Holy Spirit Versus Riz
12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
Acts 8:12-13
The story of Simon the Sorcerer is one of the most debated stories in the Bible with respect to how believers receive the Holy Spirit.
Ultimately, what Scripture shows us is that when people come to truly believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ, they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. There is no set pattern, though, so that we can say it must happen this way or that way, except to say that, somehow and someway, every believer will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
But this story suggests that someone can believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ and not yet have the gift of the Holy Spirit. And so this story of Simon the Sorcerer may give us an idea as to why.
Simon and his former followers were impressed with all the signs and wonders that Philip performed. And so just as they used to follow Simon, now they followed Philip.
Even though they believed the gospel that Philip preached, they would not have believed him if his message were not accompanied by signs and wonders.
In other words, they were following Philip and his performance more than they were following Jesus Christ.
This is called cult of personality. And we see this throughout the church today. People who genuinely believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ are longing to follow charismatic leaders more than they are longing to follow Jesus Christ.
And maybe more than anything else, the cult of personality is what hinders the power of God from being manifested in churches.
In my flesh, I am very much like Simon. My flesh desires that people follow ME. After all, am I not leading people to Christ? Follow ME!
But Canvas will never experience the power of God if the members follow me or desire someone with more "riz" to follow.
Nevertheless, there is great hope to be had for us. The hope that we have is faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the love of Christ and His perseverance in us, one day, every single one of us will stop chasing after "riz" and start following Jesus and seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.
God has appointed me to be the under-shepherd of this community. And so I will lead this community in my weakness and in my daily need for our Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
May I not try to lead this Canvas community with “riz.” Lord, forgive me for when I do. Lord, forgive us for chasing the cult of personality. We believe. Change our hearts to follow You and You alone. In Jesus's name. Amen.
