Acts 8:9-25 • A Change in Behaviour

Change in Behavior

Salvation brings a change in behavior but we will struggle with going back to the old life.

"Psychologists often define learning as a relatively permanent change in behavior as a result of experience."

Philip was proclaiming Christ

Many are accepting the message

Many great miracles took place

Simon was a magician

- Claimed to be somebody great (v. 9)

- Everyone listened to Simon (v. 10)

- People called him the Power of God (v. 10)

- He amazed the people with his magic (v. 11)

When the people believed Philip they apparently quit listening to Simon (v. 12)

- Believed

- Baptized

- Men and Women

Simon also believed (v. 13)

- Baptized

- Continued with Philip

- Saw signs and great miracles

- Was amazed

Peter and John came to help

- Laying on of hands to receive the Holy Spirit

- Contradiction?

Acts 5:32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

God worked differently here than in other situations.

God works differently in every situation

Simon wants to buy the Holy Spirit (V. 18-19)

Peter tells him to perish with his money (v. 20-21)

Calls for Simon to repent (v. 22-23)

Simon asks for prayer (v. 24)

We do not know Peter's response

They (Peter and John) went home preaching the gospel as they went

Application

- We all want to barter with God

- We all fall back to what we know

- Neurology of the human brain

New insight

- Simon simply reverted back to what he knew

- We revert back to what we know

- good or bad

- Flight instruction

- My example

- Our mission

We all tend to fall back to what we have known

- New Group - 20 minutes

- Team Build in Ukraine

- AA - new habits

- Business World - Peter Drucker

Practical Application

- Avoid areas where you know you have a problem

- intentionally reexamine your life daily

- Create new habits for good

- Constantly take off the old nature and put on the new

Col. 3:9-10 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (NIV)

Action

What behavior do you need to change?

Have you taken off the old self and put on the new self?