What Money Can’t Buy

[00:00:03] Welcome to the Pursuing Faith podcast where we explore questions of faith, doubt and life.

[00:00:11] I am your host Dominic Done.

[00:00:20] Hey everyone, welcome to this episode of Pursuing Faith.

[00:00:24] And before we dive in to today's message on Acts 8,

[00:00:29] I want to share with you some incredible news.

[00:00:31] So we just had the opportunity to do an incredible outreach.

[00:00:35] We partnered with God Behind Bars, Bob Gough and Willy from Duck Dynasty.

[00:00:41] How cool is that?

[00:00:42] To do an outreach at San Quentin Prison.

[00:00:46] Now, San Quentin is the oldest correctional facility in the United States.

[00:00:50] It houses some of the most high profile inmates in the nation.

[00:00:54] And we began the day, bright nearly six a.m.

[00:00:57] We brought in our barbecue's and we had the biggest barbecue in the prison's history.

[00:01:04] We made eight thousand hot dogs.

[00:01:07] We spent time in prayer, we ate together, we heard stories,

[00:01:12] we engaged in meaningful conversations.

[00:01:14] We worshiped together, red scripture together.

[00:01:17] And we got to witness firsthand the redemptive power of the gospel

[00:01:21] to rescue people from the chains of shame, addiction and hopelessness.

[00:01:27] And you guys, the impact was mind-blowing.

[00:01:30] Thirty-two hundred inmates were fed.

[00:01:33] A hundred gave their life to Jesus.

[00:01:36] And 80 were baptized.

[00:01:38] I mean, the hands down, this was the most powerful day of ministry.

[00:01:42] I think I've ever witnessed.

[00:01:44] And such a reminder to me that God can show up in unlikely places.

[00:01:49] So here's the ask.

[00:01:50] Could you be in prayer for them?

[00:01:52] Be in prayer for the inmates, especially those who gave their life to the Lord.

[00:01:56] Be in prayer for continued open doors in Desang Quentin.

[00:02:00] We're already making some plans to return.

[00:02:02] For upcoming speaking events with pursuing faith,

[00:02:05] and just so the Lord will continue to bless and expand this ministry.

[00:02:11] Well, speaking of God working with unlikely people,

[00:02:14] that's what this message is all about.

[00:02:16] Acts chapter eight, we have the story of a guy named Simon, the source of word.

[00:02:22] Let's check it out if you have Bible nearby, grab it

[00:02:25] and let's dive in.

[00:02:35] Acts chapter eight, beginning in verse one.

[00:02:38] On that day, a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem.

[00:02:45] And all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

[00:02:49] Godly men, buried Stephen, we looked at Stephen over the last few weeks.

[00:02:54] He was the first martyr in the Christian church.

[00:02:56] They mourn deeply for him.

[00:02:59] But Saul, also known as the Apostle Paul, but this is his BC days.

[00:03:07] He began to destroy the church.

[00:03:10] Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women put them in prison.

[00:03:16] Those who have been scattered, preach the word wherever they went.

[00:03:19] Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there.

[00:03:23] When the crowds heard Philip and they saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said.

[00:03:30] This is where it starts to get weird.

[00:03:31] For his shrieks, impure spirits came out of many.

[00:03:35] And many who were paralyzed or lame or healed, so there was great joy in that city.

[00:03:40] Let's pause there for a few minutes.

[00:03:42] A few months ago, we began the book of Acts and we saw really how Acts as a whole

[00:03:50] is about the unstoppable power of the gospel.

[00:03:54] In Acts chapter 1, verse 8, if you can get Acts 1, 8 by the way, you can really get the entire book of Acts.

[00:04:00] Acts 1, 8 says, you will be my witnesses.

[00:04:04] Where?

[00:04:05] Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

[00:04:09] It's like concentric circles.

[00:04:12] God says, the spirit's going to come down.

[00:04:15] And then you will go out, starting at your home base Jerusalem, and then to the regions

[00:04:21] beyond and ultimately the ends of the earth.

[00:04:25] Now, Acts 1, 8 is a divine outline for the entire book of Acts.

[00:04:31] Because Acts breaks itself up into three different sections.

[00:04:35] In chapters 1 through 7, it's all about the spread of the gospel in Jerusalem.

[00:04:40] In chapters 8 through 12, where we're beginning our journey today.

[00:04:44] It's about the spread of the gospel in Judea and Samaria.

[00:04:47] If you've been to Israel, these are the regions around Jerusalem.

[00:04:52] And then 13 through 28 is the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth.

[00:04:59] Now, here's what I want us to notice.

[00:05:00] Because as we start the second part of this outline, the spread of the gospel,

[00:05:05] what was the catalyst for this event?

[00:05:09] A massive revival is taking place.

[00:05:14] The spirit is at work.

[00:05:16] People are getting saved.

[00:05:18] Churches are being planted, but what was the catalyst?

[00:05:22] What caused this to happen?

[00:05:25] Well, in a word, it's persecution.

[00:05:29] In verse 1 it says, a great persecution broke out against the church.

[00:05:34] And all except the apostles were scattered.

[00:05:37] Now, of course, Jesus had prophesied and predicted that this would happen.

