Where We Start is Individualist,
Consumerist, Materialist
Acts 8:9-24
Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He
boasted that he was someone great, 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.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 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. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When
they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy
Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they
had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. When
Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’
hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so
that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
This week we are going to focus on
where people in the culture who don’t know Jesus start regarding their
viewpoints and attitudes. Most people start out as individualists, consumerists and materialists. The reason they start with these ideas is because that is what the culture teaches them. We
can’t expect people to think differently than this and it shouldn’t
surprise or shock us when they live life from these perspectives. In
our devotions this week we will use the story from the Acts of the
Apostles to help guide our response and how we connect with people who
are starting their journey with Jesus with the mindset of the prevailing
culture.
