Supernatural Illumination
Acts 13:4-12 (ESV) So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. Too many people do things on their own initiative rather than seeking God’s will.
We often get the wrong impression when we view only a part of a picture. The word of God is a “collage” of fragmentary information that must be pasted together by the Holy Spirit in order to give a true picture of the whole. This putting together of random bits of information by the Holy Spirit is what we call ILLUMINATION.
You have a scriptural perspective when you have evaluated all the “light” the Bible provides on a given issue. For example, the Trinity is never mentioned in the Bible, yet it is clearly revealed.
“Although it is utterly failed to push it to its proper and warranted conclusions, the church throughout the ages has recognized this principle in the most obvious instances. Everyone knows that every Christian Creed, Eastern, Roman or Protestant acknowledges the doctrine of the Trinity. How did the church arrive at that doctrine? There is no essay, treatise, or even a single passage in the Bible that teaches the truth. The Trinity – the word itself – is not found in the Bible, even though the Church has rightly found the fact and the doctrine there. Even a Unitarian, if he be an honest Unitarian and has studied the Bible, would be forced to confess that there are passages in the Scriptures, which attribute the creation of the universe to each of the three members of the Godhead. In Genesis, it is the Father, who is the Creator: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1). In the New Testament, it is the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Creator: “All things were made by him: and without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:3). In the book of Job, it is the Holy Spirit who is designated as the Creator: ” By his spirit. He has garnished the heavens.” (Job 26:13).
The Church, from the beginning, has taken such scattered passages, and many others that carry similar thought, and has put them together, boldly and correctly, forming the doctrine of the Trinity as it is found in the creeds and theologies of widely varying sects. The fathers and reformers never found it strange to take a verse out of Genesis and fit it to a verse in John, and to bring a verse from Job alongside to cast yet more light on a doctrine. Such a method, which would be outrageous in any other work, is a necessity in the study of the Bible. You may not take a paragraph from astronomy, one from psychology and one from apiculture and fit them together to draw conclusions about the balance of centrifugal and centripetal force. But a line from the prophetic vision of Ezekiel, one from the Mosaic writings and one from the poetry of the Psalms may well be put together to show us some truth about God and His heaven and His will for man.”
“The Invisible War,” Donald Gray Barnhouse, p. 13 The Doctrine of the Trinity.
But before we discuss this principle, we see the supernatural gift of discerning of spirits (1 Cor. 12:10) in operation as it identified the intent of the heart of Elymas the sorcerer, and Paul pronounced a sentence of judgment. As a result of the miracle of judgment the proconsul believed. God has two sides: mercy and judgment. Acts 13:6-12 (ESV) When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “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? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. (This was the operation of one of the nine spiritual gifts – discerning of spirits.)
Acts 13:13 (ESV) Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, Looking at this scripture only would give a very inaccurate picture of the ministry of John Mark.
- Paul and Barnabas (son of exhortation) differed sharply as a result of John Mark’s behavior in Perga. Although Paul may have “written off’ John Mark, God didn’t! Acts 15:36-41 (ESV) And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. No one trusted Paul at first. It was Barnabas that stood up for him. Then they were co-laborers.
- Later, John Mark went to serve Peter. 1 Peter 5:13 (ESV) She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. Steadfast love – God continually pursues us and keeps us. God trusted John Mark to write the Gospel of Mark, which portrayed Jesus as a servant, John Mark was a servant.
- He wrote the book of Mark which portrayed Jesus as “Servant,” with the word “immediately” a key highlight. Apparently God had dealt so clearly with John Mark about faithful servanthood that he was qualified to “paint Jesus’ picture.” Mark 10:45 (ESV) For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
- Even Paul later mellowed and recognized the value of John Mark’s ministry. 2 Timothy 4:11 (ESV) Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. “Ministry” means serving.
Paul, helped by the Holy Spirit, “put the scriptural pieces together” to prove conclusively that Jesus was the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. Notice how often refers to Jesus as “the fulfillment” (v. 25, 27, 33); “that which was spoken” (v. 33, 34, 35). He clearly understood these random bits of information proved conclusively that Jesus was the Christ. Acts 13:14-43 (ESV) but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’ 26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’ 34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ 35 Therefore he says also in another psalm, “‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ 36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: 41 “‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’” 42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
Daily Bible reading is where the Holy Spirit can get these fragments of scripture put together for you. You implant your mind with the inspiration of scripture. It is a supernatural remembrance.