The Real Deal

           “Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.” And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts” (Acts 8:9–11).

Simon was a man of considerable acclaim and influence in his home town in Samaria.  His reputation had been built on his proficiency in the “magic arts.”  In the first century, the practice of “magic” ranged from mere sleight of hand or deception to channeling demonic powers.  The text doesn’t reveal Simon’s preference.  However he plied his trade, his fellow Samaritans had come heap praise on him as “the Great Power of God.” But the ministry of Philip was about to give the Samaritans a taste of real power.

“But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed” (Acts 8:12–13).

Now it was Simon’s turn to be amazed.  The magician was given an opportunity to experience the real power of God and he is impressed.  In fact, as you read on in the text, he endeavors to purchase the power or authority that Peter and John exhibit.  But the real power of God isn’t something to be merchandised.  The apostles rebuke the newly-converted Simon for his misguided efforts, calling him to repentance.

This encounter in the early church reminds me of an earlier contest of power in the book of Exodus. The power of God was pitted against the power of Pharaoh with disastrous results for Egypt.  Pharaoh’s magicians kept up for a bit but eventually admitted, “This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8.19).

 

God loves you!

Mike

The Blood Of The Martyrs

“Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him. But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison. Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:1-4)

The martyrdom of Stephen proved to be the launching point of a great persecution against the early church.  As far as we know from the biblical record, Stephen was the first believer since the resurrection of Christ to be put to death for preaching the truth.  Up to this point, there had been threats, floggings, and imprisonments, but no one had died.  Now the stakes had been raised and a young Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus, saw an opportunity to make a name for himself.  With the blessing of the Jewish leadership, he launched a deadly offensive against the young church.  These trials that began in Jerusalem led to a scattering of the close knit Christian community.  I can imagine the Sanhedrin thinking that they were finally crushing the movement for good.

Little did they know that their efforts were actually providing a catalyst for the growth of the church!  The harder they tried to destroy it, the more it scattered and continued to share the message of Christ.  As we discussed this text in class recently, I likened it to trying to put out a campfire in a dry forest.  If you try to extinguish the fire by stomping it out with fireproof boots, all you are going to do is scatter fiery embers that will start more fires.  The harder the opposition tried to stomp out the church, the more it scattered to light more fires for Christ.

Tertullian had it right when he said: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”

 

God loves you!

Mike

Powerless

            Have you experienced a power outage?  California has had its share of problems with its powergrid.  We are blessed to have an auxiliary generator so we don’t have to go totally without electricity but it's not the same as normal.  The generator isn’t big enough to run everything at the same time.  It will handle most everything, but if you want the hot water heater to work, you have to shut off or unplug nearly everything else.  Then there is the periodic filling of the gas tank and the ever-present noise of the generator engine.  I know…I know…first world problems, right?

            It’s so easy to take power for granted.  We flip a switch and the room is flooded with light.  We plug in a device, push a button or turn a dial, and instantly we can cook, bake, mix, chop, vacuum, watch TV, open the garage door, drill a hole, or weld a broken part.  Rarely do we even give it a moment’s thought.  But the moment the lines go dead, it’s hard to think about anything else.

            Believers have access to great spiritual power (Ephesians 3.20; Colossians 1.9-12; 2 Timothy 1.7; 1 Peter 1.3-5; 2 Peter 1.2-3).  God continually works in and through us to accomplish His will.  In most cases, we probably don’t give it much thought, just like flipping a light switch.  It’s so easy to take it for granted.  But like a physical blackout, it’s the dark times in life when we especially feel our own powerlessness and begin to pay more attention to the heavenly power grid.

            Spiritual darkness is only overcome by plugging into God’s power.  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (Ephesians 6.10).  In fact, it is our times of weakness that allow the power of God to shine all the more brightly (2 Corinthians 12:9–10).  The storms of life may scare us, leaving us feeling powerless, but they never take down God’s power lines.  Stay connected to the Power Source!

 

God loves you!

Mike

Tough Times

            “Contemporary Americans don’t do deprivation well. That may be because we don’t do abundance well.  We’re both addicted to it and embarrassed by it…”*

            It doesn’t take too much to get us complaining, does it?  Rising fuel and food prices, inflation, empty shelves, slower than expected delivery of consumer products -- the next thing you know, we are complaining about how tough we have it.  Compared to many (if not most) in the world, we still have it pretty good.  But you wouldn’t know it from the way we talk.

            Perhaps Cheaney is right.  Maybe the root of our problem with feeling deprived is that we haven’t learned how to handle abundance.  Having plenty can lead to feelings that we somehow deserve all the blessings that God provides.  And then, when the blessings aren’t quite so abundant, we begin to think that God doesn’t care or that He is angry with us.  Having plenty can also foster an attitude of control over our resources that is deceptive.  We think we are “owners” rather than “stewards” of God’s blessings.  And when the blessings are lessened or removed, we take it personally.

