Acts 8:9-25 Sermon in IREF 16 August 2015 ‘Discerning counterfeit’

Hymns: Ps. 148, 757, 426, 769, 895

Two weeks ago: start with a small series about Acts 8. We saw the first confrontation of the early church with suffering – the heartbeat of the church: the peaks and valleys in the cardiogram. God seems to allow suffering and persecution in order to purify his church, to separate the chaff from the wheat. But suffering also gave rise to a major growth in the church. ‘The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.’

In this passage we find another confrontation. It is the confrontation with forgery (1) in the world and (2) in the church. The Gospel is confronted by religious counterfeit in the world around and surrogate faith in the church (among the believers). Main question: how can we (1) discern and keep ourselves from false religion and (2) how we discern surrogate in faith and how we will avoid this.

I Now the author Luke tells us about a sorcerer with the name of Simon who amazed all the people of Samaria. He didn’t seem to be an innocent illusionist or a trickster; no he performed something using supernatural powers. We don’t know what kind of acts he performed, but we maybe rather sure that he did something with is common practice in the world of magicians, sorcerers and fortune-tellers: healings, calling forward spirits of dead people (connecting the living with the spirits of the dead), foretelling future. Obvious points in what Luke tells us here:

• He was focused on his own personality and position, seemed to lack the virtue of humility, boasted that he was something great.
• People around of all standards, young and old, were very enthusiastic about him (‘ecstatic’). Het got the attention of them and they followed him (made themselves dependant on him).
• They attributed godly power to him. What did they mean with ‘Great Power’ (Samaritan designation of the supreme deity and Simon as a representative or a mediator of this deity? Justinus Martyr who came from Samaria, says that this man was known even in Rome because of his magic).

In verse 12 it is clear that there is a confrontation of powers when the Gospel arrives in Samaria. Philip preached the good news of the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus’ (vs. 12). Both the words ‘kingdom’ and ‘name’ express power and authority that appears to be greater than the supernatural world of magic. 

Is the story of Simon the kind of story that we hear now and then in reports of the mission field in remote parts of the world where sorcerers and magicians are still active? Does this kind of stories refer rather to the early Christian world or maybe to the Middle Ages (with a lot of superstition)? Is this far form our reality, because we live in a secular age, in a scientific and technical world, in which God and gods don’t play any role? Far from us living in a city of science and technics? I don’t believe so!

1. It is amazing how many people visit healers (paragnosts, psychic healers) using alternative medical approaches. Often this kind of healers are adherents of New Age, a sort of Gnostic, hidden knowledge of godly powers in the universe. In many cases people report to be healed by these healers. (Story of a man, actually he was a member of the Protestant Church whose wife had cancer. He visited a healer and showed a picture of his wife. The man immediately announced what kind of cancer she had. Later she came to be healed by a sort of rubbing (laying on hands).
2. Occult or half occult (occult means: hidden or dark, driven by a unknown, seemingly demonic power) games are popular in Dutch high schools. Playing with tarot cards (foretelling future) or a Ouija plate or reversed glasses. Children like to have some answers about future in relationships, work or family.
3. In all cultures people are looking for happiness. But in our (Western) culture people we are so focused on that it is part of a whole business. We must discern that there is a whole army of ‘happiness brokers’ behind. They sell happiness in the form of therapies. You may find a known glossy that is called Happinez e.g. Very popular are Yoga and ‘mindfulness’ (which is not nonsense), but it let people fall back on themselves. They need to mobilize their inner (spiritual) powers and it is a way of self-salvation.
4. It is important to discern what are the powers behind? Several therapies for mental peace have Buddhist or Hindu roots. Often you can find occult elements in it. We cannot say: ‘If it works, it is OK’. Is it the power of the living God working in and through his creation, or do we deal with occult, demonic powers? Is it from God or is it from a ‘counterfeit-god’? The Bible is very clear about witchcraft, sorcery and fortune-tellers. Only look at Deut. 18: 9 – 14. It all is not that innocent. God warned his people for what seemed to them an attractive world. People who have consulted healers might have been healed for the moment, but began to have lots of spiritual, mental and psychological problems. Yes, you can win your body but loose your soul. You can master future but loose your eternal destiny with God.
5. You may say: ‘I am not religious at all, and I don’t believe that there is something more between heaven and earth. I like science, I like to be a researcher ‘ Still as a scientist you have to acknowledge that science is not neutral. That it can serve destructive powers, that it can serve as a religion, promising you everything you need, but you will discover sooner or later that it cannot bring you the full truth, beauty and wisdom to live for and to die for…

