A Spiritual Heart Condition – The Topic of Sin in a Believer’s Life
Acts 8:1-25
Acts chapter 8 begins with the church being “scattered throughout Judea and Samaria” because of “a great persecution” by a young Pharisee named Saul. As we learn in the following chapters of Acts, Saul surrenders his life to Christ, Acts 9:1-31 and becomes a believer in Christ himself. In Acts 13:9 Saul would be called as he is well known as the apostle Paul.
Philip, one of the seven chosen by the Jerusalem church to serve the Greek speaking widows “in the daily distribution of food” Acts 6:2, was forced to leave Jerusalem because of the persecution of the church by Saul and goes to a city in Samaria and begins to minister.
In Acts 8:4-8 we find Phillip ministering proclaiming Christ, or in other words preaching the good news of the salvation of Christ, verse 5. However, in this portion of Acts the author of Acts, Luke, adds a very important aspect to Phillip’s evangelistic campaign. Acts 8:6-8, 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.
Today the evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit manifesting in an evangelistic meetings or campaigns in this manner is almost not heard of, but why? Is it because some believe that the age and time of deliverance from evil spirits and healing has past because the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in this manner was only for the period at the beginning of the church?
As Church history demonstrates, the belief and practice of the ministry of deliverance form evil spirits and healing is still for today. In modern times, notably a little over a hundred years ago there were many who ministered the same as Acts describes Phillip did. Just to name a few all of which can be read abouton the internet. The founder of the Foursquare Church, Aimee Semple McPherson, of which the author of the book, “Sister Amiee” by David Epstein, gives an excellent account of her life and ministry. There were the British evangelists, Howard Carter, George Jefferys, Gypsy Smith and Smith Wigglesworth. There were those from the Unites States such as, John G. Lake, Jack Coe, Billy Sunday, A.A. Allen, Maria Woodworth-Etter. And as of fifty years ago or less was Oral Roberts, Lester Sumrall, T.L. Osborn, Kathryn Kuhlman.
There are also three excellent books that gives a brief history of the ministry of these evangelists and of many others not mentioned who were used by God to preach the gospel of Christ for salvation, but also who had the ministry of deliverance from evil spirits and healing. “Pioneers of Faith” by Dr. Lester Sumrall. “God’s Generals: Healing Evangelists” and “God’s Generals: Why They Succeeded and Why Some Failed”, both by Roberts Liardon.
Reading verse eight in its context, “So there was great joy in that city.” It is very important not to over look the cause of the “great joy” that the those of the city were experiencing. The joy that the city experienced was not only because many were being delivered from evil spirits and were being healed, but also because Philip “proclaimed the Christ”, which had its results, many believed Philip’s message and received Christ as their Savior. We see this in verse twelve, “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.”
Among those who believed Phillip’s message and received Christ as their Savior was a man named Simon, who was well known for his practice of sorcery and magic, Acts 8:9-12, 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.
Luke in his telling us about Simon makes the point very clear that Simon also became a believer in Christ and was baptized in water. Acts 8:13a, Simon himself believed and was baptized. As a result of Simon’s believing in Christ and his salvation, we see him doing something that only a committed believer in Christ would do, Acts 8:13b, And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. Simon’s interest in following Philip was possibly also in part of Simon’s past profession before believing in Christ as a sorcerer and magician.
In verses fourteen through seventeen we read that Peter and John were sent from to Jerusalem because those of “Samaria had accepted the word of God…”. The gospel message that Philip preached was not a “full gospel”, it was incomplete as it is preached today in many churches. Verses fifteen to seventeen tell us that Peter and John did what was necessary for the believers in Christ of Samaria to receive what they were missing or what did not receive after receiving Christ as their Savior. Acts 8:15-17, 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.
What is meant by the term “Full Gospel”? “The title Full Gospel has historically been used to identify those denominations and fellowships, otherwise known primarily as Pentecostals, who hold to the belief that whatever God did through the Church in New Testament times, and principally in the Book of Acts, He still does today.”
It is important to note that from what we read in Acts 8:15-17, that the baptism with the Holt Spirit is for those who have already received spiritual salvation .
Acts 8:18-19 tells us something important about the heart of Simon. Simon as an immature and undiscipled believer. Seeing the manner and the manifestation of receiving the Holy Spirit of the believers, exposed a spiritual aspect of his mind and heart that had yet to be surrendered to Christ. Simon was still relating the spiritual realities of God of being baptized with the Holy Spirit with a mindset and motivation of the way he used to think and do things before he became a believer in Christ. 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.”
Verses twenty to twenty-three, Peter’s answer to Simon’s ignorant request teaches us three things about the spiritual state of Simon’s heart and what he needed to do to. Acts 8:20-23, 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.”
Jesus said in, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”, Luke 6:45. The thoughts and words of Simon were driven by the spiritual state of his heart. Peter did not need much spiritual discernment to know the spiritual condition of Simons heart, “…because your heart is not right before God…”. Simons words (ver. 19) exposed to Peter the spiritual condition of his heart not being right before God. However, in verse 23 Peter through the Holy Spirit did discern something else. There were two other spiritual heart conditions that Simon had. The Holy Spirit allowed Peter see that Simon was “full of bitterness” and “captive to sin”.
In Peter’s rebuke of Simon, he told him of the possibility of the remedy to his spiritual heart condition, we see this in verse 22, “Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you…”
Did Simon ever repent? How was his heart of bitterness changed? Was he freed from being captive to sin? Acts does not tell us if Simon ever repented.However, in verse 24 Simon did express to Peter his concern and fear. Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.” But expressing and fear of the consequences of our sin is not repentance. Did Simon say this because he loved and was enslaved by his money?Did Simon say this because he was afraid of the consequences as some do when their sin is found out? Luke does not give us the answer to any of these questions nor do we have a record in any of the other epistles in the New Testament.
As we studied last week, we as believers in Christ do not have to accept, tolerate and allow sin in our lives. Nor should we consider it as a normal aspect in our lives. Christ is God’s solution for sin.
Pastor John
1 John 2:1-2, 1 But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 1:8-9. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
