Conformed to the Image of His Son

I want to take us on a journey through several scripture references and two main concepts in the Bible as we become better acquainted with God’s eternal purpose for us. I will then use an example of renaissance art to illustrate what I believe we can learn from our study of the Word. Let’s begin in Romans 8:28-29.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

(Rom 8:28-29 KJV)

Paul makes a sweeping statement by saying that all things work together for good to them that love God and are the called according to his purpose. He does not leave us an out to decide for ourselves which events, circumstances, trials, testings, attacks, etc., will work together for good. When he said all, he meant all. Notice he doesn’t say all things are good, but that all things work together for good.

Many people quit reading after verse 28 and therefore fail to see what purpose Paul is talking about. God’s purpose for us is simple: that we are conformed into the image of His son. And if we are called to this state of conformity by virtue of our relationship with Him and His loving claim on us, He will use the whole of our lives; the good, the bad, and the ugly, to work for our good in this conforming process. In His foreknowledge He saw the whole picture. He saw the who, what, where, why, and how of each of us and even after that, He stuck to His plan for us. He knew when we would cooperate with Him and He knew when we would allow our selfish natures to rise up in defiance to Him. But the plan was good from the foundations of the world and will be good for all eternity.  We now move on to Romans 12:1-2.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

(Rom 12:1-2 KJV)

Paul now urges us to do something no Old Testament sacrifice could do. He asks that we willingly present ourselves as a holy sacrifice to God. The animals sacrificed under the old covenant had no choice in the matter. They were killed without negotiation. But Jesus, God’s own Son, had a choice and made the choice to die on the cross for us. He negotiated with His own will in the Garden of Gethsemane and chose the will of the Father above His own, becoming the ultimate living, holy sacrifice. Paul tells us this is a reasonable service of worship unto God. He pleads with us to do the same. It’s reasonable because without the cross and death, there is no resurrection power. Jesus could not bypass the cross and neither can we.

God asks us, through Paul, to offer our flesh in a different way. He asks us to reject the ways of the world; to stop being fashioned, or do not have the habit of being fashioned, as the world would press us to be. We have two ways of conformity to consider. One is to be conformed or fashioned into the image and likeness of His son and the other is to let the world mold us into its sinful likeness. The cross we bear is to cooperate in the process of conformity. It is a crucifixion of our flesh nature. And it hurts. Our nature is strong and defiant in us. Our mind, will, and emotions must be channeled, or fashioned to accept God’s eternal plan for us.  This is a daily process of letting go of our own way and submitting to God’s rightful rule in our lives.

Paul tells us that transformation by the renewing of our minds is the door by which we enter into agreement with God concerning our conformation, that proving out that God’s plan actually is good, acceptable, and perfect! The renewing of our minds is essential because repentance is a change of mind that brings a change of heart and actions. It is a paradigm shift that, when it has its full work in us, propels us to cooperate with God. Repentance brings positive action.

 The other uses of transformation in the New Testament are found in 2 Corinthians 11:12-15. These are references to Satan himself being transformed to appear as an angel of light and apostles of darkness, Satan’s ministers, appearing as apostles of Christ. The transforming here is of one fashioning themselves, by their own efforts of disguise, to appear as something they are not. It relates to outward fashioning as opposed to inward change.

We have probably all seen, at one time or another, an image of “David”, the iconic sculpture by Michelangelo. Several weeks ago God put that image in my mind and asked me to consider the statue itself and the process it took to produce the masterpiece. It may surprise you to know that Michelangelo was not the first artisan to work with that mammoth chunk of marble. The original commission was given to a Florentine sculptor Agostino di Duccio in 1464 but his worked stopped two years later when Agostino’s mentor, Donatello, died. By this time Agostino had roughly begun on the legs and torso portion of the statue.  Ten years later Antonio Rossellino was commissioned to take up where Agostino had left off. His contract was very shortlived, being terminated shortly after being awarded. The piece then sat exposed to the elements for twenty-five years in the yard of the workshop of the cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore in Florence, where it was to have been displayed. In 1500 a workshop inventory denoted  "a certain figure of marble called David, badly blocked out and supine." Because of the vast procurement cost of the marble as well as the intense labor that had been needed to transport it from Carrara, it was then decided to find an artist to finish the sculpture. Michelangelo was just 26 years old when he began to sculpt his statue of David, in 1501, and worked on the project four years.

