Wrong in the Spirit

A great many of us begin the right thing for the wrong reasons.  We may join a health club for the sole purpose of becoming more attractive, when a better reason would probably be simply to get healthy.  We may decide that we want a promotion at our job, but instead of working hard and climbing the success ladder through dedication and work ethic, we ego stroke the boss or try to win recognition through less mainstream  channels.  The point is, sometimes people think the ends justify the means.  

There is often a sort of 'economic transaction' mode of understanding the world that we bring with us to spiritual matters.  It is an easy mistake to make, but when it happens, it sticks out like a sore thumb.  Imagine for a moment an individual who may donate large sums of money so that the church can build something new, but then wants their name to be proudly displayed next to it.  Or maybe they are doing it so that the good work shows up in the media or is visible in front of others.  Even if we aren't talking about money, some can still have the notion that if I do this, then the church should give me that.  

Enter in the curious story of Simon the Sorcerer from the book of Acts.  We remember that Acts outlines the events of the early church, starting immediately after Jesus ascends to Heaven.  Simon was well known by many during this time for being able to practice strange and miraculous things, and he also boasted and bragged about it.  This happens a lot today, by the way.  Psychics and diviners who claim to talk to the dead, for example, are all over our television screens and social media.  For a certain amount of money, psychic so-and-so might claim that they can put you right through to your deceased uncle.  What makes matters worse, is that these folks often do their Internet research on their victims prior to "reading their fortune", and they grab enough of the vital information ahead of time so that it sounds legitimate.  

And we cannot forget that today, just like two-thousand years ago, a portion of these of people actually can tap into the demonic, in order to cause signs and 'miracles' to occur.  This isn't just my opinion, it is also Biblical.  Either way, God warns us to stay away from this crowd.  But it can be very tempting to listen sometimes. 

It just so happened that this particular diviner Simon heard the apostle Philip preaching the word of God one day in Samaria, and was drawn to him.  He watched as other people began converting to the Christian faith, and even watched some of the baptisms.  No doubt some of these people used to follow Simon; now they followed God.  Acts says that Peter and John showed up later, and began laying hands on people so the Holy Spirit could come upon them. 

Acts 8:18-19 goes on to describe Simon's reaction upon witnessing this event.  It says, "When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, 'Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.'"

Simon really missed the boat on this one.  He brought that idea of an economic transaction into the kingdom of heaven.  He thought that the ends justified the means, and that money was a good enough bartering tool to procure what the apostles were calling forth from God. 

We cannot buy the spirit of God of course.  In fact, the Bible says that we simply receive God's grace, we receive His spirit, and we accept the gift of salvation.  You can see here, that God is holding all the cards.  It is up to us to simply accept and receive what He is offering ... don't bother trying to buy it like some common financial transaction.  Now this is a difficult concept because the rest of the world operates differently.  Indeed, if we look back throughout history, we may find situations where the church accepted large sums of money or political clout, in exchange for increased blessing.  If it feels like the handiwork of man (and not God), then it probably is.  Most economic transactions operate that way - they have the same slant to them.  

Acts 4:12 tells us clearly regarding Jesus that, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved."  Jesus saves us, not money or status.  

Later in the story we find out that Peter quickly admonishes Simon and tells him that his money will perish with him, as he was most definitely wrong in the spirit.  Simon immediately begs the apostles to pray for him, so that his life may be preserved.  At least there is some fear of God present at this point.  

We don't know if Simon went on to actually repent and be saved, the account in Acts doesn't tell us that.  Did he repent of his sins?  Maybe so.  Have you and I repented of our own sins?  Only God the Father knows for certain.  Playing dress up when it comes to religion is a dangerous thing.  We can pass ourselves off as moral, upstanding people for a while in front of others.  But at the end of the day, we either know Jesus personally, or we don't.  We view the things of God as business transactions, or something more special and unique.  

Give your tithes and offerings to the church, give your heart to God, and accept salvation from Jesus.  But don't confuse material wealth for spiritual riches - they aren't the same thing.



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