The
Apostles and Simon the Sorcerer
[Acts
chapter 8, verses 4-17]
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Last
week when we left off at verse 3 of Acts chapter 8, we all became
better acquainted with the story of Stephen, the first martyr of
Christendom after Jesus Christ. As you recall, Stephen defended
himself with the Word of God. He spoke truth to power, and it cost
him his life. St. Stephen's brilliant use of the Scriptures as his
defense against the Sanhedrin was exemplary for Jesus followers
everywhere. It also illustrates the importance of knowing the
Scriptures, whether it be for one's own defense or for leading
another to Christ. This week as we go deeper into chapter 8,
Stephen's execution had set off a massive crackdown on what was then
known as The Way. The early Church in Jerusalem and the surrounding
countryside had been scattered to the four winds, and so we will pick
up right from that point, beginning at verse 5.
“Those
who had been scattered preached the Word wherever they went. Philip
went down to Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds
heard Philip and saw all the miraculous signs he did, they all paid
close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out
of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So there was
great joy in that city. Now for some time a man named Simon had
practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria.
He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high
and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, 'This is the divine
power known as the Great Power'. They followed him because he had
amazed them for a long time with his magic. But as they believed
Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the
name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon
himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere,
astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.”
(Acts 8, verses 4-13)
Notice
that first sentence, 'Those
who had been scattered preached the Word wherever they went.'
These people had just been run out of Jerusalem, barely escaping with
their lives, and immediately afterward they're doing the same thing
that nearly got them all killed! For myself at least, I find this
truly remarkable. The martyr Stephen's irrepressible spirit and
dogged determination was reflected in the zeal and enthusiasm of the
early Christians as they propagated the Gospel of Christ all over the
Middle East and Asia Minor. They let nothing stand in their way, and
we should see our own faith in much the same way. “Philip
went down to Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds
heard Philip and saw all the miraculous signs he did, they all paid
close attention to what he said.”
Why was this so? Because Philip had authenticity! He spoke with an
authority that was the 'real deal'. This was not only because he was
one of the Twelve, but because he had the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit, something he had possessed ever since the first Pentecost.
Contrast
this with today's pastors who run their churches like businesses, and
with TV evangelists who pack churches and auditoriums with what
amounts to their book customers. To say there is a noticeable
difference between the Twelve and many of today's churches and
denominations is like saying these is a huge difference between a
flower and a tree. There is really no comparison at all! “With
shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and
cripples were healed. So there was great joy in that city.”
When was the last time you saw this happen in a modern church? I'm
not talking about the “faith healers” on 'Christian TV' who walk
right up to people and knock them off their feet. That's not healing,
that's called “simple battery”, a case that should be heard in a
criminal court. I'm talking about authentic healing. Genuine divine
healing isn't even done in public in full view of TV cameras. You
have to be there to see real divine healing up close and personal.
The list of documented examples is nearly endless, just log on to
your You Tube account and search that.
“Now
for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and
amazed all the people of Samaria.”
Evidently this man Simon had quite a following, much like a celebrity
would today. He was also making a very respectable income from his
evidently uncanny abilities, either as a sorcerer or a con artist,
depending on your point of view. Unfortunately for Simon and all
others like him, sorcery is witchcraft, a form of devil worship known
as Luciferianism.
All these things are of the occult, which is basically Satanism, and
they are expressly forbidden by the Lord throughout the Bible. “But
as they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom
of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and
women.”
What's so unusual about this? Look more closely at those last 6
words, 'they were baptized, both men and women'. Prior to the arrival
of Christ and his ministry, women were – and oftentimes still are –
treated as 2nd
class citizens. But as was the case with Mary Magdalene – who was
and still is sometimes called “the thirteenth apostle” – so it
was with the early church. Men and women were treated as and
considered to be equals.
“Simon
himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip
everywhere....”
Simon was probably a man of little education. Aside from his sorcery
'enterprise', he was probably just another face in the crowd. So it
does not take a well educated individual to realize the validity and
authenticity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, formal training
can sometimes get in the way. That's why so many scientists are
atheists. But Simon the sorcerer needed no deep contemplation or
extra urging because he knew a good thing when he saw it, and I think
he saw or felt the presence of the Lord too. And now let's move on to
part 2 of this week's lesson, starting at verse 14.
“When
the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the Word of
God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed
for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy
Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had been simply baptized
into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their
hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”
(Acts 8, verses 14-17)
As
before, there is much more to verse 14 than meets the eye. The
Israeli Jews of that day had nothing to do with Samaritans, and that
worked both ways (see John 4: 9). The Samaritans of that day are the
descendants of a sizable portion of today's Palestinians, so now you
know why they couldn't stand each other. So the Samaritans were among
the first Gentile believers. OK, now I want you all to think back to
when we were studying Acts chapter 2. Peter and John were both
orthodox Jewish men by today's standards, so under normal
circumstances the Samaritans and themselves would never have
associated with one another. So it's interesting that the Twelve sent
those two men to Samaria.
“When
they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy
Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they
had been simply baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.” This
is one verse in the Bible that a few Protestant denominations, as
well as the Vatican, can't seem to wrap their brains around. That's
because even though they profess belief in the Holy Spirit of our
risen Lord and Savior, they don't believe in Holy Spirit baptism even
though Jesus spoke about it at length (see John chapter 3, verses
5-21). But as you can clearly see from the above quote from the
writings of the apostle Luke, there are two baptisms, not just one.
There is water baptism which comes first (see Matt. 3: 13-16),
followed by Holy Spirit baptism, and these two rites of Christendom
must be performed in that order. Otherwise, it's heretical and
contrary to the Spirit.
“Then
Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy
Spirit.” Notice that the Bible says nothing about what the
Samaritans did after receiving their Holy Spirit baptisms. One thing
I'm sure about – those Samaritans didn't start babbling a bunch of
unintelligible stuff that no one can understand, such as what happens
in most “charismatic” churches today. In all likelihood they
began to prophesy, or proclaim the Word of God with relevance to
certain people, places or things. As you will recall from the first
book in this series on the writings of the apostle Paul (you can get
more info from
this link), out of the nine gifts of the Spirit (see 1st
Corinthians chapter 12), the ability to prophesy is at the top of
Paul's list of these gifts. Speaking in tongues and the
interpretation of tongues are the last two that the apostle Paul
listed. So we can accurately conclude that Holy Spirit baptism is
necessary in order to be qualified for a position of leadership in
any house of worship, regardless of denominational affiliation. And
it's an essential ingredient in our faith as well. That's all for
today, and next week we'll move on to part 2 of Acts chapter 8.
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