Worldly thinking has no place in ministry

Diagnosing the state of the American church

A New Man in Old Clothes

A man got up in one of our meetings in New York some years ago, who had been pretty far down, but a wonderful change had taken place, and he said he hardly knew himself. He said the fact was, he was a new man in his old clothes. That was just it. Not a man in new clothes, but a new man in old clothes. I saw an advertisement which read like this: “If you want people to respect you, wear good clothes.” That is the world’s idea of getting the world’s respect. Why! A leper may put on good clothes, but he is a leper still. Mere profession doesn’t transform a man. It is the new nature spoken of in 2d Corinthians, 5th chapter, 17th verse, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Thought of the day: Worldly thinking has no place in ministry

Read Acts 8:4-25

Context:

Philip was one of the 7 original deacons, titled the evangelist

Driven out of Jerusalem due to persecution

Samaria already understood there would be a Messiah

Philip isn’t preaching a completely new idea

Samaria was hated by the Jews. A land of dogs and half breeds. Isaiah calls Samaria a kingdom of Idols. It contained the city and house of Baal. This is all important to the scandal of the story. Christianity in the 1st century is shattering racial boundaries.

Read 8:4-8

Luke sets the stage with joy in a most unlikely place

v7 “with shrieks” they were forced out against their will

Read 8:9-11

v10 “The great power of God” Weird grammar; essentially God incarnate.

Read 8:12-13

Simon the magician, the man who considers himself God in the flesh, believes in Christ as messiah and is baptized

More than that v13 he followed Philip everywhere.

Read 8:14

Jesus called Peter the rock of the church and John is the pillar of the church in Jerusalem: scandalous

The church sent the big guns to Samaria

Read 8:15-17

Strange, makes me ask the question. Well then do we need leaders to lay hands on us to receive the Holy Spirit?

No. Can leaders be lead by God to lay hands on someone and by that mechanism give people the Holy Spirit? Absolutely.

We know the baptism wasn’t lacking because they weren’t re baptized

Read 8:18-19

There are so many problem in this verse

Simon was taught, by his experience, that if you want power you have to pay

Simon believed the apostles had authority over their gift

He misunderstood what was happening to it’s very core. He thought the apostles were commanding the Spirit. Again, something he had previously experienced.

3. Simon thought this was just another religion, he didn’t recognize it’s holiness

Read 8:20-23

Calm down Peter! But then I remember when Jesus told Peter get behind me satan. Deadly serious.

v20 This is a sermon in itself, but not where I’m focused. You cannot earn the right to be gifted by God, every gift is a grace.

v21 He has no place in the ministry of the word or the Holy Spirit because his heart is wicked but more than that...

v23 Full of bitterness like poison running through his veins and enslaved to sin

We should be able to stop here and know the rest of the story. Luke has prepared us with enough information. If he’s like Ananias he will harden his heart and be condemned, if he clings to his worldly understanding he will perish. However, if he is broken to the core and born again he will turn from his sin.

Read 8:24

Pray to the Lord

Fruit of the Spirit, repentance

v24 is why Luke had the confidence to write v13 “Simon himself believed”

Read 8:25

Conclusion

Simon was as deep in wickedness as anyone in this room. He traded miracles for cash and believed that he was God on earth. After he believed remnants of those rotten thoughts remained. Can you sympathize?

Or do you ask, What does this have to do with me? I don’t decide how much culture effects what happens up here during worship or while someone’s preaching.

You all have your own ministries. Your families, your homes, your workplace, those whom you disciple, and disciple you. In those ministries, when you express your Christianity do you clothe it in the funeral rags of the dead: in dead philosophy, psychology, and the like?

To echo the apostle Peter, if you do then repent. Abandon the wisdom of man in your ministry and cling to the truth of the gospel. Because those who think they can buy into ministry, or do ministry with the poison of pride surging through their veins will be damned right along with their wealth.