ACTS: The Real Power is from God

 

Acts 8:1 Saul agreed with the leadership's choice to stone Stephen. That event caused a great movement against the church in Jerusalem and many of the followers of Jesus moved from Jerusalem into the regions of Judea and Samaria. The apostles stayed behind. 2 Some of the devout followers of Jesus buried Stephen and wept greatly for him and for the loss to the young movement. 3 The event also energized Saul to increase his hatred for the church and he started entering the houses of people connected with the church and took both men and women to prison for believing in Jesus as the Messiah.

The stoning of Stephen becomes a turning point in the story of the early church. Jesus told the disciples to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, the location of the story so far, and then Judea, Samaria, and out to the ends of the earth. So, Luke now takes us on the journey beyond the city into the countryside and out to the remainder of the world.

Like most of us, we get comfortable in our space and do not really desire to move out of our comfort zone without a strong push. Baby birds in the nest often need a strong nudge from their mother to go beyond the edge and out into the open air.  They will never feel the joy of flying without the nudge to get out of the only home they have known. The stoning of Stephen and the increased persecution from Saul became that nudge for the followers of Jesus.  

Saul felt a new energy to bring condemnation to this young movement and possibly end it altogether with his ability to arrest these new believers and put them into the prisons. Their only crime was their belief that Jesus was the Messiah; the One that Israel had long been on the look out for. Rather than this being good news to Saul, he saw this as heresy and death was the only alternative in his mind for their blatant disregard for the true religion of Israel. 

Acts 8:4 The people who left Jerusalem grew in their boldness and shared the good news of Jesus wherever they went. 5 Philip, who had been chosen as a deacon along with Stephen, arrived in a city of Samaria and started sharing with them about the Messiah. 6 People were welcoming this message with open arms as they heard what he said and saw the miracles Jesus was performing through him. 7 Unclean spirits were coming out of people with loud shouts and those lame and paralyzed were being healed. 8 That city was filled with rejoicing. 

Even in the opposition that Saul mounted against the church, the people held their ground against his persecution. They actually became bolder in their witness about Jesus under this added pressure. Hearing about the way Stephen handled himself during the stoning caused many to speak with more confidence and to tell others of the need to repent and change. While Saul expected his persecution to end the speaking in the name of Jesus, it actually accomplished the opposite, it bolstered their resolve to tell everyone the news that the Messiah had come.

Philip was one of the examples of that boldness and Luke includes his story in his account of the young church.  Even though he had been elected to be one who distributed the food to the widows in Jerusalem, with the movement of the church out from the city, he found himself taking every opportunity to share his story with the people of Samaria. Wherever he went the miracles followed along, and the crowds welcomed him, wanting to hear more of what he had to say about Jesus. 

Acts 8:9 One person in that city was Simon. He was receiving a lot of attention from the people before Philip arrived. 10 People were calling him a great power of God. 11 He was proficient in the art of magic and entertained people all the time. 12 But Philip brought a more believable message and Simon's magic could not compare with the miracles of healing done by Jesus through Philip. People were believing the message about the kingdom of God and were baptized in the name of Jesus. 13 Simon himself could not resist this new power; and he too was baptized. His amazement continued to grow as he watched Philip perform signs and wonders in the city. 

Jesus had made it clear that the message needed to go to the Samaritans and beyond. He had spoken to the woman at the well. He had spent days in the area of Jacob’s well. And now He was bringing His messenger Philipp back to the area with the news of the resurrection and the power of the Holy Spirit. It would be fair to say that the people of Samaria in that day were not considered worthy by the Jews in Jerusalem, yet Jesus is taking His message first, to the “outcast” of Israel and then outward to the nations of the world. Samaria is just the beginning of the history of the church. 

Acts 8:14 The word of what was happening in Samaria made its way to the apostles in Jerusalem and they sent Peter and John to support Philip in his work. 15 They prayed for the new believers in this city that they might be baptized with the Holy Spirit. 16 Philip had only baptized them for the forgiveness of sins. 17 Peter and John began laying hands on the people and the Holy Spirit started coming into their lives. 18 Simon noticed that the Holy Spirit was received by the apostles laying their hands upon people and he wanted to be able to perform this miracle. So, he offered to pay for this power. [He probably had to pay a lot to learn how to perform his acts of magic so he would think this is the right thing to do.] 19 He said to Peter, "I would like to have this authority so that I could also lay my hands upon people and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." 20 Peter was angered by this and said, "I hope you and your silver perish. I cannot believe you thought you could buy something from God! 21 "You need to get your heart right before God, or you will not have any part in ministry with the Holy Spirit. 22 "Repent of your sinful thoughts and ask God to forgive you, if possible, so the intent of your heart may be changed. 23 "You are still consumed with bitterness and a bondage to evil. You need to be set free from this captivity." 24 Simon was surprised and convicted, saying, "Please pray for me so that I will be set free from my evil and be able to serve the LORD Jesus."

It appears, on the surface, that the intentions of Simon were good. He desired to have this power so that he could help people. But Peter saw something different in his heart. He was a man used to getting attention from others and this looked like another opportunity to do something for others that would make people see Simon as the one with the power. But God is the One who chooses His instruments of ministry and He determines how and when His power is poured out. That is never in our hands.

Simon’s view of God was materialistic. He thought of God as someone who serves mankind. He liked the power and influence and fame he had known before when he was the magician and wanted to return to that leadership status. We might even see Simon as one who liked to have control over people, over God, and over life itself.

This desire for power, authority, influence, and fame was what Peter was referring to when he said Simon’s heart was not right before God. His wickedness needed to be repented of, for the intent of Simon’s heart was towards pride and selfish power even though he wanted to pass the power of the Holy Spirit on to other people. 

Our minds have a twisted way of making us think we are doing good when in reality we only desire to feed our own ego. May God save us from this sinful nature of pride and our natural bent toward evil. We, like Simon, need to remember that we are called to serve God, and not the other way around. God on the other hand, in His graciousness, does freely serve us when we humble ourselves before Him. 

God is not always looking for the leaders and up-front people of this world to be the leaders of the church and the people with the power of the Holy Spirit. He desires all people to come humbly before Him and He, in His time and His way, will use us for His good, some might be leaders and others, followers, but we are all the church and together we share the ministry of Jesus our Messiah. 

Acts 8:25 Peter and John continued to speak about the teachings of the Lord and to pray for the people in that city. As they returned to Jerusalem, they spoke to any who would listen in the villages of Samaria which were on their way home. 

May your life be filled with humility before God, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the boldness to speak about Jesus to the people you encounter in your life. 

Pastor Edd