Examples
of True Repentance and Diversity in the Bible
[Acts
chapter 8, verses 18-30]
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Last
week in our ongoing study of the Book of Acts, we left off at verse
17 of chapter 8, where Simon the sorcerer had just been converted to
what we now call Christianity by the apostles Peter and John. Back
then the teachings of our Lord and Savior were simply called “The
Way”, a much better name in my own opinion. So this week as we move
on, we will find Simon getting himself sharply rebuked by Peter for
asking the wrong question the wrong way, followed by a Biblical
example of the absence of prejudice in the face of racial diversity.
So let's pick up where we last left off, starting at verse 18.
“When
Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles
hands, he offered them money and said, 'Give me also this ability so
that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.'
Peter answered, 'May your money perish with you, because you thought
you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share
in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent
of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you
for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full
of bitterness and captive to sin.' Then Simon answered, 'Pray to the
Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.' When
they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and
John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the Gospel in many Samaritan
villages.” (Acts 8,
verses 18-25)
Although
many pastors and teachers of the Word habitually use Simon as an
example of how NOT to use the gifts of the Spirit (and there's
nothing wrong with that), let me also point out that Simon was a
reflection of the times in which he lived. There was widespread
paganism 2,000 years ago, with all kinds of weird beliefs, rituals
and superstitions. There was also a lot of sorcery and witchcraft,
not to mention fortune-tellers, astrologers and even Luciferians who
engage in devil worship. These types of nefarious activities are
still prevalent today in some parts of the world, but these forms of
negative worship, or 'worshiping in vain' as I call it, exist
globally in one form or another, and that includes North America. It
is the duty of every Christ-believer to oppose, and to repent of for
those who need to, all of the above activities and beliefs and to the
organizations that represent them. You all know who you are!!
Verse
19 is one good verse to use when pointing out the erroneous teaching
known as the “Prosperity Gospel”, which is really no 'gospel' at
all. Simon the sorcerer said to Peter as he flashed his cash at him,
“Give me also this
ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy
Spirit.”
Clearly this was a big mistake on Simon's part. But this corrupt
mentality of his made its presence known because Simon was a
reflection of the culture he grew up in. He probably didn't have much
of an upbringing nor much education, so he probably had lived by his
wits for much of his life. No wonder there was such a need for a
Savior for all of humanity! In a world where kids grew up to be
sorcerers and warlocks, the need was great. In today's world, where
kids grow up to be gang members and school shooters, the need for a
Savior has never been more acute. Pray, everyone! Pray for our
children!
“Peter
answered, 'May your money perish with you, because you thought you
could buy the gift of God with money!”
To put this into 21st
century vernacular, Peter was telling Simon to take his money and
himself right back to whatever part of Hell they had originated from.
Then he adds insult to injury in his rebuke when he added, “You
have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not
right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord.
Perhaps he will forgive you....”
Again, to put this into a modern context, Peter was telling Simon not
only that he was an unfit Christian, but also that he had no business
in the ministry at all! As in 'period, end of story'. Peter's swift
and sure response to Simon's attempted bribery still holds true
today. It is a sin to accept or offer a bribe – period, end of
story.
“Perhaps”,
Peter told Simon, “He will forgive you.” The Supreme Sacrifice of
Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, no matter how
grievous they may be, guarantees eternal forgiveness for those who
embrace Jesus. Like Simon though, it depends on how sincere we are
about our repentance. We get a hint of the level of Simon's
repentance in his response to Peter in verse 24: “Pray
to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
Simon evidently felt so convicted he may have felt unworthy to pray
for himself, I can't say for sure. He is never mentioned again in the
Bible, and nobody knows his fate to this day, but I hope he is with
the Lord. But then we see, in verse 25, Peter and John preaching in
“many Samaritan villages” on their way back to Jerusalem. As I
mentioned in last week's lesson, this is an example of the power of
the ministry of Christ – that two orthodox Jews would stop and
preach to a bunch of Gentiles. Prior to these occurrences, Jews and
Samaritans associating with one another was unheard of. Which brings
me to part two of today's lesson, beginning at verse 26.
“Now
an angel of the Lord said to Philip, 'Go south to the road – the
desert road – that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.' So he started
out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official
in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians.
This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was
sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The
Spirit told Philip, 'Go to that chariot and stay near it.' Then
Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the
prophet. 'Do you understand what you are reading?', Philip asked.”
(Acts 8, verses 26-30)
I'm
not sure why this verse of Scripture was translated this way, but I
think it would have looked a little better had it been translated as,
“Meanwhile, while all this was occurring, the Spirit of our risen
Lord had dispatched the apostle Philip to the south of Jerusalem”,
with Samaria being roughly northeast of Jerusalem. As he goes, he
encounters an Ethiopian man, a eunuch
in a chariot who is reading the Book of Isaiah. So we have a similar
occurrence here with Philip that we had with Peter and John above –
Jewish men not only associating with but even ministering to
different cultures than their own. The Ethiopian eunuch was obviously
a Black man, whereas Philip most likely had light brown skin. And yet
modern churches seem to conveniently skip over this Biblical fact and
its implications for racial reconciliation, starting with here in
America where we need it the most. Such a teaching would be a
scathing indictment of wealthy, and mostly white, churches.
But
Philip allowed no such barrier to hinder him, nor did he care that
the Ethiopian eunuch was a Black man. “The
Spirit told Philip, 'Go to that chariot and stay near it.' Then
Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the
prophet. 'Do you understand what you are reading?'”....
All the apostle Philip saw in that man was a ministry opportunity and
a chance to lead someone to salvation in Christ. When the Spirit
commanded the apostle Philip to get close to the chariot he saw,
Philip ran! He got to that chariot as fast as he could run, as if it
were an emergency. And there was an emergency! A man whose heart was
crying out for salvation had its needs met by the apostle Philip. So
there was a Spiritual emergency. But what did the Ethiopian eunuch
ask Philip, or how did he respond to Philip's query? To find the
answer to this most pertinent question, you'll have to return next
week for the third and final part to our analysis of chapter 8 of the
Book of Acts. Until then, let's all focus on being as repentant as
Simon was after being rebuked by Peter. Let's all continue to pray
for ourselves and each other, that God's judgment never falls on any
of us either. Then, let's live our lives as such.
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