As I was faithful in my research I came upon the following words by Michelangelo that helped frame my thinking on our subject of conforming to the image of His son. "In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it." What a picture of God’s intent for us to be fashioned in the likeness and image of Christ. God sees what we can become: shaped and perfect in attitude and action. That is, our minds renewed and our actions following suit. Before we are revealed as His masterpiece, which is what all creation is groaning for, He uses all things for the good, hewing away at the rough walls that imprison our loveliness. Were there regrets on Michelangelo’s part over what he had to chip off to create the finished image he envisioned? I doubt it. The rough prison walls we’ve built up around us must be razed to expose God’s glory within us.  I’m almost sure he reasoned, as Paul did, that the glory of the creation is worth the loss.

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

(Rom 8:18-19 KJV)

Just as Michelangelo was not the first to work that piece of marble, God is often not the first influence that tries to shape us. The world, the flesh, and the devil are more than willing to try and create a graven image from us. When we are conformed to the world system which sympathizes with our flesh and allows the enemy access to us, the end product will be far from God’s image of what He would have us be. Thus John’s warning in 1 John 2:15-17.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

(1Jn 2:15-17 KJV)

It is estimated that the ankles on “David” are supporting near six tons of weight. Can you imagine how much that piece of marble weighed before the hewing began? There is far more that was chipped away than that which remains. Our prison walls are thick! Paul tells us in Philippians to forget about what we’ve lost in the process and move forward to receive that prize of the high calling of conforming to His image.

 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

(Php 3:10-14 KJV)

So let us submit to the hammer and chisel of God’s process in our lives and have no regrets what He takes from us, but rejoice over what He is creating in us and through us.

God Sent Leanness in Their Souls

By Janice J. Bowman

And God gave them what they asked for... but he sent leanness in their souls. This, my friend, is what I have seen in many of the people of God. They get what they want but they persist in perusing less than what God wants for them. Their vision is shallow and it cannot satisfy the heart of God in what He wants for them. The price paid is getting what is asked for while missing His will. Many times there is a tendency to believe if things feel good and comfortable, and all our wants and needs are being met, then surely God has His stamp of approval on it.
 

Many of the people of God come to the conclusion if it doesn’t feel good then it can’t be God. The manna that God gave to His people was purposely designed to keep them full for short periods of time because God wanted them to keep coming back for more. It was symbolic of God in His son, who later said unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you. When God sent the meat they demanded, it came to them at hip height. All they had to do was reach out and grab it; a vast contrast to stooping low for the manna. They had lost their humility. God warned us not to follow the bad examples of the children of Israel who He was leading out of bondage, but far too many of God’s people have cried before God that it’s not enough! We want to look like the world, act like the world and be like the world. Let us have what we want God! He said OK and then stood back and watched a people eat what they demanded but become lean in their souls as a result.

Today I see many lean souls among the people of God. They don’t want manna, they don’t want deeper revelation. They want what feels good and cost them nothing. Once you get a taste of the deeper things of God and that hidden manna, that hidden revelation, you always want more and it is God that keeps you hungry for more. But there are a people among us who don’t want the deeper truths of God. They want it all to be easy and they don’t want to stoop low to gather the deeper things of God. Humility is something God delights in seeing in His people and He purposely puts us in positions that He knows will help us stay in that position. The Israelites lost their humility and wanted it all to be easy and didn’t want to sweat for a thing. You have to be hungry and humble today to get hidden revelation and you have to work for it: waiting on God by praying and studying and opening up the scriptures while you eat his flesh and drink his blood. It takes your time, your humility and the right priorities, and most of all; it takes an insatiable hunger that cries out even after you partake.

