9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.

12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles[b] performed, he was amazed.

Acts 8:9-13 (ESV) 中文

Persecution increases

Major persecution of this early, fledgling church has begun with the martyrdom of Steven. The persecution is spreading. Paul has been introduced by Luke. Many are fleeing Jerusalem for other areas in Judea and Samaria. One who fled is Philip who went to Samaria, the one place Jews loathed to go. But like Jesus, he went.

Simon the sorcerer

So along comes Simon the sorcerer / magician. He’s got a reputation for amazing people with his magic. And he’s not a little proud of it. His magic is so good that everyone is convinced that he is someone great – even having the power of “the God that is called Great”. “In the Bible sorcery is associated with occult, magical practices – and often with the taking of mind and mood altering drugs. Whatever real power Simon had, it was from Satan, not God.” (enduringword.com)

Philip the preacher

But Philip comes on the scene and steals the show – though Philip is a “showman” of a different class. Philip “shows man” who Jesus is and backs it up with true signs and wonders powered by the Holy Spirit. People believe in Jesus and are baptized. Even Simon, himself, believes what Philip is preaching and gets baptized. He starts hanging around Philip – maybe to keep seeing the miracles. The one who amazed others becomes amazed! We have no reason to believe the people nor Simon’s faith were less than genuine. But, like all faith, it is tested … as we’ll see shortly.

RЯeflection

• Are all demonstrations of signs and wonders from God? In East Asia, signs and wonders are more common than in the US. Many people claim to have dreams, visions, words from God. It’s almost a Christian cultural thing here. We need to be responsible to “test the spirits” as John warns us in 1 John 4:1 ff.

• At the same time, we should be careful to not “quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22). We may end up limiting the power and work of God for lack of knowledge and faith. Again, we need to practice discernment using God’s Word and the Spiritual gift of discernment (1 Corinthians 12:10).