily have continued on down the road into province of Cilicia—Paul’s home territory—and come out at his home town of Tarsus with only a few days of walking. It seemed like a good way to go—considering the treatment they’d received along the way so far. Why go back into the hornet’s nest?

But that’s not the direction they chose. If anyone ever tells you that being a Christian makes you soft or cowardly, tell them to go and read the story of Paul and Barnabas. After being driven out of three towns in a row by mobs, what did they do? They turned right around and went back by the very way they had come, stopping in each of those towns to encourage and strengthen the believers!

Oh, the courage of those two missionaries!

Personally I don’t like to go anywhere that I think people might throw rocks at me—how about you? I wouldn’t even like to have eggs or rotten tomatoes tossed my way.

But there was something about that man Paul. You couldn’t stop him. You couldn’t make him turn back by threatening him. You couldn’t argue him into silence. Even if you threw him in prison, he was likely to start a church service there, singing and praising God.

Because God had moved on his heart. God had set him apart for a special mission. And he wouldn’t turn his back on that, no matter what happened.

How about you, friend? Have you been set apart for a mission by God? Is there a work He is calling you to do? Are you a Paul—with the wisdom and courage to carry the gospel to new realms, no matter how far the journey, no matter what the consequences or risks?

Or could you perhaps be a Mark—ready to go and help with the spread of the gospel, but with shorter-term goals in mind?

You know, we mustn’t be too hard on Mark. There was a time when Paul lost respect for him as a traveling companion, but later Mark obviously redeemed himself in the apostle’s eyes, because near the end of Paul’s life, the two people he most wanted to see were his spiritual son Timothy, and Mark. He wrote to Timothy, urging him to come before winter, and to “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11, NIV). Mark had obviously continued to serve the Lord—perhaps on short journeys, or by ministering in his own neighborhood.

There are many ways to serve God. The important thing is to find the way He is calling you to serve, and then to move out on your own personal, spiritual missionary journey—whether to faraway lands, or just across the street. Whatever your mission, go to it with the courage of Paul—or Mark—and see what the Lord can do through you!