The giftings and callings of God are much like the quail the people demanded. They come without repentance. In these last hours during the greatest battle of all the ages, God is crying out to His true bride asking her to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church. God is creating a people and getting them ready for the next move of the Spirit which will take them far beyond giftings and callings. He is not preparing them to take a hunk of real estate as the children in the wilderness were to inherit, but God is preparing a people for transformation. Many have forgotten to seek the deep heart of God, forgetting gifts and callings are just a means to an expected end: the next and best and final move of God. His desired end is the fullness of His character in us, the full measure of His agape love which goes far beyond gifts and callings. God is looking for one thing and one thing only in these last hours we are living in. When the Gardener comes into His garden He is looking for full ripe fruit. This sought after fruit is the full measure of the full stature of Christ Jesus.

The spirit of the living God is seeking out visionary people who have eyes like the eagle because the Holy Spirit will not rest until the Son has a resting place in a people He will fill with His full measure of glory! Christ in you, the hope of glory unto full measure! It is certainly time to cry unto God’s people to position themselves to seek things beyond giftings and callings, and He has a people crying out now. They are the eagle flyers. They are visionaries. They are often laughed at even as Israel laughed at Joshua and Caleb because camping on the back side of the Jordan just wasn’t good enough for them. They must go in and take the land. God has a people in this day and in this hour and in this generation who know giftings and callings are not the end and are not enough. An eagle flying at an altitude of 1000 feet over open country can spot prey over an area of almost 3 square miles from a fixed position. God has a people who see into the full plan of God for this day and this hour.  We are called upon to cry out to those who can hear what the Spirit is saying to the church! God is preparing a people in these last days for a full transformation experience. God, the Father seeks nothing less for his Son than a bride that delights His heart and has come into the full stature of the mind of Christ, being transformed into His very likeness and image. This bride, through the inward workings of the cross, will not settle for 30 fold or 60 fold fruitfulness. God’s Word tells us to seek those things which accompany salvation and many stop at that place and believe that salvation is all God wants them to have. Others believe God wants them to have more; the infilling of the Holy Spirit but they choose to stop there. But some are willing to lay down their lives a living sacrifice, acceptable unto God because they considered their moving beyond the normal Christian experience reasonable service unto God. These are the ones not conformed unto this world but transformed by the renewing of their minds.

Many of God’s people say they want this 100 fold fruitfulness but when they see what it will cost them, they walk away. The full measure now becomes an offence to them and some create empty, phony messages that tell God’s people there is no price to pay for coming into the full mind of Christ. But God is already marking a people that are paying that price and they are already becoming a terrifying thing to the principalities in the high places. Becoming the full ripe fruit terrifies Satan far more than gifts and callings. The full measure will bring the kingdom of God into the earth. When God has a people that have become totally broken and emptied out of their own desires, plots, and schemes, God is able to put Himself in that empty, broken place and shine forth inside with the glory of His presence.

 This is representative of the 300 men Gideon was allowed to keep to fight against Israel’s enemies. God has a people who don’t drink just anything that is tossed their way. They examine what is being offered them and test it by the Word. They don’t care how much anointing is present, how many signs, wonders and miracles are present. They examine what is being said by the Word regardless of all those things because Satan can reproduce gifts and he can produce a false anointing. God has a people who know these things and know how to try the spirits to see whether they are of God and they know how to examine fruit and look for character. When will the people of God cease to labor mobilizing their own armies to fight against the enemy when God’s way is to demobilize?

Those soldiers of Gideon’s putting their faces into the water to lap it up like a dog are symbolic of people who did none of the things I just spoke of. It isn’t enough to be fearless and believe; those are good qualities but alone are not enough. God sent those soldiers home, too. God kept the men who looked at what they were drinking, while looking all around them for the enemy. We cannot be asleep in this day and hour we live in nor can we just accept any doctrine. We must test it by the Word and we must see what is coming out of it. God will have a pure move of the Spirit inside of His people, not just among His people. There is a huge difference of what takes place among the people of God and what takes place inside of them.

God intends transformation while many are just waiting for transfiguration. God has a church within the church that is willing to identify with the cross, not trying to find a way to escape it! God needs broken people in this battle, not gifted people. A people that know they simply have nothing in their own strength and power that can win this battle and that only God’s divine intervention can save them now. That and that alone will bring the victory in these last days.