[00:05:42] A number of times throughout the gospels, one example comes from Matthew chapter 24.

[00:05:47] He says, you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death.

[00:05:52] And you will be hated by all nations because of me.

[00:05:59] When you study church history, that's exactly what happened.

[00:06:02] The disciples, the followers of Jesus, would experience intense persecution.

[00:06:09] And most of them would lose their life.

[00:06:11] Peter was crucified in Rome.

[00:06:14] Simon was crucified in Iran.

[00:06:18] Andrew was crucified in Greece.

[00:06:21] James was beheaded in Jerusalem.

[00:06:25] John will talk about him in a few minutes, was boiled in oil.

[00:06:29] In Ephesus, Matthew was stabbed in Ethiopia.

[00:06:36] Thomas was speared in India.

[00:06:39] James was stoned in Jerusalem.

[00:06:43] Every single disciple of the exception of Judas who hung himself and John who outlived them all,

[00:06:48] suffered from life-ending persecution and were eventually killed for their faith.

[00:06:55] And when you fast forward the clock, this is just the beginning.

[00:06:59] This is not just to the book of Acts.

[00:07:01] This is something that began to spread and grow.

[00:07:04] And even to our present time, you can look at what's happening globally

[00:07:08] and the amount of Christians worldwide who are experiencing persecution.

[00:07:14] But from AD64 to 305, hundreds of thousands of followers of Jesus would suffer and die for their faith.

[00:07:24] I think of Degneedus.

[00:07:26] He was a second century historian from Rome and he's observing what's happening with the early Christians.

[00:07:33] And he's not a Christian.

[00:07:34] He's a critic of the Christian movement.

[00:07:37] But Degneedus, this is what he said.

[00:07:40] They love all and are persecuted by all.

[00:07:44] They're put to death and are made alive.

[00:07:47] They're poor but make many rich.

[00:07:49] They lack all things.

[00:07:51] It's about in all things.

[00:07:52] They are abused and give blessing.

[00:07:54] They're insulted and give honor when they do good.

[00:07:56] They are punished as evil doers.

[00:07:59] When they are punished, they rejoice as those receiving life.

[00:08:02] They are attacked as foreigners.

[00:08:04] They are persecuted.

[00:08:05] And this is an interesting line.

[00:08:07] Those who hate them are not able to state the cause of their hostility.

[00:08:13] That's really interesting.

[00:08:14] There is a kind of hatred that is purely irrational.

[00:08:22] And we could point to different parts of the globe and culture where this is happening.

[00:08:27] Different moments in history where this has happened.

[00:08:30] I was in Rwanda a few years ago and learned about the genocide that happened there.

[00:08:34] Are you read about the Second World War and the Holocaust?

[00:08:38] I was reading Canna Arrens, maybe some of you have read her works.

[00:08:41] Again, not a believer.

[00:08:45] She is observing the Second World War and the Holocaust.

[00:08:49] And she wants to know much of her research was around this.

[00:08:53] What is the psychology of evil?

[00:08:57] Why is it that some people do wicked sinful things?

[00:09:02] And as she is studying history in particular the genocide and the horrors of World War II,

[00:09:07] she came up with a phrase called the Binality of Evil.

[00:09:12] And what she meant by that is that there are some forms of evil that ultimately transcend rationality.

[00:09:23] Where there really is no easy explanation or justification or certainly an ethical foundation.

[00:09:30] In fact, this kind of evil she argued refuses to recognize itself as wrong.

[00:09:37] And worse than that it calls wrong right, darkness light.

[00:09:41] It normalizes evil and calls it good.

[00:09:46] And she said there is a certain psychological makeup with certain individuals.

[00:09:51] Where there is no reasoning with them because they have no moral framework,

[00:09:57] the Binality of evil.

[00:10:01] And I think in many ways this is what Diagnetis observed in the Second Century.

[00:10:05] He's like they are killing Christians but they have no ethical justification.

[00:10:11] There is no moral framework, there is no justification.

[00:10:14] They don't even know why they hate them but they do.

[00:10:19] Have you observed this in culture?

[00:10:22] How so often there can be a hatred for a group of people.

[00:10:26] But when you begin to lean into that you're like why?

[00:10:30] Why do you feel that way?

[00:10:32] Why do you have that hatred in your heart?

[00:10:34] And there is no justification for it.

[00:10:37] There is a type of hatred that is purely irrational.

[00:10:45] But when you study history, you do find that there were some who tried to give explanation for the hatred that they have.

[00:10:52] In fact, if you are taking notes, really three things rise to the surface that historians point out.

[00:10:58] And they are like, ah this is why they hated early Christians.

[00:11:02] Number one, in this make sense, it was very pragmatic.

[00:11:05] It was financial.

[00:11:07] For example, if you look at the book The Destroyer of the Gods,

[00:11:10] which I recommend if you are into history and the Roman era and the development of the early church,

[00:11:15] Larry Hurtado, destroyer of the gods, he points out that Christianity was growing at such a rate.

[00:11:22] That all of the altars to the gods and goddesses, Zeus and Artemis and all these things, they were taking a hit.

[00:11:31] People aren't showing up at the temples anymore.

[00:11:34] People aren't going to the agora or the marketplace and buying these little figurines and worshipping them.

