Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19971026.htm

ACTS: THE LOCAL CHURCH AS GOD'S AGENCY FOR DISCIPLING MEN
Part XVI: Controlling The Spread Of Abusive Leadership By Focusing On Grace In Leadership
(Acts 8:5-25)
  1. Introduction
    1. In the world's realm, power and authority indicate the right to lord over other people, Mtt. 20:25.
    2. However, Jesus decried this practice to His disciples, saying that those who would be great among them would be slaves to the needs of one another, Mtt. 20:26-28.
    3. Nevertheless, in spite of Christ's ideal view of the use of power in the Church, we all know of situations where power in the Church has been abused to the harm of its people and the block of the Gospel's spread. Accordingly, we need to know the root cause of such abuse tendencies to counter its rise and influence.
    4. An event occurred in Samaria in the early days of the Christian Church that holds a lesson regarding spiritual influence in Christ's body, and it enables us to know where to go in addressing such abuses:
  2. Controlling The Spread Of Abusive Leadership By Focusing On Grace In Leadership, Acts 8:5-25.
    1. Under God's power, evangelist and Deacon, Philip won many converts to Christ in Samaria, 8:5-8 (6:5).
      1. Full of the Holy Spirit's power, Deacon Philip fled Stephen's persecution by fleeing from Jerusalem to Samaria to evangelize that area, Acts 8:1,5.
      2. The people unitedly heeded the Gospel, noting the attesting miracles Philip was performing in certification of his message, Acts 8:6-7.
      3. As a result, there was much joy in the coming of many to Christ, Acts 8:8.
    2. However, a sorcerer named Simon who had made his former living at impressing people that he was innately "great" through sorcery, himself impressed by the demonstrations of power by Stephen, gave intellectual assent to the Gospel and was baptized, Acts 8:9-13.
    3. However, his viewpoint on leadership influence was deeply flawed, even affecting the credibility of his very soul's conversion. This fact became evident when Simon later encountered the Apostles:
      1. The Apostles came down from the higher elevation of Jerusalem to certify Philip's ministry, Acts 8:14.
      2. Since the Holy Spirit had not come on these Samaritan who were of mixed Jewish-Gentile lineage, the Apostles were used of God to lay hands on these Samaritan converts for them to receive the Spirit and thereby signify that even Samaritans who believed were part of Christ's spiritual body, Acts 8:15-17.
      3. When Simon saw the coming of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he desired to have this power and offered money to the Apostles to acquire this "magical" enabling, Acts 8:18-19.
      4. Peter's response to Simon's error reveals a critical error behind abusive leadership views in the Church:
        1. First, Peter strongly, orally condemned Simon's request, stating that Simon had no spiritual part or lot in the Body of Christ as he was not a true believer, Acts 8:20a, 21.
        2. He commanded that Simon repent as Peter perceived that he was in a form of apostasy, 8:22-23.
        3. Simon's response of fear, asking Peter to pray that he would escape punishment, according to Dr. Ryrie showed that Simon "was still thinking in terms of magical powers rather than repentance of heart," Ryrie Study Bible: King James Version, ftn. to Acts 8:18-24.
        4. The revealing problem behind Simon's error was his missing the point of divine grace: Peter complained that Simon had erred in thinking that by some self-merit such as money he could acquire from God what was obtainable only by divine grace, Acts 8:20b.
        5. Thus, Simon's whole concept of what he had witnessed of Christianity was tainted by self-help ideas of fame, fortune and influence, and that had caused him to miss the meaning of the Gospel, of ministry and of the use of assigned positions and power in the Church.
Lesson: Since not only SALVATION, but every blessing that FOLLOWS it as position and spiritual enabling spring from GRACE, there is no just GROUNDS for those in oversight ever STARTING to presume that they can lord it over God's people in any way!

Application: To offset leadership abuses from getting started, a Church must focus on the GRACE of God in salvation and gifting and ministry from beginning to end! Failure to do so leaves room for human merit valuations that naturally lead to peop le abusively lording it over one another!