            When Paul communicated with the Philippian church, he was in prison.  But he didn’t let that time of struggle and deprivation steal the joy he wanted to share with the believers there.  What a great attitude!  How could he do it?  He tells us in the last chapter: “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13).

            We need to learn how to handle both the good and the not-so-good times.  And it starts with learning contentment regardless of the circumstances.

 

God loves you!

Mike

*Janie B. Cheaney, “The Simple Life”, World Magazine, 12-4-21

Bigger Hands Than Mine

“The woman in the red skirt walked up to the counter and laid down two bags of flour. There beside the register were the rest of her groceries.  That everything?" asked the man behind the counter. He owned the general store, waited on her every Thursday as she came to town to do her shopping. He was a tall man, with big arms and a big belly. "Yes," the woman in the red skirt replied, "I think that's it."

As the man rang up the order, a little face peered out from behind her red skirt. The man caught the young boy's eyes and smiled. "Why don't you get yourself a handful of suckers?" he said, pointing to the big jar that was just in front of the register.

The little boy's face retreated an inch behind the skirt. "Oh, go on," the man said, "get yourself a handful of suckers." The little boy's face retreated another inch. The man laughed. "Well, here," he said, putting his hand down into the jar, pulling out a handful of suckers. At this the boy came out from behind his mother's red skirt and extended both his hands upward, receiving the suckers from the store's owner.

After the groceries were paid for and loaded up in the wagon, the woman in the red skirt was ready to head home, but first she turned to her son. "Why were you so shy in there? Why didn't you reach your hand in and get the suckers when he offered?" Her son pulled the cherry sucker out of his mouth and looked up at his mother. "Because his hands are bigger than mine.””*

God’s “hands” are certainly bigger than our hands. He is “...able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think…” (Ephesians 3:20). The riches of His grace have been “...lavished upon us” (Ephesians 1:7-8).  “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). I’m glad God has big hands.  How about you?

God loves you!

Mike

*Jim Butcher; sermoncentral.com

In His Face

“When I would heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim is uncovered, and the evil deeds of Samaria, for they deal falsely; the thief enters in, bandits raid outside, and they do not consider in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness.  Now their deeds are all around them; they are before My face” (Hosea 7:1-2).

It seemed like the harder God worked to reach out to His wayward people, the deeper they went into sin.  Throughout the first six chapters of Hosea, God revealed the depths of their depravity.  Iniquity was widespread.  Indoors or outdoors, it didn’t matter -- dealing falsely was the order of the day.  How could things get so bad?  When it says, “...they do not consider in their hearts,” it means that they are not thinking.  In this case, the citizens of the northern kingdom of Israel had forgotten that God sees their wickedness.  Whether done in secret or openly, God’s people had somehow convinced themselves that God didn’t see or care about their sins.  But, in reality, they were “in His face.”

It’s a grave mistake to think that we can “pull the wool” over God’s eyes when it comes to our sin.  The Bible is crystal clear that God sees and knows.  God through Jeremiah said: “For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes (Jeremiah 16.17).  In the context of a discussion about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, Jesus reminds his listeners that “...there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known” (Luke 12:2).  The writer of Hebrews states it plainly: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13).

Since we can’t hide our sins from God, it’s best to confess them and seek His forgiveness.  Those who do have nothing to fear from a God Who see all.

 

God loves you!

Mike

"If it is of God..."

The anger of the Jewish leadership had reached a fever pitch.  Threatening Peter and John had not dissuaded the apostles from continuing to preach Christ.  Great signs and wonders were still taking place and multitudes were still being added to the movement.  Something had to be done.  Sterner measures were definitely needed.

So this time, all of the apostles are arrested and brought in for questioning.  The high priest himself reminds the men of the strict orders they were given to stop teaching about Christ and laying the blame for His death at the feet of the leadership of the nation.  To their credit, the apostles remain faithful to their God-given calling.  In the face of the most powerful men among the Jews, they assert their allegiance to God rather than men.  They, once again, charge the leaders for the death of Jesus.  They praise God for Jesus’ resurrection and exaltation.  They identify Jesus as the source of forgiveness for Israel.

This pushes the Council over the edge.  “But when they heard this, they were cut to the quick and intended to kill them” (Acts 5.33).  Thankfully, a wiser and cooler head prevailed.  Gamaliel gave a quick history lesson and concluded with these words: “So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God” (Acts 5:38-39).

This remains good advice for any of us who tend to get too wrapped up in everything going on around us in the world.  If the world seems to be spinning out of control, remember Who is in control.  If God is in control, evil cannot ultimately win.  If God is in control, His purposes will ultimately prevail regardless of the opposition.  If it is not of God, it cannot overcome Him.  If it is of God, it cannot be overthrown. 

 

God loves you!

Mike