[00:11:41] So people who had invested their life into this religious system,

[00:11:45] they're like Christians are a threat to us.

[00:11:48] They're undermining our economic system.

[00:11:51] Secondly, it was also cultural.

[00:11:55] I think of another historian, Selsis.

[00:11:58] He was a hater of the Christian community.

[00:12:02] He was a writer.

[00:12:04] He despised the early church.

[00:12:06] In fact, he wrote a book against Christians.

[00:12:09] He called it The True Word.

[00:12:12] And in that book, Selsis attacked followers of Jesus on a cultural level.

[00:12:18] In fact, he starts that book by saying,

[00:12:21] I want to quote, shame Christians.

[00:12:25] Does that sound familiar?

[00:12:26] I want to shame you out of your religion.

[00:12:31] And as the book unfolds, he begins to attack and barate followers of Jesus.

[00:12:36] He called them quote, anti-social.

[00:12:38] Why?

[00:12:39] Because Christians refuse to participate in the gladiator events.

[00:12:44] There's another gladiator movie coming out.

[00:12:46] Don't know if you guys have seen that trailer.

[00:12:48] This was a thing.

[00:12:50] Tenze of thousands of people would gather together to watch people die.

[00:12:54] There was one group of people who said, we're not going to go.

[00:12:57] We're not going to support this.

[00:12:58] We're not going to participate in it.

[00:13:00] And that was the followers of Jesus.

[00:13:01] He said, you're being anti-social.

[00:13:03] He called Christians quote, lower class simpletons.

[00:13:08] Why?

[00:13:09] Because per capita, so many poor people were converting

[00:13:15] to Christianity.

[00:13:17] He's like, all these are just simple things.

[00:13:19] He mocked Christians.

[00:13:21] Because they loved and accepted slaves into their churches.

[00:13:27] This was a highly stratified culture.

[00:13:31] Slaves were not given rights.

[00:13:33] But there was one group of people who said, no, slaves are welcome here.

[00:13:38] The Christians, and he's like, you guys are undermining our societal classes.

[00:13:44] He ridiculed Christians for the way in this really drove them crazy.

[00:13:49] For the way that Christians elevated the status of women.

[00:13:54] So in these books, we're circulating in the first second century.

[00:13:58] They're like Christians are threat to us.

[00:14:00] They're undermining our societal order.

[00:14:03] Elevating women, accepting slaves, they're not going to the gladiator events.

[00:14:07] They love peace, they're preaching the gospel.

[00:14:10] They're accepting the poor.

[00:14:11] The early church embodied a way of doing relationships that was radically countercultural.

[00:14:18] And thirdly, we've touched on this over the last few weeks.

[00:14:21] It was political.

[00:14:22] How in the ancient world, of course, there's all these gods and goddesses.

[00:14:26] And it's actually really mind-blowing to see how many gods and goddesses they had.

[00:14:31] They're gods for everything.

[00:14:32] They're gods of villages and cities and countries.

[00:14:35] They're gods for food and weather and wind and wine.

[00:14:39] In fact, I found out recently that a god of time,

[00:14:43] they had another god called Morphius, which was the god of dreams.

[00:14:49] And evidently, the god of the matrix too.

[00:14:51] All these gods and goddesses that they were shipped and venerated.

[00:14:56] And from the most part, the governments like, hey, we're cool with that.

[00:14:58] You worship whoever you want.

[00:15:00] In fact, the government, they divided all these religions into two different categories.

[00:15:05] They were something they called religio-licita.

[00:15:08] It's Latin for a lizard or a loud religions, not like everyone.

[00:15:13] And then there was religio-illicita, which were illicit or illegal religions.

[00:15:19] And there really only two that were in that category.

[00:15:21] Christianity and Judaism. Why?

[00:15:23] Because they only worship one god.

[00:15:25] And Christians, they dared to say that Caesar is not Lord.

[00:15:30] They said Jesus is Lord.

[00:15:34] And because of their insistence, they put, perceive that as a political threat.

[00:15:39] You're standing in the way of our ultimate god, our deity, our Caesar.

[00:15:45] And that caused Christians to be marginalized and persecuted.

[00:15:49] And he right, he put it this way.

[00:15:50] He said to come to Rome with the gospel of Jesus to announce someone else's

[00:15:54] Ascension to the world's throne was to put on a red coat and walk into a field with a potentially angry bull.

[00:16:03] That's what Jesus was warning his disciples about.

[00:16:07] He's like, you're going to suffer.

[00:16:08] You're going to die.

[00:16:09] You're going to face an angry bull.

[00:16:10] There's going to be opposition, persecution.

[00:16:13] People who will stand in the way of this movement and people who hate you

[00:16:19] and don't even have a reason why.

[00:16:23] With that as our foundation, now let's go into the story a little more

[00:16:29] Because things are about to get really weird.

[00:16:33] Check it out, verse 9.

[00:16:35] For some time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city

[00:16:42] and amazed all the people of Samaria.

[00:16:44] He boasted that he was someone great.

[00:16:47] And all the people both high and low, they gave him their attention and exclaimed,

[00:16:51] this man is rightly called the great power of God.

[00:16:55] And they followed him because he had amazed him for a long time with his sorcery.

