WWSMD?

Acts 8:4-25

Simon Magus, or Simon the Magician, about whom we read in Acts 8 has the distinction of being the first heretic in the church and the Simonians, who followed Simon Magus, were a cult that lasted for the first three hundred years of the early church’s history.

Justin Martyr and Irenaeus tell the myth that lay at the center of this cult. In the beginning God had his first thought, his Ennoia, which was female, and that thought was to create the angels. The First Thought then descended into the lower regions and created the angels. But the angels rebelled against her out of jealousy and created the world as her prison, imprisoning her in a female body. Thereafter, she was reincarnated many times, each time being shamed. Her many reincarnations included Helen of Troy, and she finally was reincarnated as Helene, a slave and prostitute in the Phoenician city of Tyre. God then descended in the form of Simon Magus, to rescue his Ennoia. Having redeemed her from slavery, he traveled about with her, proclaiming himself to be God and her to be the Ennoia, promising that he would dissolve this world the angels had made, but that those who trusted in him and Helene could return with them to the higher regions.

Cults have not gotten much more creative than this over the years.

The account in Acts 8 appears to be earlier in Simon’s life, before he developed the theology of his cult, and there are some interesting insights into his character that help explain why he set off on the course he did.

So let’s take a look at this account in Acts from Simon’s perspective.

Before Phillip arrived, he was a famous man in Samaria.

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.

What was the sorcery Simon practiced that amazed all the people? Sorcerers offered protection against dreaded illnesses, magic that gave one person power over another, aggressive magic that put curses on others, and magical revelation. Simon was undoubtedly a charismatic character skilled in reading the body language of the people with whom he interacted and was able to impress them with what he knew about them and by telling them what he knew they wanted to hear.

When Jesus was tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread or to cast himself off the temple tower without hurting himself, these were feats commonly claimed by magicians.

The ability to levitate and fly were apparently claims made by Simon. An apocryphal book titled, Acts of Peter, written sometime between 150 and 200, describes a debate between Simon and Peter in Rome where Simon demonstrated his ability to fly through the air, but when Peter prayed, his magical abilities failed and he died from injuries related to his fall.

Hippolytus told another story of Simon’s death. Simon told his disciples that if he was buried alive, he would rise on the third day. They buried him alive but he was not able to raise himself.

Whatever it was Simon did, the people of Samaria were amazed. Perhaps he was able to take a stone and with slight of hand, turn it into a loaf of bread.

Since 1973, one of my sisters and her family have been devotees of Sai Baba, a guru from the south of India. If you do a Google search for Sai Baba cheating (http://home.hetnet.nl/~ex-baba/engels/movies.html#01.)), you can see videos of him producing ash and other objects. These are proof of his divinity to his disciples. But the videos reveal how he uses slight of hand to produce these things. He takes a letter from one of his devotees and as he puts it into the stack of letters in his left hand, he pulls out a pill from under the letters. Then he crushes it with his fingers, waves his hand back and forth and scatters the ashes. He hides objects in his flowing robes and long curly hair and then pulls them out in a way that it appears he has made the object appear by magic.

He produces diamonds and gives them to his devotees. When it came out that these diamonds were cheap synthetic zircons his devotees refused to have them analyzed because that would indicate a lack of faith in Sai Baba. My nephew received one of these “diamonds” and his cousins told him he should have it checked but he refused.

Sai Baba amazes people and holds power over people, and in the same way, so did Simon. He boasted that he was someone great. If he lived in this age, he would have billboards erected that would claim, Come see a miracle! He would have his own TV show. Simon did not have the printing press and television, but using the means of his age, he promoted himself.

He had a measure of charisma that influenced people. He had followers, he had money, he had power. He had it made … until Philip arrived.

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.

When Simon saw Philip cast out demons and heal paralytics and cripples, he was impressed. When one magician watches another, he sees in a way others do not see. A magician knows how tricks are done. A magician looks and because he understands what is happening, analyzes it in a more technical way, either impressed with the technique or critical of how poorly the magician is doing his magic.

When Philip arrived, Simon heard about him and went to investigate. How did Philip do these things? This was a power he had not seen before. He followed Philip everywhere and examined what Philip said, how his hands moved, what his feet and body were doing when his hands were moving. Perhaps he tried copying what Philip did to see if what he had observed would work when he tried it.

At the end, Simon was impressed and when Philip offered baptism in the name of Jesus, he signed up. This was magic worth having and he wanted more of it.

Then Peter and John arrived.

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.

What Philip had done was incredible, but this was even more incredible.

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.”

What did Peter and John do that was more incredible than the healing Simon had seen from Philip?

It is probable that when people received the Holy Spirit they spoke in tongues, but what was so amazing about that? People babbling in a strange tongue is not so spectacular that Simon would have wanted to make people do that. He could easily have faked that. In what way did Peter and John laying on hands so people received the Holy Spirit trump the healings and deliverances Simon had already seen from Philip?

It seems clear that it was not just the gift of tongues that showed people had received the Holy Spirit. They also received others of the gifts of the Spirit and some of them began to pray for others and they were healed. Others began to pray and demons were cast out.

