Effie Darlene Barba

We know that we are “saved through faith.”   However, as we meet this man named Simon in Acts 8, we are confronted with a question.  Is there a faith that cannot save?  Afterall he listened to all that Phillip preached.  He was enthralled with all the wonders and miracles performed in the name of Christ.  Furthermore, he came forward, prayed the prayer and was baptized.  From that day forward he remained active, following Phillip diligently.  In the eyes of the world, he played the role of a good Christian.  Perhaps, he believed himself that he was.  But he knew nothing of true salvation.  When Peter and John came to Samaria to anoint the Samaritan church, this became evident.  Simon, referred to as Simon Magus, was a magician.  He saw the miracles as though a bag of magic. Enticed by the shiny object, he wanted the magic.

He did not really believe in the saving power of Jesus Christ, nor that he was a sinner in need of salvation.  Instead of being enamored with God for His Grace, Simon was enamored with idea of God’s magic being greater than what he already had. He asked Peter to sell him the power of the Salvation, by selling him the power of giving out the Holy Spirit.

But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.  Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity (Acts 8:20-23).

A Faith That Cannot Save

How often is that true today?  So many people when asked might say, “yes, I am a Christian”.  Yet, they have no genuine love for God, no humble gratitude for His grace, and certainly no desire for Him to be Lord of their life.  Theirs is a faith that cannot save; because, they are attracted to the idea of being a Christian rather than in Christ Himself.  Some desire Him to be a “get out of jail free card” or a Santa Claus who provides them with whatever they ask Him for (as though they deserved earthly gain for having joined His cause).

However, the truth is they do not really love Him, seek Him nor desire a close relationship with Him.  They may believe in the idea of Jesus and God.  Indeed, they may have prayed the prayer and been baptized like Simon Magus had.  Yet, in their heart they have not surrendered to God, nor do they really know Jesus as Sovereign Lord of their heart.  Theirs is a faith that cannot save.  Jesus spoke of this in the parable of the sower.

Luke 8:

⁵ A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.

⁶ And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.

⁷ And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.

⁸ And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

⁹ And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?

¹⁰ And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

¹¹ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

¹² Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

¹³ They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

¹⁴ And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

¹⁵ But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

What Was Wrong with Simon Magus Faith?

His faith was in the “magic”, the shiny object of what he could gain himself by believing.  It was not a faith in Jesus Christ.  I daresay, he never realized that he was a sinner in need of grace.  There was no humility of spirit.  He just wanted to be a part of a movement bigger than his own.  Sorcery had given him power, prestige, and financial gain.  He merely wanted to expand upon what he had himself, never considering the truth of gospel.  In other words, he saw this church thing as a means to an end.  Never did he recognize that Jesus is the beginning and the end, everything flows forth from Him.  Simon never desired to die to self that Christ might live in and through him.

Concluding Thoughts

So, what about you?  Is yours a faith that cannot save?  Or do you know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord?  Do you desire Him as your Greatest Treasure?  Are you willing to lose everything else, to have Him?  Can you like Paul say:

 ⁷ But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

⁸ Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

⁹ And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: Philippians 3.

So, how can you be saved?  Come with a heart that is broken, humbled by your own sin, acknowledging that you are a sinner in need of a Savior.  Then, seeing Him as so Glorious, so worthy of your praise that even if He gave you nothing.  Even if there was no heaven or hell, you would bow to worship Him because of who He is.  Then, as Paul wrote in Romans 10

⁸ But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

⁹ That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

¹⁰ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD?

If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you to go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link.  There is nothing more important than this; because,  He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.

PREVIOUSLY

But for God, the Sorrows that Abound

How can Relentless Persecution Really Bring About Good?

One of the Greatest Sermons Ever

7 Characteristics of Stephen Everyone Should Know

A Child’s Woeful Cry and God’s Reply

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©Effie Darlene Barba, 2018
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

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Saul wholeheartedly approved of Stephen’s death. And on that day a great and relentless persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem; and the believers were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles. ² Some devout men buried Stephen, and ^[a]mourned greatly over him [expressing a personal sense of loss]. ³ But Saul began ravaging the church [and assaulting believers]; entering house after house and dragging off men and women, putting them in prison (Acts 8:1-3 AMP).

Prior to this moment, the only ones persecuted by the Jewish leaders were the apostles.  Yet the priestly council within the Jerusalem temple had determined to not make them martyrs.  Instead, they would beat them, warn them, put them in prison, from which they would escape.    But, for fear of the people, they in some ways tolerated them.  Gamaliel, a well-respected Pharisee is recorded saying, “Give them some space.  If this is not of God, it will die. However, if God be in it, no one can stop it” (paraphrase of Acts 6:34,39).

Then, Stephen began to reach out to the temples of the Jewish people visiting Jerusalem from far and wide.  He was so well versed in Old Testament doctrine and an extraordinary speaker.  A truly gifted apologetic speaker, the greatest scholars including Saul could not “resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.” (Acts 6:10).  In other words, they could not win the debate.  Therefore, they killed him.  Satan launched a relentless persecution of the church using Saul.  He must have believed in doing so he would squelch the church.

Relentless Persecution

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Stephen had been going about the synagogues teaching the truth of the gospel. His message so powerfully presented that the greatest Old Testament Scholars of his time were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake (Acts 6:10).  So, when they could not win the debate, they hired people to slander him (much like what continues in our day).  Therefore, they brought Stephen before the council.  They accused him of blaspheming against God, Moses, the law and the temple.  Stephen, like a skillful lawyer might, then spoke in his own defense.  As he did, he spoke one of the greatest apologetic sermons ever.  His task was to answer the four charges, to keep their attention, to indict them on their sin, and to present Christ as the Messiah.  Standing before a hostile crowd, not an easy task.

Yet, as they accused him, all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel (Acts 6:15).  The Holy Spirit filled Stephen’s heart and mind as he began to speak, guiding his words.  Certainly, Stephen could not be the amazing defender of the gospel if he had never studied the scripture.  He did rely on the Spirit to “bring to remembrance” (John 14:26); however, this did not negate the truth of his diligence in studying the scripture.  We must be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (I Peter 3:15).

One of the Greatest Sermons

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Enter the stage Stephen.  His ministry as a Christian was very short indeed.  However, God so used Stephen as to rocket launch the gospel message into the whole world.  There within Stephen were 7 Characteristics which God used in a mighty way.  Although, there is no record that anyone came forward or accepted Christ during the sermons of Stephen.  However, his impact on the church is undoubtedly one of the most profound.  What were these characteristics? 1) He was filled with the Holy Spirit. 2) He was filled with wisdom. 3) Full of Faith.  4) He was full of Grace. 5) Power-filled 6) Courageous 7) Glory-filled.  What was it that Stephen did and how did he change the world in such a short time? Even though he never had the number of converts attributed directly to him, his was a story of triumph that each of us should learn from.

Stephen most likely was one of the early converts.  We are not told exactly when he came to accept Jesus Christ as Lord; but it is assumed it was around the time of Pentecost. Filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, Stephen then boldly went to the Sanctuaries of the Jews who came to Jerusalem from gentile nations.  He took the message of the gospel directly to them, in their houses of worship.  Stephen was a Greek name, indicating that he was himself such a Jew.  Many of the Jews of that day lived in various gentile nations.  Yet, they came to Jerusalem for special “feast days” to worship God.  Hence, when the crowds were so large at the temple, they had their own sanctuaries where their language was spoken.  They would gather there to learn of God and to debate the scriptures.

Stephen’s Ministry

Continue reading “7 Characteristics of Stephen One Should Know”