[00:16:59] But when they believe Philip is he proclaims the good news of the kingdom of God,

[00:17:02] and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women.

[00:17:06] And Simon himself believed him as baptized and he followed Philip everywhere,

[00:17:09] astonished by the great signs and miracles that he saw.

[00:17:14] And when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God,

[00:17:18] they sent Peter and John to Samaria.

[00:17:20] And when they arrived, they prayed for the new believers.

[00:17:22] They might receive the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them.

[00:17:27] They'd simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

[00:17:30] And Peter and John placed their hands on them.

[00:17:32] They received the Holy Spirit.

[00:17:34] And when Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands,

[00:17:40] he offered them money.

[00:17:43] And he said, give me also this ability so that everyone on whom they are,

[00:17:48] and by lay my hands, may receive the Holy Spirit.

[00:17:53] Peter answered, may your money perish with you because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money.

[00:18:00] You have no part or share in this ministry because your heart is not right before God.

[00:18:08] Repent of this wickedness, and pray to the Lord and the hope that he may forgive you

[00:18:12] for having such a thought in your heart.

[00:18:14] If I see that you're full of bitterness and you're captive to sin.

[00:18:19] And Simon answered, he shook at this point.

[00:18:21] He's like, pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.

[00:18:27] This is such an interesting story.

[00:18:29] And honestly, it's one of my favorites in the book of Acts.

[00:18:31] It starts with Philip.

[00:18:33] Philip goes to Samaria.

[00:18:35] He's preaching the gospel and revivals happening.

[00:18:38] People are getting saved.

[00:18:40] People are hearing the good news.

[00:18:42] Churches will be planted in this city.

[00:18:45] And then Peter and John, the apostles, they hear what's happening.

[00:18:50] They're like, whoa, something unique is happening in the city of Samaria.

[00:18:54] We've got to go check it out for ourselves.

[00:18:56] We want to be a part of this revival because wherever God's moving, you want to be a part of that.

[00:19:00] And so they go to Samaria and they look around like, oh my gosh.

[00:19:05] The signs of God's kingdom are everywhere.

[00:19:07] It's palpable.

[00:19:08] You can feel it in the air.

[00:19:11] This sense of joy and peace and goodness in the spirit.

[00:19:16] And they start praying for people laying on hands and they're receiving the Holy Spirit as well.

[00:19:23] Now, side note, women's the last time that John was in Samaria before this.

[00:19:28] Well, it was in Luke chapter 7.

[00:19:30] Some of you remember the story.

[00:19:32] Jesus sent out his disciples.

[00:19:33] He's like, go preach the gospel.

[00:19:36] Go share the good news.

[00:19:37] John who had a nickname at that point.

[00:19:41] You may remember his name was Son of Thunder.

[00:19:45] Because he had this explosive fiery personality in temperament.

[00:19:50] Some of you were that way.

[00:19:51] He just like with passion, it all passion.

[00:19:55] And John, this one of Thunder, he shows up in the city and he starts to preach the good news.

[00:20:00] And they didn't like it.

[00:20:01] They're like, get out of here.

[00:20:02] What are you talking about?

[00:20:04] And he goes back with his tail between his legs.

[00:20:06] He's like, Jesus, they didn't listen to what I say.

[00:20:08] And he was so upset by this.

[00:20:10] He felt rejected.

[00:20:12] Did he just call down fire on the city and burn it to the ground?

[00:20:17] And he was serious.

[00:20:18] Here's the Son of Thunder for you.

[00:20:19] And Jesus, what are you talking about?

[00:20:21] I mean, this is like pyromaniac meets Kim Jong-un.

[00:20:24] What are you talking?

[00:20:25] You want to destroy the whole city?

[00:20:28] And John had this passion.

[00:20:31] Now, I've given so many bad sermons.

[00:20:33] I haven't yet gone home of unlike Lord,

[00:20:35] but you just incinerate that place in Jesus' name.

[00:20:38] But that was John.

[00:20:40] The last time he was in that city,

[00:20:42] he wanted to call down fire on it.

[00:20:44] The next time he's in the city,

[00:20:45] here in Acts 8, there was a fire,

[00:20:47] but it was the fires of revival.

[00:20:49] The spirit was moving and working

[00:20:51] and people are getting saved and healed and baptized

[00:20:55] and coming to faith.

[00:20:56] They just show up.

[00:20:58] They're like, what should we do?

[00:20:59] Let's start praying for people.

[00:21:00] And as they do, they meet a guy

[00:21:03] who goes down in history as well.

[00:21:06] See, it's one of the most interesting kind of scary individuals.

[00:21:11] His name, Simon, the sorcerer.

[00:21:15] Now, this is called out in the elephant room

[00:21:17] because especially in a western context

[00:21:20] and a secular city like our own,

[00:21:23] where we're at in this culture moment in 2024,

[00:21:27] we read about a sorcerer.

[00:21:30] And there is a part of us, the cynical side of us

[00:21:33] that I think we've absorbed from materialistic secular culture

[00:21:37] that looks at this and we kind of scoff.

[00:21:39] Like, really? Come on.

[00:21:41] A sorcerer?

[00:21:42] That'd be just sounds superstitious and magical.

