In Acts 8:9-24, Simon the Sorcerer was a very popular worker of magic.\u00a0 He was drawn to Christianity, not because of the essence of its message, but because of the powerful effect it had on people.\u00a0 He recognized that there was more to the Gospel than just a ![\"Simonites\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.truthkeepers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Simonites.jpg?resize=212%2C300&ssl=1\")
message.\u00a0 There was supernatural power in the vessels God sent to proclaim the Gospel, because they were filled with the Holy Spirit. \u00a0He wanted that power, not to please and obey God, but because he wanted to take his \u201csmoke and mirrors\u201d show to a higher level.\u00a0 I do not believe that Simon desired to be free from his sins, or to surrender to God.\u00a0 He merely coveted a power greater than the trickery that he employed to deceive people.<\/p>\n
Simon came to Peter offering money, not for the gift of the Holy Spirit, but for the ability to give people the Holy Spirit (19th<\/sup> verse).\u00a0 Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, recognized immediately the intent of Simon\u2019s heart and rebuked him.\u00a0 He exhorted the sorcerer to repent.\u00a0 However, God\u2019s word does not say that the sorcerer repented.\u00a0 Instead, he pleaded with Peter to pray for him so that rebuke would not come to fulfillment.\u00a0 That proves that Simon did not have a relationship with God, and thus no confidence to repent and plead forgiveness.<\/p>\n Just as many professing Christians today, who want to be free from the consequences of their sins, but are unwilling to repent sincerely of their sins. Had Simon been truly saved, it would have never crossed his mind to purchase the ability to \u201cgive\u201d people the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n I believe the spirit of Simon is working in Christianity today.\u00a0 It is clearly evident in the \u201cElmer Gantry\u201d types who clog television channels, faces shining with greed.\u00a0 They sell miracles.\u00a0 I watched two men, Mike Murdock and David Cerullo, on different occasions offer to sell the favor of God.\u00a0 One of them even offered 1000 times the favor of God for $1000.00.\u00a0 Some would call that simony.\u00a0 However, Simon did not offer to sell the favor of God.\u00a0 He offered to purchase power so that he could \u201cgive\u201d people the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 Therefore, the act of simony would have been committed by the ones who sent their money to Murdock and Curello.\u00a0 (By the way, I could not physically or spiritually survive 1000 times the favor of God.\u00a0 No doubt I would explode and die with delirious joy.)<\/p>\n This begs the question, \u201cWhat should those who sell the gifts of God rightly be labelled?\u201d\u00a0 They are correctly called thieves when they sell the favor or gifts of God (Matthew 21:12-13).\u00a0 They are not common thieves, who because of a corrupt nature steal material things.\u00a0 They are religious thieves who embody the nature of Satan, who sought to steal God\u2019s throne.\u00a0 It is obvious that they have no respect for sacredness.\u00a0 As blasphemers of the Holy Spirit, they callously disregard the implications of their thievery and brazenly market sacred things.<\/p>\n No one has the authority of their own volition to give anyone a gift of God.\u00a0 Individuals that claim to have that authority are as Simon intended to be.\u00a0 The gifts of God are free, but He gives them only to whom He will.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0They cannot be bought or given to people indiscriminately.\u00a0 If one attempted to use such a \u201cgift,\u201d he or she is inviting demon spirits to operate in and through his or her life.<\/p>\n Another great concern is that conferences and conventions selling the gifts of God also train mostly unqualified people how to use them.\u00a0 There are schools of Prophets, schools that teach people how to raise the dead, how to interpret dreams, to speak in heavenly languages, and schools that flagrantly impart supernatural gifts.\u00a0 They purport to have the wisdom and authority to teach people how to use them.\u00a0 Other conferences advertise that attendees will discover and receive their gifts and callings.\u00a0 They promise to help people discover their destiny, and to equip and train them for it.<\/p>\n Those conferences, schools, and seminars, etc., are also nothing more than \u201cSimony\u201d events conducted by thieves.<\/p>\n The problem is that none of the recipients of those \u201cgifts and callings\u201d are vetted as true Christians, so any charlatan can come in and learn how to pretend and deceive.\u00a0 Some of those people watch religious television and fantasize that they should be able to do what they are observing.\u00a0 I\u2019ve known people on medication for personality disorders, very unpredictable and unstable, people with illusions of grandeur, etc., who head off to conventions to get their \u201cgift\u201d or anointing and approval for a presumed \u201cgift.\u201d\u00a0 There may be individuals attending that are living in rebellion against God, are immoral, demon-possessed, or otherwise completely unqualified and incapable to minister.<\/p>\n The local churches and pastors would know those things.\u00a0 However, it appears to be of little concern to the conference hosts and participants.\u00a0 A registration fee is the only qualification for \u201creceiving\u201d a gift or calling, learning how to be a prophet, or absconding with some other supernatural ability.\u00a0 They go away from the conference and are unleashed on a community.\u00a0 The conference organizer(s) and participants do not have to deal with the consequences.\u00a0 Pastors and members of the local churches do.\u00a0 They will have a \u201cSimon\u201d in their midst.<\/p>\n I remember an instance when a young woman in our church with Tourette syndrome attempted to lay hands on people who were praying at the altar.\u00a0 <\/em>If someone had asked if she was qualified to be in ministry, I would have said, \u201cNot under any circumstances.\u201d\u00a0 However,\u00a0at the conferences they are accepted without question.\u00a0 No one asks their pastor if they are qualified or requests a letter from the pastor stating their qualifications.<\/p>\n What Peter refused to do they have no compunction about doing.\u00a0 They masquerade as skilled and God-gifted individuals, but they are deceivers birthing a hoard of \u201cSimonites.\u201d\u00a0 In the process they are taking away the responsibility of the local church to identify and train those who are qualified to minister. \u00a0In Ephesians 4 God\u2019s word declares that the five leadership offices are for such equipping and training.<\/p>\n \u201cSimon\u201d events are so accepted today that the thieves involved rise up in indignation that anyone would dare question their enterprise.\u00a0 Further, so much occurs today that is unbiblical that it is difficult to get people to see it for what it is and reject it.<\/p>\n Sometimes in life we have to fast and pray, shake off the religious barnacles, and reestablish our foundation on God\u2019s word.<\/p>\n People had better get it right before they enter eternity.\u00a0 It will be impossible to make it right then.\u00a0 We need to consider that just because many people are doing it does not make it right.\u00a0 We must be right in the eyes of God.\u00a0 In my opinion there will be people who were involved in large ministries standing before the judgement astonished that they are found guilty. \u00a0Consider the man who came to the wedding feast without a wedding garment.\u00a0 Who was he?\u00a0 He was called, \u201cfriend,\u201d but cast out because of his lack of a proper garment. So go the thieves of sacred things and the \u201cSimonites\u201d that they enable.<\/p>\n So he said to him, \u2018Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?\u2019 And he was speechless. \u2013 Matthew 22:12<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In Acts 8:9-24, Simon the Sorcerer was a very popular worker of magic.\u00a0 He was drawn to Christianity, not because of the essence of its message, but because of the powerful effect it had on people.\u00a0 He recognized that there was more to the Gospel than just a message.\u00a0 There was supernatural power in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paIm2N-cC","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=782"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":786,"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782\/revisions\/786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}