Simony and the Heart: Humility Over Power

There's power to be found among Christ followers today. There is political power and recognition. There is personal power and recognition, and we need to have discernment. Peter tells Simon that what matters most is his heart before God. What matters most to God is our hearts before God, Hearts that are surrendered, hearts that are humble, hearts receiving and giving grace, hearts that are united to proclaim the truth of our almighty God. And Peter tells Simon that what matters most to God is our inner sincerity even more than our external actions. [01:06:09] (44 seconds)  #HeartBeforeGod

We come to worship not to escape the reality of our world, but to be reminded that God has the world in his hands. And we come not just to hear about God's love and God's grace, which is true, but we don't come just to hear that so that we can feel better and be encouraged, but we also come to worship so that we can be changed. And we come to be changed so that we can live, so that we can be a people in the world who are different, so that we can be a people who bring bright light into a world that often feels like chaos. [00:44:38] (43 seconds)  #WorshipToChange

At no point did the early church decide, okay, we've grown enough, we're big enough, or we've done what Jesus asked and so we're good, we're happy with the way things are, so we're just kinda kind of just let things cruise. They didn't do that. They also didn't look out and say, okay, I know Jesus said we were supposed to spread the gospel and make disciples in all nations, but really, you know, Jesus Jesus couldn't have been talking about that person or that group or that city because we all know they are far too lost. They're far too lost for us to waste our time. [00:49:02] (39 seconds)  #RelentlessMission

And instead of silencing the church, their persecution actually caused Christians to flee, to leave. And as they did that, they continued to boldly proclaim what they'd seen, what they had seen, and what they knew. And so they begin to convert others starting new churches far and wide, allowing for that early church to grow in ways that would not have been possible had all of them stayed in Jerusalem. This movement also created an opportunity. It created opportunity for new leadership to begin to rise up in the church. So younger leaders like Philip became new frontline evangelists, taking Jesus into these new places, spreading the gospel to Jews and non Jews alike. [00:47:47] (46 seconds)  #ScatterAndMultiply

This man still had doubts. Right? He believed and he had unbelief, and Jesus helps him. Belief and doubt can coexist together. The difference between this man and Simon is that this man recognizes God's power and submits himself to it. Even with his doubt, his heart is right before God. A right heart before God doesn't seek power or name recognition, but it stewards power for God's purposes and God's kingdom. A right heart before God holds power alongside humility, knowing that it's a gift from God to be stewarded for God's kingdom. [01:09:38] (44 seconds)  #FaithAndDoubt

At the same time, he's able to keep what he's unwilling to part with, which is his idol of power. This passage invites us to be discerning, to look for evidence of a Christ life and a Christ follower, and also invites us to examine ourselves. Are we fully submitting our lives or are we holding back? Are we receiving from the church and from God in order to do good on God's behalf? Is God being glorified in our lives or are we looking for something we're trying to gain without submitting our hearts? [01:08:03] (36 seconds)  #SurrenderNotControl

And Simon decides anything can be bought with a price. Anything can be bought for the right price. And it strikes me that this kind of exchange allows Simon to not be indebted to any to anyone or anything because that's really what he wants. He doesn't want to be under anyone's authority. He doesn't want to be under God. He doesn't want to owe anything to God. He wants to buy this power in an exchange that's free and clear. No emotional tethering. He's not beholden to the apostles. It's a way that he can get what he wants by giving what he's willing to give up, his money. [01:07:28] (35 seconds)  #PowerForSale

One could make the argument that Simon may maybe not have the right motives, but he was still good for the church. He was a key figure after all in the city with his own following. So maybe he's not the ideal leader, but the church could still benefit. But Peter is very clear that motives matter to God, and he rejects this thinking, and he rejects Simon. Simon sees God's power, and he doesn't respond with humility. It doesn't change his heart. It doesn't change the direction he's going. He's only looking for how he can control it. [01:06:53] (35 seconds)  #MotivesMatter