Emptied with purpose
Out with the old – in with the new!
Emptied to be filled
Purge yourself of the things in this world and strive to be filled with the spirit!
Emptied with purpose
Php 2:5-7 (ESV)
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Emptied with purpose
2Ti 2:21 (ESV)
21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
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Read Act 13:1-12
Emptied with purpose
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Act 13:1 (ESV) Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
Act 13:2 (ESV) 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.”
Emptied with purpose
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Act 13:3 (ESV) Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
Emptied with purpose
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Act 13:4 (ESV) So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
Emptied with purpose
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Act 13:5 (ESV) When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.
Emptied with purpose
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Act 13:6 (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.
Act 13:7 (ESV) He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.
This man is pursuing God!
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Act 13:8 (ESV) But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
Opposition is the norm
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Act 13:9 (ESV) But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him
Emptied with purpose
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Act 13:10 (ESV) 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?
Also they need to clear a quart of this obstacle to truth
Emptied with purpose
He was emptying the court of Sergius Paulus of filth and lies so that there would be room for the truth
Emptied with purpose
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Act 13:11 (ESV) 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.
Paul, guided by the Spirit, gave a limited consequence - grace in action
Emptied with purpose
In grace, Paul is living room for transformation even in Elymas’s heart.
Emptied with purpose
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Act 13:12 (ESV) Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
Paul saw the need
Emptied with purpose
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Fasting and prayer are key elements in the preparation of being filled with the spirit and being an effective ambassador for Christ to the world.
Php 2:5-7 (ESV)
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Emptied to be filled
Out with the old – in with the new!
2Ti 2:21 (ESV)
21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
Purge yourself of the things in this world and strive to be filled with the spirit!