[00:21:46] This is like a scene from Dune or Dr. Strange.

[00:21:50] Like, we all know, like, hey, these things don't happen today.

[00:21:53] There's so such thing as people have access

[00:21:56] to these dark powers.

[00:21:58] None of this is real.

[00:22:00] And to be honest with you for years, I kind of,

[00:22:02] even though I didn't say that, I kind of felt that.

[00:22:05] And I think many of us do feel that if this is our home base,

[00:22:09] we've grown up in this western secular kind of mindset

[00:22:13] until, for me, what was a game changer?

[00:22:16] Was when I lived for three years in Vanuatu.

[00:22:20] Some of you know my story, I shared that in a couple of sermons.

[00:22:25] But Vanuatu is a middle of the South Pacific,

[00:22:27] no electricity, no running water.

[00:22:28] It's like stepping into a national geographic special,

[00:22:31] last reported case of cannibalism in the world is in Vanuatu.

[00:22:35] There are tribes and villages there that haven't yet heard the gospel.

[00:22:39] So we were there.

[00:22:40] We started this whole Bible college.

[00:22:41] Students came from all around.

[00:22:43] We just go through the Bible.

[00:22:44] From Genesis to Revelation.

[00:22:46] It's been a year with us.

[00:22:47] They go back into their village and they would start these churches.

[00:22:50] And then on the weekends, we go into these villages.

[00:22:52] And some of which would take weeks to make your way there.

[00:22:56] Sometimes you're literally just hacking your way through the jungle

[00:22:59] to reach these obscure places.

[00:23:02] And one of the things I discovered,

[00:23:03] it was actually kind of terrifying but very eye-opening,

[00:23:06] is that many of these villages,

[00:23:08] most of them would have their own witch doctor.

[00:23:10] And there were things that happened that were dark.

[00:23:16] And I've no other word, other than just like supernatural,

[00:23:19] like dark, dark things.

[00:23:22] And these witch doctors would have a hold over each village.

[00:23:27] They were essentially the power behind each of these villages.

[00:23:32] And for me, this was a game changer.

[00:23:34] It was like, oh, there is such a thing as these evil practices.

[00:23:41] And it's interesting, in our culture,

[00:23:44] we approach a story like this and we're like,

[00:23:47] we have a hard time connecting.

[00:23:49] But if you were to preach this in Blano-Watu, they're like,

[00:23:52] oh yeah, we know exactly what you're talking about.

[00:23:55] The Joe over there, he's a sorcerer.

[00:23:58] They get this.

[00:23:59] Why is it that in some countries have ever wondered,

[00:24:03] why is it that in some countries and cultures,

[00:24:06] sorcery and witchcraft are part of their culture?

[00:24:10] And others, aside from a horror movie,

[00:24:13] they would just dismiss it and call it un-scientific.

[00:24:17] Why is that?

[00:24:19] Every now and then I have a chance to share it.

[00:24:22] Pastors conferences did one not too long ago.

[00:24:26] And what I found is that whenever I go to a conference in America,

[00:24:32] I hate can you come share or whatever,

[00:24:33] I'm like, sure what's the theme?

[00:24:35] It's always like, hey can you come give a talk on homiletics

[00:24:39] or deconstruction or apologetics

[00:24:43] or science versus religion?

[00:24:45] And typically it's kind of these boring subjects.

[00:24:46] But I'm like, sure, yeah, I love these things that's fun.

[00:24:48] Let's go have these conversations.

[00:24:50] But a few years ago, I had an opportunity,

[00:24:54] a pastor in an African nation, he reached out to me and he's like,

[00:24:57] hit his about a thousand pastors, we're gathering together

[00:24:59] when you come speak at him.

[00:25:00] Like sure, this would be amazing, such an honor.

[00:25:02] And like, what's the subject?

[00:25:04] And he said, we want you to give a talk on what to do

[00:25:08] when a witch doctor is part of your congregation.

[00:25:11] I'm like, the cynical part of him's like,

[00:25:13] I think I know a few people, I can put in that category.

[00:25:16] But like, really?

[00:25:18] And yes, that was something that they were dealing with

[00:25:22] that every single pastor in that room is we've been there.

[00:25:26] This is reality for us.

[00:25:29] Why is that?

[00:25:31] Why is it that in some cultures the veil

[00:25:34] between heaven and earth is razor-fanned?

[00:25:38] And others seem to be oblivious of the spiritual realm.

[00:25:43] Why is that?

[00:25:45] I think the long answer would be,

[00:25:47] well, read Screw Tape letters by C.S. Lewis, brilliant.

[00:25:50] He delves into this.

[00:25:52] The short answer though is I think the enemy

[00:25:54] has a different strategy for different places.

[00:25:58] In some countries, good and evil are on full display.

[00:26:01] It's like really obvious.

[00:26:04] In other places, it feels like the enemy is more subtle.

[00:26:10] And lures us to sleep with materialism

[00:26:14] and cultural pressure and idols of entertainment

[00:26:18] and social media popularity comfort

[00:26:21] not being overly busy or distracted.

[00:26:25] And here's the deal.

[00:26:27] Just because we don't acknowledge the supernatural

[00:26:31] in our culture doesn't mean the powers of darkness

[00:26:35] or any less real.