Transformation doesn’t happen because you have giftings and callings. It happens when you have gone completely down with Him in death by identifying with His sufferings and come up on the other side with Him in resurrection life. Joseph was a type and shadow of Jesus Christ. He went down in death inside a pit and prison and came up in glory right next to the king, and was given the entire store house of riches to govern. Try to imagine Joseph in prison if he chose to blame God for his discomfort instead of finding the highest position in that prison. He would have simply shut down and settled for the lot He supposed God had given him. It would have been impossible, under those circumstances of attitude, for God to create that gold He was looking for in Joseph in that place of testing.  Joseph fed the world by being in a place of authority only because he suffered first.

Saints, when will His people fully understand all God has wanted from the beginning of man is a place He can dwell in His full measure? It isn’t the things we desire to build for Him but it is He who wants to build us. He wants to be the carpenter. He wants to do the work and many times He first has to tear down what we have built ourselves. As the word says, the Word of the Lord tried Joseph. So let’s stop calling all suffering God asks us to endure Satan’s doing. God custom makes many of our tests and trials so He can create that gold He needs; sons and daughters in His likeness and image.  Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered. Are we then more obedient than the Son of God was when He endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him? This is the desire of God in this last hour and it will cost you everything to have what is most important to the heart of God.

Is Sanctification Slipping Away?

By Rev. J. Patrick Bowman

In any organization, including the church, you can see over periods of time the swing of the pendulum between extremes.

I worked in sales for a major soda company during the 80s and it seems that during my 10 years with them we floated between market share and sales. We knew when the pendulum was about to swing because a new regional vice president would be hired to undo the supposed mess his predecessor had created. It really created problems for those of us who worked daily with grocery outlets to keep good relationships with our customers. I’m almost sure the same extremes in marketing emphasis continue today.

The church is no different. What often happens is, in over-correcting one perceived extreme, we tend to throw out the baby with the bath water as the pendulum swings to the extreme opposite side of center. We sometimes can’t see that there is truth on both sides of center, in spite of the extremes that often accompany those truths.  It’s these extremes and the hurts that often come with them that the church has historically reacted to, but in doing so we have lost emphasis on core teachings that became perverted in their extremes. Some of these truths have taken generations to resurface in a useful form that captures their essence without regurgitating the extremes associated with them. It takes Christian maturity to see these extremes and act to bring them to a place of balance without the reaction that pushes to the opposite extreme.

I believe we are now in such a time of over-correction.  The Holiness Movement carried with it the extremes of legalism, which brought about much hurt in the body of Christ. In fact, some here tonight have been under legalism for the greater part of their Christian lives and can attest to the damage that’s been done to them because of it. But in the over-correction of those extremes we seem to have lost the proper role of sanctification in our personal lives and corporate life as the church. This reaction comes across in many ways. You see it when sin and personal responsibility before God is no longer preached in the church. Even more, you see it when the convicting preaching of the Word is all but replaced in some meetings by what amounts to a “don’t worry, be happy” cheering section, devoid of anything that might offend someone or make them feel uneasy about themselves. We’ve focused so much on the love of God in justification that we fail to ask the question of Romans 6:1: “Should we continue then in sin that grace may abound?” So we have numbers of carnal Christians being raised up that attribute conviction to the work of the enemy and are out for all they can get without a thought of what God would have them give. And I don’t mean money.   It will take mature thinking and action by leadership not afraid to promote sanctification in a scriptural way that will restore health and vitality to the body of Christ. Out of balance is no balance at all. Without a resolve in the pulpit and in the pew, the potential problems for the church are as great as those caused by legalism. And the hurts will be just as damaging.

Before we look at sanctification, it’s important that we understand the difference between sanctification and justification. Blurring the two, as many cults do, leads to legalistic thinking and practice. Justification is a state of being where the righteousness of Jesus is reckoned to the sinner so the sinner is declared by God as being righteous under the Law. This righteousness is not earned or retained by any effort of the saved.  Justification is an instantaneous occurrence with the result being eternal life.  It is based completely and solely upon Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and is received by faith alone. No works are necessary whatsoever to obtain justification.  Otherwise, it is not a gift. Therefore we are justified by faith.  The church seems to have a pretty good handle on justification.

