This was our topic of discussion in Sunday night small group. I posted this on our small group website as further thoughts:
What Was Wrong With Simon?
Acts 8:9b - "saying that he himself was somebody great."
Acts 8:10b - "This man is the power of God that is called Great."
Simon was seen by those around him as a man of power. Not only was he seen as a man of power, but he was even called THE power of God that is called Great. Simon loved it. He was a power and fame seeker. He thrived on being the center of attention; he thrived on being seen as a powerful god-man.
When he saw that when the apostles laid their hands on some the Holy Spirit was given, he could only imagine what it would be like to possess that type of power. "I want to be able to do these signs! I want to give the Holy Spirit! I want to be the man!" Acts 8:18b-19 - "he offered them money, saying 'Give me this POWER also, so that anyone on whom I lay MY hands may receive the Holy Spirit.'"
I want this power! That's all he could think about.
Simon badly missed the point. Simon badly mis-heard the Gospel.
A lot of times we think like Simon, whether we realize it or not. We are hungry for fame in our circles. We want people to say what they said about Simon, "he/she is somebody great!" We even go so far, like Simon, as to make evangelization about us. "I brought that person to Christ!" "I, with my clever words and reasoning, convinced that person to choose the Way of Christ."
Or we use ourselves as an excuse, saying, "I am not prepared to talk to this person about Christ." "I don't have the ability (or power) to open this person's eyes to the glory of God."
With both types, those who take the credit for the convert, and those who never talk about Christ because of their insecurities, a common theme rings out: I, I, I, I, I.
First, if you are a Christian, you ARE prepared to talk about Christ. Is it what you have to say that is going to save the person? NO! Is it answering every single question that may arise that is going to save the person? NO! Then, what saves them? Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for IT is the POWER OF GOD for salvation to everyone who believes..."
It is God through the Gospel that saves. If we know nothing more than the Gospel, we know enough; therefore, we have no excuse. It is God who saves, and not our craftiness.
Second, you are correct to say that you do not have the ability to open their eyes to the glory of God. Paul says that we plant the seed, and God provides the growth. He says in 1 Corinthians 4:5-6 "For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
Who said "Let light shine out of darkness?" Was it us, or was it God? Of course, it was God. In the same way we are to preach and teach the Gospel, and we trust and pray for God to speak into existence light in those who are in the darkness.
In the very next verse, 4:7, he says, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." It is God who has the power to save, not us. Teach those around you, and rely on God to do His work that we are unable to do.
Like Simon, it is hard not to think of the power as being in ourselves. This is the very thing with which the serpant tempted Eve, "You can be like God! You can have the power."
We need to let God be God; and we need to do what He has called us to do, namely, be a light unto the world, teaching the Word of Christ by word and example as often as we can. Trust in His power.
Finally, some mistakenly claimed that Simon was like a god-man, but Christ WAS THE God Man. Unlike Simon, the true God Man didn't seek power and glory from man, but He sought to glorify His Father. Instead of seeking power, He humbled Himself completely. Instead of wanting to be liked by everyone and be a man of fame, he willingly was humiliated and eventually killed. This is what it is to have the power of God. It is being able to humble yourselves for the sake of others. It is being able to even humble yourselves to the point of being humiliated and possibly even killed for the sake of the children of God. It is being humble by acknowledging that the power is all God's and none of ours.
Don't be a power and fame seeker. Don't be a Simon. Trust God, and seek to glorify Him by being humble, teaching others, and being a light to the world.