[00:26:37] And I know many of you have actually experienced things

[00:26:41] that you would put in this dark or supernatural category.

[00:26:45] You've seen that you know what the enemy can do

[00:26:48] some of you have been to countries where this is on full display.

[00:26:55] Luke tells us,

[00:26:56] Simon the sorcerer had a nickname.

[00:27:01] In verse 11, they called him,

[00:27:02] quote,

[00:27:03] The Great Power of God,

[00:27:06] which essentially means he was a spiritual manipulator

[00:27:09] who controlled people.

[00:27:11] And here's the fascinating thing.

[00:27:12] I think someone should make a movie about this guy

[00:27:14] who would be a horror movie for sure.

[00:27:16] But he shows up, did you know this?

[00:27:18] In different parts of history.

[00:27:21] In different writings and cultures,

[00:27:23] people talk about Simon the sorcerer.

[00:27:27] Josephus, he was a Roman historian.

[00:27:30] He talks about him.

[00:27:31] There's weird legends about his power

[00:27:35] in Clementine literature.

[00:27:37] In ancient Nostick texts, they talk about him.

[00:27:40] In fact, the church father, Ironaus,

[00:27:43] calls Simon the sorcerer the father of Nosticism.

[00:27:48] Nosticism to jog your memory

[00:27:50] was a ancient religious movement that emphasized secret knowledge

[00:27:54] as the path to spiritual enlightenment.

[00:27:58] Just in martyr, he says that this guy was so popular

[00:28:01] that they ended up building a statue for him

[00:28:04] in Rome that had a inscription

[00:28:07] that said in Latin, Simone de Osanto

[00:28:10] to Simon the Holy God.

[00:28:13] People feared this guy.

[00:28:17] Later on in medieval times

[00:28:18] the term, Simony was used.

[00:28:22] That may ring a bell.

[00:28:24] Simony was this corrupt practice.

[00:28:26] So as the church in the dark ages

[00:28:29] began to be enmeshed with politics

[00:28:31] that's always a bad combination.

[00:28:35] Church and politics, they would then kind of buy each other out.

[00:28:39] And there were different points in church history

[00:28:41] where things had gotten so bad

[00:28:44] that someone could literally buy their way

[00:28:47] into positions of power in the church.

[00:28:51] There are instances in history where kids,

[00:28:54] as young as eight and nine years old, became pope

[00:28:58] because their parents had a lot of cash and influence.

[00:29:03] Martin Luther at the beginning of the Reformation

[00:29:05] he called this practice out.

[00:29:07] The 95th E.C.s. he pounded on the door

[00:29:09] and Whittenberg.

[00:29:10] He calls it out. He says,

[00:29:11] it's Simony. You're selling spiritual offices

[00:29:15] for money.

[00:29:16] All of this has roots in this story.

[00:29:19] Point being, this guy's a legend.

[00:29:21] He's scary.

[00:29:23] His influence is legendary.

[00:29:26] And in verse 18 he comes up to Peter and John.

[00:29:29] They're in the middle of praying for people.

[00:29:31] They're receiving the Holy Spirit.

[00:29:33] And Simon has the audacity.

[00:29:36] He's like, man, whatever you're doing here

[00:29:38] is pretty impressive.

[00:29:40] You have power.

[00:29:41] And he says, I want that.

[00:29:43] And he had the audacity to ask them,

[00:29:46] hey, how much you want to sell the Spirit for?

[00:29:50] He assumed that if the price was right,

[00:29:53] they would be willing to negotiate.

[00:29:55] And I just love Peter's response.

[00:29:57] Peter is probably one of my favorite,

[00:29:59] it is my favorite, New Testament Apostle.

[00:30:02] Because here's a weird sorcerer going all Harry Potter on him

[00:30:05] and he's like, your money perished with you, man.

[00:30:08] You can't buy the Spirit.

[00:30:10] The Spirit is an imagined trick.

[00:30:13] It's something you can't manipulate or control.

[00:30:16] You think you can, but that's not what the Spirit's about.

[00:30:18] The Spirit is given to those whose heart is hungry for him.

[00:30:21] Here's the deal.

[00:30:24] Simon wanted the benefits of the Spirit,

[00:30:28] but he didn't want the transformation of the Spirit.

[00:30:32] And I think if we're really honest,

[00:30:36] there is a part of our heart.

[00:30:38] There certainly is my life.

[00:30:40] There is a part of us that thinks like Simon.

[00:30:45] Maybe not you guys, but the 915 pray for them.

[00:30:48] It's just full of sorcerers.

[00:30:51] But there is a part of us that can identify with Simon.

[00:30:54] Like, oh, I do this too.

[00:30:58] Sometimes we view God in this cultural context where

[00:31:02] we want God to bless us, but we don't want to give God our heart.

[00:31:07] We want God to bless our business and our finances

[00:31:10] to give them the promotion at work or the date with a beautiful person.

[00:31:15] We want security, popularity, success.

[00:31:18] And I think in our culture,

[00:31:20] we approach our relationship with God as if it were a business transaction.

[00:31:25] God, this is what I want you to do for me.

[00:31:28] This is what I want you to show up.