Sanctification, however, has two distinct meanings. One is being set apart for God's work and the other is the process of being conformed to the image of Christ.  Therefore in one sense we are already sanctified, or set apart for God’s work while we are at the same time being progressively conformed into the image of Christ. This conforming to Christ involves the work of the person.  But it is still God working in the believer to produce more of a godly character and life in the person who has already been justified. Sanctification, in the imaging sense, is not instantaneous because it is not the work of God alone. The justified person is involved by actively cooperating with God by being willing to submit to God's will, resisting sin, seeking holiness, and aspiring to be more godly.  Significantly, sanctification has no bearing on justification.  That is, even if we don't live a perfect life, we are still justified.  Where justification is a legal declaration that is instantaneous, sanctification is a process.  Where justification comes from outside of us, from God, sanctification comes from God within us by the work of the Holy Spirit in accordance with the Bible.  In other words, we contribute to sanctification through our efforts.  In contrast, we do not contribute to our justification through our efforts.

So is the condition of the heart important to God? We are going to look at three instances in the Bible where we see that God certainly is concerned about the human heart condition; one from the Old Testament, one from the teaching of Jesus, and one from the book of Acts. We’ll start in 1 Samuel 16.

1Sa 16:1-13 KJV

(1)  And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.

(2)  And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.

(3)  And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.

(4)  And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

(5)  And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

(6)  And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD'S anointed is before him.

(7)  But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

(8)  Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.

(9)  Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.

(10)  Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.

(11)  And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.

(12)  And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.

(13)  Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

Several points for our discussion tonight are that Jesse and his seven eldest sons were “ceremonially sanctified” by Samuel, yet were rejected by God. Samuel was ready to anoint Eliab when God spoke to him, “, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

“for not as man seeth” in the Hebrew means not so much how God looks but WHAT He looks at. God perceives and regards at a heart level, not on outward appearance. We do see David described here as ruudy, or red in complexion or hair, with a beautiful countenance. This was merely a description of David, not a qualifier of his election by God as king. It’s not so much that God looks in a different way; He looks in a different place. So here we see the shepherd brought in straight from the field, probably smelling like the sheep, not having been ceremonially cleansed, anointed as king. It was the heart of David that set him apart from his brothers.  

We see this same problem of how men look in Matthew 23. This whole  chapter is Jesus’ scathing rebuke of the Pharisees, but tonight we’ll focus on verses 25-28.

Mat 23:25-28 KJV

(25)  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

(26)  Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter that the outside of them may be clean also.

(27)  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

(28)  Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

In verses 25 and 26, Jesus is telling them that in spite of their best efforts to clean the outside of the cup and platter, it is really no cleansing at all. He tells them to clean first what is inside the cup that the outside would truly be clean. In verse 27 Jesus likens them to white-washed tombs that appear beautiful but are full of all uncleanness. Here we need to look at Jewish customs to get a full meaning of this verse. Sepulchers here is not referring to the large rock sepulchers that the wealthy owned, but referred to common graves. If a person died along the road or in a field, that is where they was buried.  At Passover a huge crowd of people came to Jerusalem from all the known world. Coming into contact with a dead person would make one unclean. To prevent that happening, men would go out about a month before Passover and whiten the common graves with lime. This was the time when Jesus gave this object lesson to them. The people were well aware of the whitened graves and perhaps could see them as Jesus was teaching. The word beautiful comes from the Greek word, hora, from which we get the word hour. He’s telling them they look good at the appointed time, but it’s all a sham, because inside they are dead.

 Verse 28 again shows man’s weakness for looking on the outside. Righteous, in this verse, means one who acts conformable to justice and right without any deficiency or failure.  Ye appear outwardly righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

One of the problems when the message of true sanctification is lost is that outward appearance becomes the new gauge of holiness in the eyes of men. Visualize with me two identical buckets. One is empty and one is ¾ full of rocks. Imagine water filling both buckets and overflowing onto the floor. From the outside the overflow looks the same. But the overflow coming from the bucket with rocks comes from shallow water. It looks the same, but it has no depth.  The deep bucket represents the Christian who has embraced the message of sanctification and has cooperated with the Holy Spirit to unload his rocks. The shallow is the Christian who chooses to live with his rocks in a shallow Christianity. We can name the rocks. They are the works of the flesh that keep us heavy inside. Christ paid the price for the unloading but we have to be willing to be unloaded. This is sanctification; getting rid of our rocks. In this next example we see how mature leadership responds by looking at the heart condition of a man and giving him the correct steps to unloading his rocks.

