![]() ![]() Perhaps he fell back into his old habits. Perhaps he received the Holy Spirit and put it to good use, turning from his profession of sorcery to preach the gospel. ![]() The text seems to indicate that Simon repented, but we’ll never know what happened after that. We don’t really know the rest of the story. That’s why Peter told him, “You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.” Simon was willing to sell out the eternal purposes of God for the temporal purposes of his own wealth. God’s intention with the Holy Spirit was not to make anyone rich it was to heal people, to set prisoners free, and to point to them to the redeeming love of Jesus. Seeing this opportunity as a businessman, Simon sought to buy the power of God from the Apostles.įortunately, Peter saw through this sinful thought, and called Simon out on it. If the counterfeit magic that he had practiced made him famous and successful, the power of true miracles could make him wealthy beyond his wildest dreams. Instead of seeing the Holy Spirit as a gift from God given to bless others and increase the Kingdom, Simon saw it as an asset that he could use to impress others and increase his own wealth. When Peter and John came to Samaria to pray for the believers there to receive the Holy Spirit, Simon’s sinful nature flared up. ![]() Simon was a money slave, and tried to apply his worldly understanding of finance to the Kingdom of God. You see, although he had been saved, he had not yet surrendered his worldly attitude about money. But when the Gospel came to town, he had a genuine conversion experience. He became famous, and probably rich, with his act. Simon had an interesting background - he traveled the region practicing sorcery. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”Ģ4 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.” 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.ġ8 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”Ģ0 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.ġ4 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. ![]() He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. Let’s look at what Acts 8:9-24 has to say about him:ĩ Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. Simon is a relatively minor character in the book of Acts, but he teaches us an important lesson. In our continuing study of money slaves found in the Bible, we’ve examined people such as Judas, Zacchaeus and Ananias and Saphira. Today we’ll meet a character whose financial attitudes nearly cost him the power of the Holy Spirit - Simon the Sorcerer. When these attitudes make slaves of us, they often inhibit us from having God’s best for our lives. It’s not just greed or debt that make us money slaves - the enemy can use money to cause things like envy, comparison, discontentment and other bad attitudes. Because wrong attitudes can stand between you and the power of God in your life.Īlthough we don’t often think of things this way, it’s all too easy to become slave to money. If you’re a Christian with a heart for ministry, it’s important to make sure that you have the right attitudes about money. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |