Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.” (Acts 8:24)

Simon was a sorcerer among the Samaritans, and in some way he responded to the message preached by Philip and others. Yet, the way Simon acted (Acts 8:18-19) and the way Peter rebuked him (Acts 8:20-23) showed there was something insincere and incomplete in Simon’s faith in and surrender to Jesus.

We see something else not-quite-right with Simon in Acts 8:24: he refused to humble himself before God and truly repent. Instead, he avoided responsibility for his sin – and did it with spiritual-sounding words.

When Peter confronted Simon, he said pray to the Lord for me, that none of these things come upon me. Instead of genuinely humbling his heart before God, Simon asked Peter to pray he would be spared the consequences of his sin. This shows Simon felt a true conviction from the Holy Spirit but was not yet willing to humble his own heart before God. Peter could pray to the Lord for Simon, but he couldn’t humble Simon’s heart for him.

The door of repentance and getting right with God was open to Simon if he would take it – but Peter could not do it for him. A few verses before, Peter boldly challenged Simon: repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you (Acts 8:22). Peter told Simon “pray God” and Simon asked Peter, “pray for me.”

When Simon asked Peter, “please pray for me,” it was a way to ask Peter to do something, instead of Simon doing something himself.

Always remember that the preacher can’t believe for you, nor can he repent for you. After all, the preacher has enough repenting to do on his own account! The preacher can pray for you, but you better also pray for yourself – as Peter told Simon to do.

We don’t know what became of Simon. Church tradition says that he continued down a bad path and later became a dangerous false teacher among the early Christians. We don’t know how accurate those traditions are; it is possible that Simon did repent and get his heart right with God.

When we feel convicted by the Holy Spirit, it’s common to evade the responsibility of doing something about the sin He speaks to us about. If the Holy Spirit speaks to me about pride, it’s easy for me to start seeing pride in other people, and feeling they should repent of it.

Like the situation with Simon, it’s possible that when I need to humbly pray to God with a repentant heart instead I ask someone else to pray for me.

Today, take responsibility for your walk with God and growth in Jesus. If the Holy Spirit speaks a word of correction to you, don’t pass it off on someone else.

Click Here for David’s Written Commentary on Acts 8

And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:18-19)

God was moving among the people of Samaria. The good news finally extended past Jerusalem and Judea and had now come to the Samaritans. It first came to Samaria through Philip, but eventually the apostles Peter and John came to see what God was doing. As they taught and served the Samaritans, they also prayed that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Someone named Simon – who was a sorcerer – also believed, but his discipleship was rather superficial. He noticed that when Peter and John laid hands on those who believed, they received the Holy Spirit. Perhaps there was some outward evidence of this giving of the Holy Spirit. Whatever happened, it impressed Simon.

Simon the (hopefully former) sorcerer wanted the same ability to lay hands on people, pray for them, and have them receive the Holy Spirit. He wanted it enough that he offered them money for the ability.

In this, Simon thought that the Holy Spirit was merely a power that could be bought or sold. He wanted to control the working of the Spirit and he regarded the Holy Spirit as a power he could use as he wanted. That isn’t how the Holy Spirit of God works. He isn’t an impersonal power; the Holy Spirit is a Person who lives in us and rules the believer’s life. He wanted this so anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit: Simon did not really desire the Holy Spirit for himself, but the ability to impart the power of the Holy Spirit to others at his will. This would give him much spiritual authority.

Through Christian history, this man Simon inspired the term “simony.” Simony is the word for the sin of buying or selling church offices or privileges, because to buy or sell such spiritual things works in the same spirit as this Simon. This sin was common in church history and is still sometimes practiced today.

But even when they don’t formally buy or sell church offices or privileges, many people still think and act like this Simon. I can think of at least two ways some today follow Simon:

Simon wanted to use God’s power to make him powerful and successful. Many people today have that kind of “transactional” relationship with God. They will obey and serve God if it means God will give them what they want.

Simon either forgot or never knew that the Holy Spirit is a Person, not just a power. We don’t “control” the Holy Spirit and use Him as we want. We surrender ourselves to God’s Spirit and He uses us as He wants.

Today, receive the Holy Spirit – surrender yourself to Him, instead of trying to “use” Him for what you think you want.

