But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time." And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord. Acts 13:8-12

This is a dramatic account of a supernatural occurrence that took place when the missionaries were opposed. The record in Acts 13 speaks for itself with no explanation needed to understand what happened.

What are we to make of this today? Some insist that “If it happened in the Bible, it should happen today.” But that is not necessarily so, and here is why:

Do not base doctrine (or practice) on narratives. Everything recorded in the Bible is recorded accurately, but not everything recorded in the Bible is to be understood as right or normative.

For instance, the Bible accurately records that Judas betrayed Jesus. That does not make betraying Jesus right! Likewise, the Bible accurately records things that happened that we are under no obligation to repeat. To be considered normative (things the Church should always do), the activity must not merely be recorded as having happened, but also taught that we are to do it.

The Bible is filled with supernatural and one-time occurrences—not all of which are normative.

Footnote: We do not want to deny or seek to restrict the Holy Spirit, but neither should we expect or presume that He will act supernaturally in every, or even most cases! I sincerely doubt that Paul and Barnabas “expected” what happened in Paphos before it happened!