Acts 8:18-25
Not everything is what it seems! I love M Street Bakery in Holland. They were the first bakery in Michigan to start the crazy shakes. You know the $10 shakes that are topped with cupcakes, cookies, candy, and whipped cream! Basically, diabetes in a cup! Something M Street also offers are cakes that look like other food items. They usually offer these the week of April Fools. Some of their creations were spaghetti and meatballs, grilled cheese, and Chinese takeout, amongst others. They looked like the real thing but were actually cake! People bought these and gave them to friends and family. As you can imagine, people were thrown off after taking a bite. Expecting the taste of spaghetti, they ended up tasting cake and frosting, completely throwing their taste buds off! The same can be said for those who claim to be followers of Jesus! They may look convincing on the outside, but inside, they are complete culprits! Unfortunately, this is nothing new. Deception has been taking place since the Garden of Eden.
This man in today's reading, named Simon, was not what he seemed! People flocked to him and were fascinated by what seemed to be his “Great power of God,” but it was nothing of God! It was sorcery; he was a fraud. What he said and what he did looked appealing and convincing. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the eyes of the people were opened to the truth. What’s interesting is that even Simon himself believes and is baptized in this chapter, but his heart was still not right. Fascinated by the disciples' teaching and the Holy Spirit within them, he wanted to “purchase” this same power. Simon wanted the power for the wrong reasons. It seemed he liked the attention, missing the whole point of the ministry. Appalled by this request, Peter tells him to pray to God and repent of his wickedness. What happens next is even more sad! Simon doesn’t want to pray; he wants Peter to pray for him. I wonder whether this man's profession of faith and baptism was even genuine a few verses prior? We see even after his “conversion,” he is up to no good! Thinking the Holy Spirit could be some kind of sorcery to be bought, and not wanting to take accountability for his actions before the Lord! Yikes! Simon wanted to be a part of the ministry, but he was unqualified!
All over the world today, there are preachers and teachers who claim to know Christ. They sound convincing, have great charisma and charm, but are wolves in sheep's clothing. These same preachers are often the ones with the most followers. They are crafty at their deception. They tell people what they want to hear, not the truth! It's heartbreaking to see so many people brainwashed by false teachers. Jesus warned of this in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” What are your motives? Do you look godly on the outside, but inside your heart is far from God? Are you approaching your walk with the Lord, looking for how you can selflessly give, or are you looking for what you can selfishly gain?
Not everything is what it seems! I love M Street Bakery in Holland. They were the first bakery in Michigan to start the crazy shakes. You know the $10 shakes that are topped with cupcakes, cookies, candy, and whipped cream! Basically, diabetes in a cup! Something M Street also offers are cakes that look like other food items. They usually offer these the week of April Fools. Some of their creations were spaghetti and meatballs, grilled cheese, and Chinese takeout, amongst others. They looked like the real thing but were actually cake! People bought these and gave them to friends and family. As you can imagine, people were thrown off after taking a bite. Expecting the taste of spaghetti, they ended up tasting cake and frosting, completely throwing their taste buds off! The same can be said for those who claim to be followers of Jesus! They may look convincing on the outside, but inside, they are complete culprits! Unfortunately, this is nothing new. Deception has been taking place since the Garden of Eden.
This man in today's reading, named Simon, was not what he seemed! People flocked to him and were fascinated by what seemed to be his “Great power of God,” but it was nothing of God! It was sorcery; he was a fraud. What he said and what he did looked appealing and convincing. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the eyes of the people were opened to the truth. What’s interesting is that even Simon himself believes and is baptized in this chapter, but his heart was still not right. Fascinated by the disciples' teaching and the Holy Spirit within them, he wanted to “purchase” this same power. Simon wanted the power for the wrong reasons. It seemed he liked the attention, missing the whole point of the ministry. Appalled by this request, Peter tells him to pray to God and repent of his wickedness. What happens next is even more sad! Simon doesn’t want to pray; he wants Peter to pray for him. I wonder whether this man's profession of faith and baptism was even genuine a few verses prior? We see even after his “conversion,” he is up to no good! Thinking the Holy Spirit could be some kind of sorcery to be bought, and not wanting to take accountability for his actions before the Lord! Yikes! Simon wanted to be a part of the ministry, but he was unqualified!
All over the world today, there are preachers and teachers who claim to know Christ. They sound convincing, have great charisma and charm, but are wolves in sheep's clothing. These same preachers are often the ones with the most followers. They are crafty at their deception. They tell people what they want to hear, not the truth! It's heartbreaking to see so many people brainwashed by false teachers. Jesus warned of this in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” What are your motives? Do you look godly on the outside, but inside your heart is far from God? Are you approaching your walk with the Lord, looking for how you can selflessly give, or are you looking for what you can selfishly gain?
Posted in Devotional