Their ancestry included both Jewish and pagan affiliations. Here we see Philip taking the Gospel to the mixed race of Samaria. Up to this time the apostles who were preaching Christ had only gone to the Jewish people. Philip was living out that promise of Jesus as he entered Samaria. Jesus had told His followers in Acts 1:8 that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them to be His witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth. The Holy Spirit had been poured out on thousands of people in Jerusalem. Let’s remind ourselves what is taking place at this time. 8 So there was great joy in that city.ġ2 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 7 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. (Duh, duh, dum)Įnter, Philip, filled with the Holy Spirit, to Samaria.Īcts 8:5-8 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there.Ħ When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. He elevated himself above the people as someone special. He promoted himself because he wanted to be followed.
He was boasting that he was someone great. Not only were the people of Samaria lauding and applauding him, but he was lauding and applauding himself. This wasn’t a one-time episode where he did something impressive and they were mesmerized and then dismissed it and went back to life as usual, but they were following him. They looked to him as divine, verse 10, and I would go so far as to say they worshiped him in some form or fashion as they called him the “Great Power.” Not only were they amazed by him, not only did they give him their attention, but they also followed him. Not only were they amazed by him, but verse 10 says they gave him their attention. The people of Samaria were amazed by Simon and by what he could do with his magic, his witchcraft, his sorcery. To say that Satan was alive and well in Samaria was an understatement. Listen, God expressly forbid His followers to be engaged with sorcery, witchcraft, or black magic on any level (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Perhaps that was what led him to make a pact with the devil and to be able to do the things he did that caused people to follow him. We will see as we move through our story that Simon’s heart longed for power and prestige and was filled with pride. In reply to the question how they received their ability, the told the counselor they had subscribed themselves with their own blood to the devil. In Toggenburg, Switzerland, on several occasions, serious people confessed that they had the power to kill horses, cows, and pigs with the power of black magic. A young man whom a doctor described as schizophrenic confessed to the ability to kill animals at some distance away from him merely through using his powers of magic. He would tie a towel to a doorknob, then murmur his magic phrases and squeeze milk out of the towel while the farmers in the neighboring farms found their cows going dry. He specialized in stealing milk from the neighbor’s farmer…neighboring farmers. He gives the following examples of common demonic magic going on today.Ī man dabbled in black magic for years. Kurt Koch, the outstanding German theologian and, indeed, an expert in this area has personally handled over 20,000 personal case studies of demon activity in his counseling. That kind of magic is known as “black magic.” It is real. Sorcery involves doing magic through the help of demonic powers. Sorcery is basically witchcraft which isn’t the same as an illusion or slight-of-hand trick. I guess you could say that Simon the Sorcerer had cast a spell on the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. Acts 8:9-11 9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria.
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