The Gospel brings light in something that was hidden so far. Vs 12: ‘they were baptized, i.e. brought under the authority of the Gospel and of Christ the Lord. That’s what the Gospel always does: it reveals the counterfeit in what we admired so much. It shines in all the dark corners and it uncovers all the counterfeit, the unreal, that what cannot be trusted in the end. It unmasks the true nature of idols that are very popular in society. When I was in the midst of my teenage years I somehow was influenced very much by something that I call ‘nature mystics’. Nature, plants and birds were nearly a kind of personality giving me comfort and peace. I spent hours and hours in nature and felt the mystic force. I could easily have developed myself like a New Ager. I could easily have become a fiery animal protector, or even a lonely wolf, feeding destructive powers in myself. But the gospel, when it came in my life, fully opposed this and I left this position by God’s grace, but still I feel the attractiveness…

II The passage reveals something else: not only counterfeit religion in the world around, but also counterfeit faith in the church. There are two stages in the breakthrough if the light of the Gospel in Samaria. The first contains Philip’s proclamation of the gospel and the Spirit worked with signs and miracles. The second stage is when the apostles Peter and John come from Jerusalem, not just to be inspectors, but to pray for the new converted people, and to lay hands on them. Only then the believers receive the Holy Spirit. We don’t know exactly happened, but we may be sure that new signs like speaking in tongues and a full joy came over them. This second stage indicates the breakthrough of the Gospel to the Samaritans, which was a new phase. Later the Spirit was received after repentance and baptism.

Simon came to faith and was baptized, astonished as he was by the great sign and miracles he saw (vs. 13). Did he pretend that he believed (knowing himself that he was play-acting) or was his faith sincere? Simon believed and was baptised and followed Philip everywhere. The uncovering of the counterfeit in his faith happens when he wants to posses the ability to give the whole Spirit by laying on hands.

You may know that in the time after Reformation church leaders and pastors were very keen on thinking through different types of faith, discerning the true and the false forms of belief. There is British branch in Reformation that we call ‘the Puritans’ that developed a strong teaching in their teaching and sermons how to discern false and true faith. I remember that I even learned as a child that there are all kinds of faith:

• Historical faith (knowing and believing the facts of the Bible, but not living from it)
• Temporary faith (a first enthusiasm for God and eagerness to serve Him, that cools down after a period, and is overruled by other priorities in life).
• Faith of wonders- or faith in miracles (a faith that is based on the experience of miracles and signs ascribed to the intervention of God. It is a form of emotional and self-centred faith that can easily fade away when hardships come).
• True, saving faith (the faith that is like an empty hand that needs to be filled by God’s grace; faith by which we see unworthiness and sin in ourselves, but wants to rely on the grace and power of the living God.)

This puritan discernment is based on the parable of the Sower that Jesus tells (Matth. 13:1v). The seed that falls on the pathway (and the birds pick the seeds), the seeds that falls into rocky places (not much soil), among the thorns (that choked the little plants in the end), and the good soil (where it produced a crop).

So maybe we can say that Simon at least had a faith in miracles (vs. 13). There was some change in his life. He follow Philip, he who amazed others, was amazed himself about the miracles.

But you begin to discover the counterfeit in his faith when he wants to receive the ability of giving the Holy Spirit by laying on hands on people – this must have evoked special signs, maybe speaking in tongues -. Seemingly he considered this as something magic, a power that he even wanted to buy offering money to the apostles! (From this event the term ‘Simony’ is drawn – Simony means that an office or ministry in the church can be purchased by money). It is clear that Simon didn’t understand the nature of grace and the work of the Spirit. He still argued on the basis of his old view. His mind and heart were not changed. Look what he says after the great rebuke of Peter (‘Your heart is not right for God’, vs. 21): ‘pray that nothing may happen to me…’ (Instead of asking prayer for repentance – he still thought about himself rather than that he honoured God).

The whole story may provoke the question in us: why do you believe? Is this because you wanted to have a better life, a more promising future, or did you believe because of amazing experiences??

CS Lewis: ‘We don’t believe because the Gospel is inspiring, because it gives us a better life, because it promises us a hopeful future, but because it is true. It brings us the truth that we are sinners and that we cannot be rescued except by the saving work of Jesus. The Gospel doesn’t say what we have to do, but it says: ‘ It has been done’. That’s an important mark of true faith: that He is on the throne and not I, that He is in the centre and not I.

Are my heart and soul longing for the living God? God is very patient with those who are sinners, even with his own people when they sin. He is very patient with those who doubt, have many questions about who He is and how he works, but He strongly opposed counterfeit. See the strong words of the apostles in vs 20-23. Counterfeit comes from Satan, Gods opponent. Satan has been called the great monkey, that copycats, ‘monkeys’ the truth and power of God. Satan needs to be opposed, you cannot negotiate with him or play with him.

Dear bothers and sisters let us pray for the Holy Spirit, who searches every human heart, to reveal to us what is true and false, to uncover the surrogate in the church and in our life, so that we give all honour and glory to Him, the living Lord.