A Perverted Desire to Control God-Acts 8a

Acts of the Apostles, Sermons

Questions: The Irresistible Desire to Control God and People (Ac 8:19) is a never ending temptation that is overt or more often subtle, which no one–not even baptized believers–are exempt from (Ac 8:13).

Desiring control. “Simony” is the buying or selling of something spiritual, of ecclesiastical privileges. If a priest became a bishop by paying a bribe, that would be an act of simony. Simon’s illusion is a perverted request to control God. Simon saw what happened and thought, “I want that power for myself” (Ac 8:19). Not, “I want God to use me however he sees fit,” but “I want to use that power for myself.” Peter states the strongest rebuke / warning / curse imaginable (Ac 8:20-22)! Then Peter exposes Simon’s heart that is “full of bitterness and captive to sin” (Ac 2:23)–a horrible diagnosis. Literally, Simon is full of bitter poison (Dt 29:18; Heb 12:15)! How often have we treated God more like a genie than the sovereign God over all? Simon is presented to us as a warning! Will you say, “YES I want more of you BUT not to use you, I want to know you and I want to be used by YOU. Here I am, use me as you choose!”?

The relationship of preaching, believing, water baptism, laying on of hands, and reception of the Spirit. Luke’s fundamental conviction is that the Spirit does not respond to certain stimuli, such as laying on of hands, like Pavlov’s dog. It is God, not magicians or even apostles, who gives his own Spirit. The Spirit comes sometimes with apostles present (Ac 8:17), sometimes without (Ac 9:17); sometimes with the laying on of hands (Ac 8:17; 19:6), sometimes without (Ac 2:38; 10:44-45; 11:15-17); sometimes very close to the time of water baptism, sometimes not; sometimes before water baptism, sometimes after (Ac 8:12, 19). The point is that is God‘s gift is under God‘s control. Acts, if not the whole Bible, suggests God‘s sovereignty over all matters, and not in the control even of God’s chosen apostles. Thus, Luke portrays a variety of patterns of initiation and conversion without uniformity in such matters, and doesn’t try to insist that any one was normative or always characterized the early church. Notice that

  • water baptism (Ac 8:12) happens prior to the Spirit “falling” on the Samaritans (Ac 8:16-17),
  • whereas at Cornelius‘s house belief and the Spirit precede water baptism (Ac 10:44), and
  • with the Ethiopian eunuch Spirit and water may have been received virtually simultaneously (Ac 8:38-39).

How to understand the Samaritans and Simon.

  1. The Samaritans were really converted, as was Simon, but only the Samaritans later received the Spirit.
  2. The Samaritans were really converted by Philip (and  Peter?), but Simon was not. This view of salvation is seen as more of a process involving at least 2 events, and not simply an event.
  3. The Samaritans were not really or fully Christians until they received the Spirit, and Simon never was.

Does Luke portray Simon as not converted but only strongly impressed with the apparent miracle-working power of Philip and Peter?

  • What the world is that affects us: “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:16).
  • “You have to keep unmasking the world about you for what it is: manipulative, controlling, power–hungry, and, in the long run, destructive.” Henri Nouwen.
  • If Simon did not repent (Ac 8:22), his “false conversion” was because he had a wrong view of:
    1. self: his view of self was egotistical. He had a high view of himself (Ac 8:9-10), ascending above the hoi polloi. He’s a gnostic [a person in the know with elevated knowledge]. Pride blocks and blinds one from God (Jn 5:44).
    2. salvation: his view of salvation was external (Ac 8:12-13; Jn 2:23-25).
    3. Spirit: his view of the Spirit was economic.
    4. sin: his view of sin was evasive (Ac 8:22-24).

Samaria, the Spirit and Simon the Sorcerer [Simon Magnus]. Scattering the church, which required persecution, was most significant in the mission of the church (Ac 8:1, 4) in fulfillment of the implicit command in Acts 1:8. For Acts 1:8 to happen, Acts 8:1 needed to happen. Saul’s approval of Stephen’s death is followed by the 3-fold chain of cause and effect:

  1. Stephen’s martyrdom brought “a great persecution … against the church in Jerusalem” (Ac 8:1a).
  2. The great persecution led to a great dispersion as “all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria” (Ac 1:c). Acts 1:8 goes hand in hand with Acts 8:1 with the former guaranteeing the latter.
  3. If Stephen’s martyrdom led to persecution, and the persecution to the dispersion, the dispersion now resulted in widespread evangelism (Ac 8:4). [persecution of the church -> dispersion of the church -> expansion of the church.]

Thus, the gospel was forced out from Jerusalem. The 1st part of Acts (1:1-8:3) is the Palestinian or Jewish Christian period [lasting 2-5 years]. It [the church] began at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came from heaven and empowered them to fulfill their calling to the world (Acts 1:8). But they misunderstood their call to go to the nations and expected the nations to come to them in Jerusalem, the Holy City (Isa 2:1-5). As they faithfully remained in Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit had to send a persecution to force them outward. Stephen’s death was what spurred the impetus to move outward with the gospel (Ac 8:1-3).