Philip had healed people and cast out demons but Peter and John gave people the power to do what Philip had done. What I think Simon observed was that Peter and John had a higher power.

A magician longs for greater tricks, greater powers and Simon saw this greater power and wanted it for himself.

Perhaps in addition to the longing for power he saw an increased potential to have more money and influence. He could charge for healings and deliverances, but he could make more if he distributed the power to heal others. Maybe he viewed this as a pyramid scheme. He would bestow on his disciples the power to heal and deliver demons and then get a percentage of the money his disciples received for their miracles and this would multiply the money coming into his hands.

Simon had been the greatest magician but was set back when Philip arrived. Now Simon saw how he could renew his status as the greatest. So he made a business proposition to Peter and John.

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.”

But Simon did not receive the answer he wanted.

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.”

Did Simon repent? Not really. He asked that Peter’s curse be removed, but there was not a heart response of repentance. Simon went on to form his cult. If he could not buy the power of Peter and John, he would make a claim to be greater than them. He found Helene in Tyre and they set off to form the Simonians. He could have been a disciple of Jesus but wanted to be a god himself.

What happened when Simon died, however it is that he really died? It is such a tragedy. He was so close to salvation and eternal life, he was at a crucial turning point in his life and then he deliberately turned away and set off on his own course.

We do not know how the judgement of God will work, but it seems certain that those who have clearly heard and experienced the love and power of God and still turn away will deeply, deeply regret that choice.

If you are sitting here this morning or reading this sermon off the internet and you have not submitted to the love and power of God you have experienced, repent now and spare yourself the pain of Simon.

The early Christians were accused of doing magic and getting their power from the devil. You probably remember when Jesus was accused of this. (Mark 3:22)

And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”

From their perspective, there was no difference between what Simon did and what Jesus and his followers did. So what was the difference between what Philip, Peter and John did and what Simon was doing?

It is not just Philip, Peter and John. As Christians we are given spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit. We are studying this now in the adult Sunday School and one of the things we have learned is that every Christian is given at least one, and probably more, spiritual gifts.

How does our use of spiritual gifts differ from the way Simon Magus viewed them?

Let me present a handful of lessons, five of them, we pick up from this passage that help us in the use of the gifts we receive. As I talk through these five points, note how Simon responded. This sermon is titled, WWSMD? You may have heard of the bracelets some Christians wear, WWJD? What would Jesus do? This sermon is What would Simon Magus do? And then don’t do it.

In the use of our gifts we can take the direction of Simon Magus or the direction of Philip, Peter and John, It is your choice.

The first lesson is this: Gifts are best used when we seek the one who gives the gifts.

You can see this illustrated by Peter and John. They came, laid on hands and the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit that so amazed Simon. Simon focused on the gifts but what did Peter and John do?

When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

Peter and John focused on Jesus and proclaimed him. They did not go around advertising what they were able to do. They did not tell everyone how gifted they were. They promoted Jesus, not themselves. And because they promoted Jesus and not themselves, God used them powerfully in the lives of others.

If you want to see your spiritual gifts used in a powerful way, look to Jesus and focus on learning more about his love for you. Develop a more intimate relationship with Jesus and your gifts will flourish. If your focus is on your gifts, you may become more skilled and polished in the way you use your gifts and you may become more adept in the manipulation of people with your gifts but you will not experience the power of the Holy Spirit through your gifts.

This is the same principle as with the fruit of the Spirit. The way to become more patient or more loving or more kind is not to focus on being more patient or loving or kind. The way to grow in the fruit of the Spirit is to focus on Jesus and allow the fruit to grow.

The way to grow fruit on a tree is not to wash the leaves and polish the fruit on the tree. To grow good fruit, you need to water the tree and provide it with nutrients. As you feed the roots of the tree, the fruit is produced.

This is the same with spiritual gifts. To have the gifts of the Spirit used powerfully, our focus needs to be on deepening the intimacy of our relationship with Jesus. As we do that, our gifts will flourish.

The second lesson is this: The gifts we are given are meant to benefit others, not ourselves.

Paul wrote in I Corinthians 12:7

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

And in I Corinthians 14:12

Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.

We are given spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit to build up the church, to encourage each other to grow in Christ, to bring others into the kingdom of God.

Simon looked at the gifts and thought about how much power and influence they would bring to him. He looked at the gifts and thought about how much money he could make from them.

Peter and John and Philip looked to Jesus and allowed their gifts to be used to build the church.

At any point that you begin to view your spiritual gifts as a means to improve your position in life, you are following the way of Simon Magus. When you teach or preach so others will look to you as a leader, you are following the way of Simon Magus. When you want the gift of healing so you can have a more powerful ministry and greater respect from others, you are following the way of Simon Magus. When you want a spiritual gift so you can have a more spectacular ministry, you are following the way of Simon Magus.

Lesson #3: We are protected from the honor and glory that might come to us in the use of our gifts when we give glory to God.