Click Here for David’s Written Commentary on Acts 8

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Click Here for David’s Written Commentary on Ephesians 2

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For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell. (Colossians 1:19)

We like the Christmas season, and we like to put our thoughts on the baby Jesus. So many aspects of the story appeal to us. We think of two relatively young people out among strangers and in great need. We think of the humble nature of their surroundings – no room in the inn – contrasted with the angelic glory of His birth announcement, even if it was heard only among a few shepherds. We think of the baby Jesus wrapped tight in fabric Mary probably brought with her all the way from Nazareth, knowing she would need it. We think of a little child on a starry night laid down to sleep in a feeding bin for animals.

All this is wonderful and true, yet it only scratches at the surface of the greatness of what God did on that night. The child sleeping in that manager was no mere man. God had humbled Himself to come not only in humanity, but in the full experience of humanity.

Theoretically, Jesus could have come to the earth as a 30-year-old man and began His public ministry immediately. After all, the first Adam came to the earth as an adult; perhaps the second Adam would also come that way. Yet it was good and right and important for the God to add humanity to His deity in a way that connected with the full experience of humanity, including the helplessness and dependence of a baby.

Yet make no mistake; Colossians 1:19 is just as true about the baby Jesus in the manger as it was true about the man Jesus on the cross: it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell.

It is a broad statement – combining the two mighty words all and fullness. Put those two words together and you mean everything. There is nothing left out from the all and from the fullness, and these two words tell us that in Him – that is, in Jesus Christ – there is all of what makes God really God.

There was a definite idea behind the ancient Greek word Paul selected, the one we translate fullness. The ancient Greek word was pleroma, and it was a recognized technical term in the theological vocabulary of the ancient world, describing the total package of Divine powers and attributes. Paul took all that was implied in that one word and said, “All of this fullness – all of this stuff that makes God who He is – all of it dwells in Jesus.”

Notice that the fullness is in Jesus Christ. Not in a church; not in a priesthood; not in a building; not in a sacrament; not in the saints; not in a method or a program, but in Jesus Christ Himself. All who want more of God and all that He is can find it in Jesus Christ.

So long ago, all of that slept in a humble manger on that Bethlehem night.

Click Here for David’s Written Commentary on Colossians 1

Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. (Acts 8:1)

A few verses before, we met the man who supervised the execution of Stephen, who was the first martyr of the Christian faith (Acts 7:58). Acts 8:1 continues the story of Saul, telling us first that Saul was consenting to the death of Stephen. The English translation probably isn’t strong enough. The idea behind the ancient Greek word suneudokeo is “to approve, to be pleased with.” Some people are reluctant persecutors, but Saul wasn’t one of these; he took pleasure in attacking and even killing Christians.

Saul of Tarsus – whom most of us know by his Roman name, Paul – later came to deeply regret this persecution of the church. He later wrote that he was not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God (1 Corinthians 15:9).

Stephen’s death was only the beginning, the start of a great persecution that arose against the church. The floodgates of violence were now open against the Christians and Saul was only one of many persecutors. Before, individual apostles had been arrested and beaten and persecuted. Now, every believer was threatened with violence and perhaps death.

In 1956, on the shores of a river in the jungles of Ecuador, natives murdered five missionaries who came to preach Jesus. To many, this death seemed like a senseless tragedy. Many could only see five young missionaries who had their careers cut short or the five widows and fatherless children. But God did an amazing work through those five men, even in their deaths, and the blessing long echoed through people like Elisabeth Elliot – the widow of one the missionary martyrs.

In a similar way, Stephen’s death might seem meaningless at first glance. His young ministry of power and eloquence was cut abruptly short. His ministry also seemed to end in failure – no one was immediately brought to faith, and all that came was more persecution. But as often has been the case, the blood of the martyrs became the seed of the church.

Afterwards, they were scattered throughout the regions. Now the Christians were forced to do what they had been reluctant to do – get the message of Jesus out to the surrounding regions. In Acts 1:8 Jesus clearly told His followers to look beyond Jerusalem and bring the gospel to Judea, Samaria, and the whole world. Up to this point, Jesus’ followers had not done this.

The resulting good shows us that God can and will use painful and pressing circumstances to guide His people into His will. Sometimes we must be shaken out of our comfortable state before we do what God wants us to do. When God allows some shaking, pressing, or pain, don’t forget to look for His purpose in it all. It may be something greater than you ever imagined.

Click Here for David’s Written Commentary on Acts 7