[00:31:30] This is how I want you to bless me,

[00:31:32] how much will it cost me?

[00:31:34] Get down our apple pay, name your price, God.

[00:31:37] You want me to go to church once a month.

[00:31:39] You want me to memorize some verses?

[00:31:41] How many prayers do you want me to say?

[00:31:43] How much money do you want?

[00:31:44] And we approach God as if he were a cosmic vending machine.

[00:31:50] That if we just press the right buttons,

[00:31:52] he's going to give us what we want.

[00:31:54] Well, we're Reese's an author.

[00:31:56] He was sarcastically commenting on this transactional kind of approach

[00:32:01] to spirituality when he said,

[00:32:04] I would like to buy three dollars worth of God, please.

[00:32:07] Oh, not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep,

[00:32:12] but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk

[00:32:16] or a snooze in the sunshine.

[00:32:18] I want ecstasy, not transformation.

[00:32:21] I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth.

[00:32:25] I want a pound of the eternal in a paper sack.

[00:32:28] I would like to buy three dollars worth of God, please.

[00:32:35] Do you ever feel that when your relationship with him?

[00:32:37] God, just give me three bucks worth.

[00:32:39] Just give me like a little taste.

[00:32:41] Sure, I'll show up occasionally at church and just get my Jesus fix,

[00:32:44] but I'm not quite ready to go all in.

[00:32:49] It's all about what you can do for me,

[00:32:52] rather than surrender of my entire being to you.

[00:32:57] And if that is our mindset,

[00:32:59] if God is just an upgrade or an optional add-on

[00:33:03] or a shot of vanilla for your spiritual latte,

[00:33:07] what happens is, well, look at American culture.

[00:33:10] But to quote the sociologist Christian Smith,

[00:33:13] he said that our spirituality begins to evolve

[00:33:16] and I love this term.

[00:33:17] He says into a moralistic therapeutic deism.

[00:33:22] We're rather than pursuing an all-of-life encounter

[00:33:25] with the real God and our eyes being open to the very real,

[00:33:30] spiritual battle that is all around us.

[00:33:32] We blind ourselves to that in our distraction

[00:33:35] with materialism and our emphasis and our focus

[00:33:38] is on superficial appearance,

[00:33:41] rather than a reformation of the soul.

[00:33:45] This was in the BBC recently,

[00:33:46] maybe you guys saw it absolutely cracked me up.

[00:33:49] True story coming out of Kuwait and the authorities there

[00:33:52] they had to shut down a fish market.

[00:33:55] And the reason why is because they had all these different fish mongers

[00:33:58] who were selling their fish and there's one group of fish mongers

[00:34:01] who they were trying to get the upper edge in competition

[00:34:04] and they realized that in order to get more sales

[00:34:08] they had to make their fish look fresher

[00:34:11] but the problem is their fish really weren't that fresh.

[00:34:14] And so what they ended up doing in order to gain that competitive advantage

[00:34:19] is I'll just show you the picture.

[00:34:20] This is absolutely unbelievable.

[00:34:22] BBC, they put Googleey eyes on the fish.

[00:34:27] This is the best thing ever.

[00:34:30] So business leaders,

[00:34:32] like here's a creative marketing idea.

[00:34:34] If you want your product to look fresh whatever you're saying

[00:34:37] just pick, go to Michael's pick up some Googleey eyes.

[00:34:39] That's the answer.

[00:34:41] They literally did this.

[00:34:42] They put Googleey eyes on their fish in order to make them look fresher.

[00:34:47] Now you keep reading the article fortunately,

[00:34:50] the scales of justice.

[00:34:52] There's a so-toh caught up and they shut this part down.

[00:34:58] The people who were doing that, you know,

[00:35:00] they got fined or whatever.

[00:35:02] But I saw this picture and I'm thinking first of all

[00:35:05] this is brilliant because I think we should do this at church.

[00:35:10] It's amazing by the way, the things you can see up here.

[00:35:13] Like some people are tuned in, they're locked in, they're like, yeah, they're with you.

[00:35:16] But you also see when people are like, you know,

[00:35:18] tuning out or falling asleep sometimes.

[00:35:20] So what? Here's my solution.

[00:35:22] We'll have the thing for communion, yes,

[00:35:24] when you walk in.

[00:35:24] But we're also kind of a basket of Googleey eyes.

[00:35:26] If you're tired, just grab a couple of those.

[00:35:32] Slap them on.

[00:35:32] It's a win-win. Like you get to sleep,

[00:35:36] I think you're awake.

[00:35:37] So watch those next week.

[00:35:40] I mean, I think a lot of people approach their spirituality

[00:35:43] and it's kind of this version.

[00:35:46] It's Googleey eyes spirituality.

[00:35:48] Their approach is, hey, I want to play the part.

[00:35:52] I want to act like I'm spiritual.

[00:35:56] I want God to bless me.

[00:35:58] So sure, couple Sundays a month or couple times a year.

[00:36:02] I'll be spiritual, or a blessing before a meal, whatever.

[00:36:06] But it's fake.

[00:36:09] It's superficial.

[00:36:11] It's not real.

[00:36:13] Because here's the deal.

[00:36:15] When someone gives their life to Jesus,

[00:36:19] it's not just a plastic fix.