It is easy for me to be critical of pastors or faith healers or TV evangelists who have thousands and thousands of people who hang on their every word. But I have never had the experience of so many looking to me and hanging on my every word and action.

If this were a church of 5,000, would I be able to resist the impulse to begin to believe that I was truly great?

If I had the gift of healing, how would I protect myself from the many people who would flock to me to be healed? People would say, “You need to go to Jack, he can heal you.” People would tell me, “What can I give to you to thank you for what you have done for me?”

Even if I deflected the glory to God and said, “God is the one who heals, I am only his humble servant,” I would be tempted to believe that I really was great. Like Simon Magus, I would boast, even if only to myself, that I was someone great.

If you have a spiritual gift that is much appreciated, it is not so important that you tell others you are only using the gift God gave you or that you are only a humble servant using the gift given to you; what is important is that you are honest with God and you remain humble before him. When your heart focus is to give glory to God and when your heart desire is to bring glory to God through what you do, you will be protected in the use of your gifts.

When you exercise a spiritual gift that opens you up to public acclaim, it is critical that you have a small group that helps keep you accountable so you do not let it go to your head.

The goal is to glorify God, not to use our gifts. The use of our gifts is only an act of service to Jesus to build up his body, his church.

Lesson #4: We do not need to promote our gifts, our gifts will promote themselves.

Simon Magus boasted that he was someone great. When you came to him he let you know how great he was and all the wonderful things he could do.

The problem, from Simon’s perspective, with Philip and Peter and John is that they threatened his promotional campaign and he had to do something to fight to maintain the position he held before they came. Simon saw that it was necessary to scheme to maintain his position of power. If he could not do what they were doing, he would find a way to do it himself and then with his gift of self-promotion, he could really make something out of what they were doing. He probably felt they were fools not to see the potential of what they could do with their powers.

From time to time I receive an email from someone who tells me he has a “powerful ministry of deliverance and healing” and wants me to help them come to the church to minister here.

My response is to say that if they really do have this powerful ministry, they do not need to promote themselves.

There were not billboards and radio and television in the day of Jesus, but I really do not believe that Jesus would ever put up a billboard promoting his appearance in a city by saying in large, bold letters, COME SEE A MIRACLE! I find that so offensive – and unnecessary, if that person truly is exercising spiritual gifts.

Jesus’ teaching and miracles spoke for themselves. Jesus might have used advertising to expand his ministry but it would have been something along the line of COME TO CAPERNAUM AND HEAR JESUS TEACH ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD. The focus would have been on God, not on the miracles, not on the gifts.

In ministry, we do not need to promote ourselves. We do not need to plot and scheme to rise in the organization. If we truly have spiritual gifts and we focus on Jesus, then our gifts will promote themselves. Without our manipulation, we will rise to positions of leadership in the way that our gifts help lead the church.

When there is a conflict in your organization or church and you are in danger of being pushed to the side in a leadership battle, don’t fight and scheme and plot about how to maintain your position, submit to the new authority – even if you don’t agree with the new structure and even if you don’t think that person is the best to lead. Submit to the new authority and allow God to fight for you and lead you to a position in that organization, or another, where your gifts will be able to be exercised.

The Holy Spirit gave you your gifts and he will work so you can use your gifts.

Lesson #5: Do not seek power but allow the power of the Spirit to come through the use of your gifts.

The exercise of spiritual gifts is an exercise of power. Paul wrote to Timothy in II Timothy 1:6-7 to remind him about how to use his gifts.

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

It is easy to see how the gift of leadership or teaching or pastoring or healing or deliverance could be used in a spirit of power, but what about the gift of hospitality or caring or mercy? But even in the use of these gifts, when they are used as God directs, there is a power that comes with them that is able to influence others to be built up in the kingdom of God.

We are to be bold and confident in the use of our gifts. It is important that we see how important the use of our gifts is to the church. We use the gifts in humility, they come to us by the grace of God. We do not deserve and did not earn the right to use the gifts we have, but in humility, we allow the power of the Holy Spirit to come through the use of our gifts. And when we use our gifts as they are meant to be used, whether the gift is healing or caring, mercy or administration, teaching or hospitality, the power of the Holy Spirit will work with power to build up the church with our gifts.

Simon Magus sought power from the gifts rather than allowing the power of the Spirit to come through the use of the gifts.

What are your spiritual gifts? If you do not know or are unsure, you need to do a study of the spiritual gifts. You can join with us in the Adult Sunday School class or find another venue to do this. I can provide you with materials to use for your own study.

The church needs your spiritual gifts. Even if you are here for only a year, the church will be less than it should be if your spiritual gifts are not being used.

Use your gifts properly. Seek the gift-giver, not the gift. Use your gifts to benefit the church. Give glory to God in the use of your gifts. Allow your gifts to lead you into positions of leadership. Use your gifts properly so the power of the Holy Spirit comes through them.

It all comes down to who you are serving. If you are serving yourself, you will use your gifts and follow the path of Simon Magus. If you are serving God, you will use your gifts to build the church and you and the church will be blessed.