Exciting Bible Stories - The Acts of the Apostles - Simon the Magician

 

Another Exciting story from the Acts of the Apostles is the Story of the Magician Simon. Simon was a pretty good magician and when he became a believer. Yet he held on to his Magical practices. He even tries to Bribe Philip. Children seem to be fascinated with magic. Harry Potter comes to mind. To our children, we speak about what if the magician was Harry Potter and not Simon. From this story we can determine that Real Power comes from God... that the Angel of God was with Philip and that Philip was able to be used by God to do great things. We discuss Philips humility. Almost every time he is mentioned in the Bible with the other apostles, he is listed fifth. Yet even though he is not among the first three, he is no lesser or greater than any of the other twelve apostles.

ACTS  8 9-26

⁹ Now a man called Simon had for some time been practising magic arts in the town and astounded the Samaritan people. He had given it out that he was someone momentous,

¹⁰ and everyone believed in him; eminent citizens and ordinary people alike had declared, 'He is the divine power that is called Great.'

¹¹ He had this following because for a considerable period they had been astounded by his wizardry.

¹² But when they came to accept Philip's preaching of the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptised, both men and women,

¹³ and even Simon himself became a believer. After his baptism Simon went round constantly with Philip and was astonished when he saw the wonders and great miracles that took place.

¹⁴ When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,

¹⁵ and they went down there and prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit,

¹⁶ for as yet he had not come down on any of them: they had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus.

¹⁷ Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸ When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,

¹⁹ with the words, 'Give me the same power so that anyone I lay my hands on will receive the Holy Spirit.'

²⁰ Peter answered, 'May your silver be lost for ever, and you with it, for thinking that money could buy what God has given for nothing!

²¹ You have no share, no part, in this: God can see how your heart is warped.

²² Repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that this scheme of yours may be forgiven;

²³ it is plain to me that you are held in the bitterness of gall and the chains of sin.'

²⁴ Simon replied, 'Pray to the Lord for me yourselves so that none of the things you have spoken about may happen to me.'

²⁵ Having given their testimony and proclaimed the word of the Lord, they went back to Jerusalem, preaching the good news to a number of Samaritan villages.

²⁶ The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, 'Set out at noon and go along the road that leads from Jerusalem down to Gaza, the desert road.'