By: J.O. Lawal
Date: January 10, 2021
Series: From Pastor’s Desk
Number: Vol. 9, No. 36
Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to another week of the month of January 2021. I pray that your heart will be kept right to continually experience the goodness of God in the week and all through the remaining days of your life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Now there is a very troubling account of a man in the bible, which I want to use to admonish you, as we begin this new week. It is that of Simon the sorcerer. This man, because of his sorcery and magic, had been a very powerful force to reckon with in Samaria until Philip the Evangelist came there and proclaimed the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the people. And when he, like others, saw the great miracles, signs and wonders that God performed through Philip, in the name of Jesus, he too joined the company of those who believed and began to fellowship with them and to follow them up and down. (Cf. Acts 8:4-13)
However, when Peter and John came to Samaria to pray for the people, so that they may receive the Holy Spirit, Simon was astonished to see that it was through the laying of their hands on them that they received Him. And instead for him to present himself to these apostles to have hands laid on him, so that he too may receive the Holy Spirit, he offered them money to give him the ability to also be able to make people receive the Holy Spirit by laying hands on them. This, of course, got Peter so upset that he said to him: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”” (Acts 8:20-23NIV)
What was the problem with Simon, as Peter pointed out? It was that his heart was never right with God. Yes, like every other person, he too confessed Jesus as Lord with his mouth. But the truth was that he never really believed in Him for the salvation of his soul. In other words, he did not confess Jesus and join the company of believers because he truly realized that he was a sinner and in need of salvation. Instead, he joined them because he saw in that fellowship an opportunity to gain additional power to his sorcery powers and be able to do whatever he wanted. Unfortunately for him, his real intentions were exposed by the Spirit of God, and he was told that he was in danger of perishing in sin, if he would not repent.
In like manner, Paul speaks about certain people in the church, who are always learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth (2Tim 3:6-7). These ones just don’t ever understand or practise the things they are being taught. And it does not matter how much time you devote to teaching them, counselling them, praying for them or following them up, they will still remain unchanged in their way of life. Why? It is because their hearts have never been right. They have not joined the people of God because of the salvation of their souls; they have other reasons. It may be because they see in the fellowship of God’s people an opportunity for financial gain, to meet some influential people, to get a good brother or sister to marry or to be involved in all kinds of immoral affairs.
In any case, whatever our reason for confessing Jesus and joining the church may be, if it is not to experience the eternal salvation that God has purchased for us, we have missed it and are in a wrong place. And like Simon the sorcerer, we will not go far in our hypocrisy. At some point, God will expose us for what we really are and show His children that we never really belonged to Him. Then, if we refuse to repent and accept His salvation, we will eventually perish in our sins.
So, ask yourself, “What is really in my heart? Why have I confessed Jesus as Lord? Is it really because of the salvation of my soul or am I after something else?” And I pray that the Spirit of God will cause us to be truthful to ourselves in this matter, so that we will not end up wasting our lives and our so-called devotion to the Lord and His kingdom.
Do have a very pleasant week.
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