"He who thirst let him come unto the well and drink."

The Daily Drink

Acts 13:6-10

"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. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 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?"

Notice the "false prophet" is referred to here as a magician.  He was a "person of charm," and the text tells us that he was a "person of intelligence." Likewise are the false teachers in the current church age; they are most often charming and intelligent.  This charmer heard the word of God, he was introduced to the truth, and was therefore without excuse. Our text also reveals the false prophet was guilty of attempting to "turn the proconsul away from the faith."  Herein lies the danger of modern day false teachers whether intentional or not, they are actually leading people away from "the faith once delivered to the saints." Paul recognized the works of this false prophet, this intelligent charmer, as coming straight out of the bowels of hell -- and Paul did not hesitate to say so. He was quick to speak to the deception, and expose it.  Note that Paul  was "filled with the Holy Spirit," and was therefore able to easily recognize this deceptive huckster.  Many are led away from the faith by modern day false teachers, and the reason being is that most do not have "the word of God dwelling in them richly," and therefore are not as Paul, "filled with the Holy Spirit." To truly be "filled with the Spirit," one must be filled with the "word of God." Many wish to believe that being "filled with the Spirit" is some magical, emotional experience.  They have an "experience," but they are not "filled with the Spirit."  The man of God who will dare to speak as Paul spoke in this text, would be quickly labeled as judgmental and mean-spirited. Nevertheless, Paul confronted it with boldness and sterness, referring to the false prophet as a "son of the devil," the "enemy of all righteousness," who was "full of deceit and villainy," and guilty of twisting the straight into something that was crooked.  The word of God is the rule of our faith, and to twist it in any direction is to make it crooked, and therefore be guilty of leading others away from the faith.  False teachers are preaching and teaching a crooked path, and guilty of promoting a twisted truth.