Saul was persecuting the church in Jerusalem to the extent that all but the apostles were forced to leave. And Phillip goes to the city of Samaria and begins to minister in signs, wonders, and the Word. Revival breaks out and many are being saved and water baptized. Among those saved was a man named Simon who was a well known sorcerer who had amazed the city with his magic arts. He was known as “The Great Power of God”.  After Simon is saved and water baptized, he becomes a companion of Phillip. Now when the apostles got word of the revival that was happening, they sent Peter and John to see that the converts were filled with the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands. And now we’ll pick up the story in Acts 8:18:

Act 8:18-25 KJV

18)  And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,

(19)  Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.

(20)  But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.

(21)  Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.

(22)  Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

(23)  For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.

(24)  Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.

(25)  And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

Simon was saved, water baptized, and we can assume from the text that he also received the Holy Spirit. He was hanging out with Phillip. Surely Peter and John would have ministered to him the same way they ministered to the rest. So Simon, saved, baptized, and filled with the Holy Ghost, in envy of the ability of Peter and John to impart the Holy Spirit, offers them money to get the same gift.  Peter saw what the problem was. He didn’t sugarcoat it or use pop psychology to try and massage it into something it wasn’t. Peter didn’t hang back in fear of offending Simon. He wasn’t concerned that Simon, a man of reputation and influence in the community, might leave the church. There was no compromising here because Peter knew all about compromise and the hurt it can bring. Remember Peter looked into the face of Jesus after the cock had crowed the third time and went out and wept bitterly. Peter wasn’t speaking on his own accord when he confronted Simon, but as a qualified leader in the Church. Peter boldly told it like it is:  “For thy heart is not right in the sight of God.” 

And Peter didn’t sugarcoat the solution either. He didn’t offer Simon an easy way out. Exhibiting outward manifestations was not a part of the process for Simon. Peter instructed Simon in a way he knew would have a good outcome in Simon’s life if he would only do it: “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.” It’s a heart thing. Repentance and prayer is at the core of sanctification. We must have a life of prayer and repentance. This is the process of sanctification, the process of unloading our rocks. We must have mature leadership and sound preaching that will lead us to repentance. A leadership that’s not afraid to tell it like it is. We need leaders with strong character. I read this quote last night on Facebook  from Lyle Dukes. “Strong character is necessary - because many times your gifts can take you where your character can’t keep you.”

We also see that Peter had discernment: “For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.” We need leaders who can discern beyond the surface level and get to the heart of the matter. We need leaders who can see past the symptom and perceive the cause of our disease, and help us to heal. I’m not talking here about legalistic leadership that has their nose in all our business, but mature leaders who can see past the outside into the heart and direct us to a place of healing.

Sometimes leaders who have been hurt by legalism find it hard to admonish others because of the extremes of legalistic rebuke and admonition they received at the hands of someone else. True admonition is always done in love to help the person grow more Christ-like, not more entrenched in a legalistic system of outward rules. We need leaders who recognize the hurt in their own lives and are working with the Holy Spirit to heal those hurts so they can be more effective in their ministry.

We notice in verse 24 Simon’s response to Peter’s admonition: “Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.” This is the problem in raising up carnal Christians. They haven’t been taught about personal responsibility before God. Now I’m not saying that we shouldn’t go to our brothers and sisters in Christ for help if we need it. Of course the body is designed to help each other in times of need, both physically and spiritually. But as I heard one pastor say, “When people call me up to pray for them, the first question I ask them is ‘How long have you prayed and sought the Lord concerning this yourself?’” Simon wanted the easy way out of personal responsibility before God. The body of Christ desperately needs leaders who will act in love, move with discernment, preach with conviction, and call us to a life of biblical holiness.