It is no
accident that the church first encounters opposition from the world of the
occult during a time of persecution. We see it here:
(Acts 8:1-25 NIV) And Saul was there, giving approval to
his death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at
Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and
Samaria. {2} Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. {3} But Saul
began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and
women and put them in prison. {4} Those who had been scattered preached the
word wherever they went. {5} Philip went down to a city in Samaria and
proclaimed the Christ there. {6} When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous
signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. {7} With shrieks,
evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed.
{8} So there was great joy in that city. {9} 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, {10} and all the people, both high and
low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power
known as the Great Power." {11} They followed him because he had amazed
them for a long time with his magic. {12} But when 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. {13} Simon himself believed and was baptized.
And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles
he saw. {14} When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the
word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. {15} When they arrived, they
prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, {16} because the Holy
Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into
the name of the Lord Jesus. {17} Then Peter and John placed their hands on
them, and they received the Holy Spirit. {18} 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." {20} 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. {22} Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps
he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. {23} For I see
that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin." {24} Then Simon
answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may
happen to me." {25} When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the
Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many
Samaritan villages.
Persecution – God’s tool
Christians often seem to have a
poor reaction to persecution. They may fail to realize that God has planned
such things for the good of the church (which might be somewhat inconvenient
for the members of the church). We need to see how this works.
Christian response to persecution
There is an unfortunate tendency
among Christians to believe that persecution must somehow be endured – in
place. Our Lord was quite specific about it. When the Gospel suffers
persecution, we are not to remain but to flee – for it is the Gospel that is
being persecuted.
(Mat 10:23 NIV) When you are persecuted in one place, flee
to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities
of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
Whatever the prophetic
implications of this passage might be, our marching orders are clear. Even the
Apostles (who stay in Jerusalem in this passage) are called upon to flee.
There are a number of reasons why this might be so. Here are two simple ones:
·
First, it may be the only way to get Christians up and moving!
·
Second, in this case, it forces the church to cease depending
upon the Apostles and depend upon the Holy Spirit.
Cultural barriers
There is another issue: our
reluctance to face cultural barriers. Christ told his disciples that they
would be witnesses to him in three stages: Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and
then the world.
This is simply God’s prod to get on with phase 2 of the plan.
Note, please, how this is done.
Philip – who is a Greek by birth, and therefore more accustomed to dealing with
Gentiles – goes to Samaria. Samaria! The land which the devout Jew despised
as being composed of traitors to the Law; the people who were not even to be
touched. Note that it is only after Philip’s success in Samaria that the
Apostles come down and “ratify” the extension of the church. Ultimately this
will lead to the third phase of the expansion, the Gentile world.
Christian’s complaint
So if persecution can be such a
good thing, why don’t we like it?
·
It takes us out of our comfortable existence, and calls us to
sacrifice. If, as Tertullian said, the blood of martyrs is the seed of the
church, it still means we do the bleeding. I’m not even fond of having the Red
Cross take some.
·
It forces us to change, and to grow. Some of us have a well
carpeted rut.
·
Sometimes, we just don’t see the good of it. We see only the
negative side. We forget who is God.
Temptation of the Church under persecution
This passage also points up two
temptations for the church under persecution. They are the temptation to make
alliance with the local sorcerer – or to go into the business of selling the
grace of God.
Alliance
It must have been tempting to
make an alliance with this “great power.” Philip, after all, is not an
Apostle, and no doubt Simon could have made a persuasive case.
There is a scene in the book (and
movie) Keys of the Kingdom. In it, the missionary priest (played by
Gregory Peck) heals the daughter of the head of the village by his knowledge of
medicine. Shortly after, the head man comes to the mission to become a
Christian. “You did me the greatest favor you knew how to do; now I am going
to do you the greatest favor I can. If I become a Christian, the whole village
will surely follow.” (Or words to that effect; it’s been a long time since I
saw the movie.) The missionary turns him down – even though the man is
“sincere.” Why? Because the cause of Christ must not be compromised.
How do we know the real from the
fake?
·
The real has the ring of truth about it. Consider how they paid
attention to Philip. Think how Christ spoke, compared to the Pharisees. The
cynic may be blinded, the gullible fooled – but the discerning man looks for
the truth.
·
The real has power to it. It demands changed lives and hearts,
and those lives and hearts are no longer the same.
·
The real brings true joy.
The fake also has its
characteristics:
·
The real exalts Christ; the fake exalts the leader. The leader
always places himself between you and Christ.
·
The fake also carries with it an air of power. In this time, it
was demonic magic, coupled with sleight of hand, which was then misunderstood.
(It is interesting to note the return of astrology, etc. today). But
remember: Satan cannot create; he can only counterfeit.
·
The fake will draw a crowd; the world is always listening for
the fruits of God at the price of man.
Selling the grace of God
The world is not willing to
welcome the grace of God – but it certainly understands a new business which
sells that grace. It is a form of being worldly. We see it today in simple
forms (“send in your contribution”) and complex. But here we see it
blatantly. Simon has given his name to simony, the purchase of church
offices. The temptation goes beyond that. It is the temptation to sell for
mere money that which God purchased for us with the blood of Christ. Or
worse; to throw it out to the unthinking crowd, pearls before swine. Listen
to the words of one man who paid for holding to the grace of God:
Cheap
grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism
without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal
confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the
cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.
…
Costly
grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must
be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.
Such
grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls
us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and
it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it
condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is
costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “Ye were bought with a price,”
and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace
because God did not reckon the life of his Son too dear a price to pay for our
life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the incarnation of God.
(Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship)
Simon saw
the Gospel and the power of the Spirit as tools to be purchased. The Spirit is
not a tame Lion, but rather the very essence of God. He does as he wills.
The nature of spiritual regeneration
The passage raises another
interesting question. It says that Simon believed and was baptized – and yet
tried to do this. How can this be?
Misconception: sober in an instant
Let me put it to you this way:
suppose you’re a drunk. Suppose you stagger into the revival meeting, and
there meet Jesus Christ. Hallelujah, you’re saved! You’re also still drunk.
The result of receiving the
Gospel of Christ is not “instant perfection.” It is an instant change in our
relationship with God. We have changed direction; we have changed paths; we
have not reached the destination. We may be walking in the right direction
but have a long way to go. Fortunately, God is patient.
Possibility: failure
One of the great difficulties for
Christians is the thought that someone can be saved – and then lost again.
Simon, by other histories, was just such a person, dogging Peter’s footsteps and
debating him at every turn. Look at Simon’s reaction:
·
“Pray for me” – he is obviously terrified by the potential
consequences of his actions. But Peter has identified the problem correctly:
his heart is not right with God.
·
Note that Simon himself makes no indication of how he will
change – rather, he wants Peter to do the work for him, as it were.
·
Is there real repentance here? Evidently, by other histories,
there was not.
Three views
This has posed a problem for many
thinkers. The Scripture frequently assures us of our eternal salvation.
How, then, can it be that someone who is baptized can possibly come to this
terrible state?
·
Some, notably Baptists, say that the original conversion never
really happened. “Once in grace, always in grace.”
·
Others simply say this is predestination. God chooses some and
not others.
·
But there is a test you may apply:
(Heb 3:14 NIV) We have come to share in Christ if we hold
firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.
Whatever theory applies, if you
hold firm to the end, you are saved.
Summary
So then, what does the teacher
expect you to leave with?
·
Do not despise the persecution God allows to come your way – he
will build his kingdom with it.
·
Keep yourself pure from the world; do not alloy Christ and Satan.
·
Remember, salvation is a journey, not a train station along the
way.