Preaching the word/gospel accompanied the people (Ac 8:4); they were like a good seed that was planted in good soil (Mt 13:8, 23; Mk 4:8, 20). They were spurred on by Spirit-driven leaders, from Peter to Stephen to Philip to Paul. Though not the only one ministering in this early period, Philip is a critical stepping stone in following the mandate of Acts 1:8 from Jerusalem [Peter] to Judea [Stephen] to Samaria [Philip], being a link from the Palestinian period to the universal mission. The 6 stages in Acts 8-11–with 3 key individuals leading to the 1st Gentile church, Antioch–are:

  1. from the Jerusalem church to Judea [Peter to Stephen];
  2. from Judea to Samaria [Stephen to Phillip];
  3. the Ethiopian eunuch, the 1st pure Gentile, as the 1st transition;
  4. the apostle Paul, the missionary to the Gentiles, as the 2nd transition;
  5. Cornelius as the final transition;
  6. the church in Antioch as the archetypal Gentile church, leading to Paul’s missionary journeys.

The gospel spread to Samaria (8:4-25). The preaching of Philip (Ac 8:5, 12) was accompanied by signs (Ac 8:6-7) which had been seen in the ministry of Jesus and the apostles, and there was a powerful response to the call for baptism. This was all the more remarkable since they had previously been under the spell of Simon, a religious charlatan (Ac 8:8-11). The successful mission led to a visit by Peter and John who discovered that the converts had not received the Spirit (Ac 8:14-16). So they laid hands on them (Ac 8:17). Even Simon sought to gain something (Ac 8:13, 18), not just the gift of the Spirit, but the gift of bestowing the Spirit on others (Ac 8:19). But he was sharply warned against the sinful, unrepentant attitude which this request showed (Ac 8:20-23).

  1. Philip evangelizes the city (8:5-8). He was one of the Seven (Ac 6:5) and he became Phillip the evangelist (Ac 21:8). Prejudice, animosity, deep suspicion and hostility. Add to that a city completely in awe and under the power of an egomaniac sorcerer who loved to boast he was someone great. That is what Philip walked into when he arrived in Samaria. Obstacles like this would be intimidating to anyone. Where would you begin? What would you say?
  2. Simon professes faith (8:9-13). He believed in the miracles of God, but not in the God of the miracles (Jn 2:23-25).
  3. The apostles send Peter and John (8:14-17).
  4. Simon tries to buy power and thus control God (8:18-24).

References:

  1. Wright, N.T. Acts for Everyone, Part 1. Chapters 1-12. 2008.
  2. Witherington III, Ben. The Acts of the Apostles. A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. 1998. Portents and Persecutions (5:17-42).
  3. Stott, John. The Message of Acts. 1990. Through the Bible through the year, Daily reflections from Genesis to Revelation. 2006.
  4. Peterson, David G. The Acts of the Apostles. The Pillar NT commentary. 2009. Conflict with the Authorities Again (5:17-42).
  5. Osborne, Grant. Acts. Verse by Verse. 2019.
  6. Marshall, I. Howard. Acts. Tyndale NT commentaries (TNTC). 1980.
  7. Barclay, William. The Acts of the Apostles. The Daily Study Bible Series. 1976.
  8. Fernando, Ajith. The Message of Jesus in Action. 2010.

6:1-9:31. The Church begins to Expand.

  • 6:1-7. The Seven Servants. Seven are Appointed. Seven are Chosen and Commissioned. Problems of Family Living.
  • 6:8-8:3. The Trial, Testimony and Termination of Stephen.
    • The controversy over Stephen (6:8-15).
    • Stephen’s speech in court (7:1-53).
    • Stephen’s death (7:54-8:1a).
    • The sequel to Stephen’s death (8:1b-3). Ac 8:2; 1 Thess 4:13.
  • 8:4-40. Samaria and the Ethiopian Eunuch.
    • 8:4-25. The gospel spreads to Samaria. Philip ministers in Samaria.
      • Evangelistic ministry among the Samaritans (8:4-11).
      • The conversion of many Samaritans (8:12-13).
      • Peter and John sent to Samaria (8:14-24).
        • Receiving the Holy Spirit (8:14-17).
        • The confrontation of Simon (8:18-24).
      • Summary: ministry in Samaria (8:25).
    • 8:26-40. Philip encounters an Ethiopian Eunuch.
      • The setting: an official on the road (8:26-28).
      • Encounter with Philip (8:29-31).
      • The gospel from Isaiah 53 (8:32-35).
      • The baptism of the eunuch (8:36-38).
      • The continued travels of the two (8:39-40).
  • 9:1-31. Saul as the Salient [main, principal, major, chief, important] Jewish Convert. Augustine said, “We owe the conversion of Paul to the prayer of Stephen.”
    • 9:1-19a. The Assaulting of Paul.
    • 9:19b-31. Saul’s Early Efforts.
  • 9:32-11:18. The Petrine Passages.
  • 11:19-15:35. The Antioch Chronicles.
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