[00:36:21] It's a complete overhaul.

[00:36:25] It's not just a behavioral improvement on the old you.

[00:36:30] It's a complete transformation into the new you.

[00:36:35] If anyone is in Jesus, there are new creation.

[00:36:38] Old things are passed away.

[00:36:40] All things are made new.

[00:36:43] This is why if you make that decision to follow Jesus,

[00:36:46] it is not simply saying, sure, give me some Googlies.

[00:36:49] God is going to radically change your life.

[00:36:53] Your thought life.

[00:36:54] Where you go online.

[00:36:56] How you do your relationships.

[00:36:57] The decisions you make.

[00:37:00] All of these things are impacted and affected by Jesus.

[00:37:04] He said, if you want to follow after me,

[00:37:06] take up your cross and follow me.

[00:37:09] Nero is the way that leads to life.

[00:37:13] See us, Lewis.

[00:37:13] It uses the analogy of a house and a castle.

[00:37:17] He says, I want you to imagine yourself as a living house.

[00:37:21] God comes in to rebuild that house.

[00:37:23] And at first perhaps you can understand what he's doing.

[00:37:26] But then he starts knocking the house about in a way

[00:37:31] that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense.

[00:37:36] The explanation is that he is building quite a different house

[00:37:39] from the one you thought of.

[00:37:42] Throwing on a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there,

[00:37:45] you thought you were being made into a decent little cottage.

[00:37:49] But he is building a palace.

[00:37:56] God isn't just a handyman.

[00:38:00] He is an architect of an entirely different way to live.

[00:38:07] And Simon's sin, which I see echoed in my heart and American culture.

[00:38:12] It's not his sorcery.

[00:38:14] That was wrong, that was evil.

[00:38:16] Do you know what the real issue is?

[00:38:18] He thought he could bring God into his life on his own terms.

[00:38:23] But the path of true faith is paved with the surrender of our pride.

[00:38:31] And we cannot invite God into our lives as a guest

[00:38:37] who conforms to our expectations when Jesus comes into your life

[00:38:43] and he comes as Lord and master replacing and reshaping our desires

[00:38:49] our plans and our very identity.

[00:38:54] In fact, to even say Jesus is Lord,

[00:38:57] is to relinquish the illusion that we can retain any authority over our lives.

[00:39:03] As Paul said, my life is not my own.

[00:39:08] It is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

[00:39:14] And that's what Peter is calling out with Simon the sorcerer.

[00:39:18] And I think that is the path that God now would call us into the path of radical discipleship,

[00:39:28] surrender of ourself.

[00:39:31] And as we saw, I guarantee you this.

[00:39:34] There's going to be opposition.

[00:39:35] The enemy is going to do everything in his power.

[00:39:39] Culture is going to try and shame you and shape you

[00:39:43] and disciple you into its image,

[00:39:46] because narrow is the way that leads to life.

[00:39:51] But as most of us have discovered, it's a narrow way,

[00:39:55] but it is the only way that our soul can flourish

[00:39:59] and it is what your soul is longing for even now.

[00:40:04] So here's what I want us to do.

[00:40:06] I want you to grab the communion that you received when you walked in.

[00:40:16] And I just want the Lord to meet us in this place.

[00:40:20] It's an opportunity for us.

[00:40:22] See, if you missed it, there's a basket that's going around.

[00:40:26] This is an opportunity for us.

[00:40:28] Just ask ourselves, is there anything in our heart right now?

[00:40:33] The kind of has this Simon mentality.

[00:40:38] Is there anything that needs to be repented of and confessed,

[00:40:41] and left in this room?

[00:40:43] Hey, we all came into this room with sin and baggage

[00:40:46] and bitterness and pride, whatever it is,

[00:40:49] we all brought stuff into this room, every single one of us.

[00:40:53] And this is an opportunity for us to say,

[00:40:55] I'm laying this down.

[00:40:56] I don't want to leave here carrying the same weight

[00:40:59] and burden for I came in with.

[00:41:01] So Lord, meet us.

[00:41:06] Holy Spirit, come.

[00:41:15] And I pray God that you would begin to just saluminate in our heart and life.

[00:41:22] Those things that we need to just surrender fully to you.

[00:41:30] There are so many questions that this story forces us to grapple with

[00:41:34] but I think the most crucial here is does God have all of you.

[00:41:49] Are there ways in which God for you has just become transactional?

[00:41:57] You expect blessing without intimacy, power without presence,

[00:42:06] favor without fellowship, success without surrender.

[00:42:15] But the way of Jesus isn't just an optional add-on,

[00:42:26] he desires to shape and change the entirety of who you are.

[00:42:33] He wants your entire being to be fully surrendered.

[00:42:41] So are there any areas in your life that you need to surrender?

[00:42:46] Again, Simon said,

[00:42:49] it wasn't just the black magic stuff.

[00:42:51] It was pride.

[00:42:56] Peter looked at him as like your bitter man.

[00:43:00] You're captive to sin.

[00:43:05] Is there anything right now that is in your heart?

[00:43:11] If you just need to give to the Lord, confess.

[00:43:17] Right now just in this place, just give it to him.

[00:43:22] Be real with God.