Tag Archives: Christianity

Simon the Sorcerer

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Some of us do what we do because we just don’t know anything different. I wondered was this the case with the woman I saw walking in the offering line with more than a little cleavage. I wondered if she purposely pushed her boobs up and out or if she simply came to church in what she had; she believed in Jesus as her Savior and needed to come and praise Him. Maybe she just didn’t know that He was supposed to be Lord, even over her wardrobe. Perhaps she was like Simon the Sorcerer, and seduction was what she knew, even after she got saved.

But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they [their] hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and [in] the bond of iniquity. Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.–Acts 8:9-24

We see that Simon deceived using sorcery, but even after He believed in Christ, he himself was deceived; he thought he could buy the power to impart the Holy Ghost, that he could continue to deceive even as part of the family of God. Peter got to the heart of the matter, telling Simon that he was in the “gall of bitterness, and [in] the bond of iniquity.” Though Peter doesn’t say what Simon was bitter about, perhaps he despised that the people of Samaria now followed Philip, Peter and John instead of him. Perhaps his bond of iniquity was that he was still rooted in the allure of deception, not understanding fully that belief in Christ is only the beginning of the transformation. He still needed to hear the truth of the Gospel and let it penetrate and heal his soul so his thoughts would reflect a sincere, not a seducing, heart. He asked Peter to pray for him, but he needed to do this for himself to begin fellowship with God so God could speak directly to him and make a direct impact on his heart.

Some of us have gotten away from, or maybe, like Simon, never had personal fellowship with God. But it’s never too late to repent and walk away from deception, thinking it’s okay just being in God’s family and not having actions that reflect that. Change is possible, even if we are in the bond of iniquity (1 John 1:9).

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

Friday Feature: Swallow It Up

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Resting well heals your body and makes you look and feel good, too. We talked about this last week and I hope you got some good, long sleep. Did you? If you didn’t, try to do so tonight. And I want you to add another basic practice to your healthy quest repertoire that will also heal your body and make you look and feel good, too.

    #2 Drink More Water

I know you have heard it before, but are you drinking more? And if you are drinking more, is it enough for YOUR body? I ask this because of these amazing statements I’ve heard over the years:

  1. Most Americans are dehydrated and don’t even know it.
  1. People are more toxic than they should be.

Dehydration and toxicity were two of my main issues, making my skin and digestive system really suffer. I can always tell when I haven’t had enough water: Pimples pop out seemingly out of nowhere and the food I’ve eaten doesn’t flow as freely through my system. Water helps to flush out waste, moisturize skin, hair and nails, lubricate joints and eyes and a bunch of other functions we take for granted or that haven’t even occurred to us. When we don’t have enough water to flush out the junk through our digestive system, some of the junk remains and some seeks to escape through our skin, the largest body organ. With our bodies being composed mostly of water and us losing about 10-12 eight ounce cups of water daily from our normal activities, we have to replenish our supply so we don’t get dehydrated. Dehydration can also cause memory loss. Lack of lubrication can cause us to shrivel up on the outside and the inside then what good can we be when we’re supposed to be grapes and not raisins?

We have heard that the average person (whatever that means) should drink at least eight eight-ounce glasses of water each day. I haven’t found a modern health professional that can say where this formulation came from and why we should follow it. I also heard that daily we should drink half our body weight in ounces (e.g., if you weigh 140 lbs then you should drink 70 ounces). When I follow this plan (drinking purified water) and a add a few ounces on top of that, I find I have less problems with my skin and my digestive system is free flowing.

Then the LORD replied to me, “If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?”—Jeremiah 12:5 (NLT)

The Lord was asking Jeremiah how he would be able to deal with more troublesome people if he was having problems dealing with people on a small level. This is why I’m challenging us to rest well and drink more water, two very basic practices for good health. How can we go on to more intense health practices if we may be struggling with these basics? We have to start here. It’s not enough for us to possess information if we don’t put the information to use. Having water with us is not enough. We have to open that bottle and swallow it up to be (or continue) on our way to better health.

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

Tampering with the Text

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Some of us American Christians can’t fathom the destruction of the Bible or not being able to read or even own one, things many of our brothers and sisters in foreign nations experience. But with the increasing clash of culture with Christianity, these types of threats don’t seem so foreign. What do you think the Bible would look like if people like this got a hold of it?

Tennessee Tea Party Issue Demand on How Textbooks Portray ‘Minority Experience in History’

Serve Beyond the Gospel Bird

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My mama used to say if she just got to church for one song and the sermon she was good. Not me. I love all of church. In my childhood AME home, I liked looking at the semi-synchronized acolyte, clergy and choir processional and the directions of the white-gloved professionals, ushers orchestrating seating and signaling each other what their next move would be. I loved the singing and the soulful sounds of saints paying tribute to God with prayers and getting happy in the Holy Ghost. And I still like all this and some chicken, the gospel bird, a permanent fixture in the black church kitchen. Though I love these, I am aware of their seducing power and have escaped settling for the comfort of their sounds and smells. Unfortunately, the lure of tradition and chicken has trapped many in the Christian church and that is all they are equipped to serve.

We have forgotten that the basis of the preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ includes telling other people—not the people we sing and sup with but those outside the church. This message starts with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ—His sacrifice to save the world from their sin—but continues on with the scriptural message to love the lost and found to make this world a better place (Hebrews 12:14; Romans 15:1-3).

This is what Martin Luther King Jr. preached. He saw the ails and lost hope of this world and preached about the love and justice that should be in this world. Some people didn’t get it, may still not get it, but his is the message that still needs to be preached, the message that we Christians still need to preach. It is our message, the gospel message, and made possible through the power of Jesus Christ.

So on this day of service in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I hope we seek to serve others the gospel message: the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the possibility of a changed world through Him.

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

Friday Feature: Rest Well

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When I was in college I really had that strong black woman thing going on. I was an officer and in charge of several events with my sorority, was active in my church, worked a part-time job often full-time, took a full course load and made it my business to hang out just about every weekend. I thought I could handle it all until my gums told me something different.

Yes, my gums, those things that hold your teeth, had developed a number of painful lesions that my dentist told me come from stress. That was my first lesson in the impact of poor healthcare on the body. Over the years I received more lessons battling acne, costochronditis (inflammation in the rib or cartilage), Candida (too much bad yeast) and osteoarthritis (loss of cartilage between bones in the joints, often causing them to swell). Sick of just getting chemical injections and taking medications to mask the pain I began a major search for naturopathic medicines to get to the root of my issues. I discovered a whole world of natural ways that God had for me and couldn’t believe how duped I had been into believing that only synthetic medicines could cause me relief. Like me, I know there are some of you who have believed the same thing. Well, for your information and to encourage you to start your own natural health quest, I am going to share with you over the next several Fridays a natural method that I have used that has worked for me. I am also going to feature others who have used natural methods that have worked for them.

    #1—Get More Rest

The first and very simple change that worked for me was more rest. I have to get between seven and eight hours of sleep each night. The first time my gum lesions appeared, my dentist gave me a prescription for penicillin and told me to take it easy. The next time my gums became sore (a sign that lesions were coming), I didn’t seek medicine but rest. I do this every time and rest works.

Rest regenerates the cells. This makes my skin clearer, relieves my pain, and prevents or eliminates my lesions. And we all know that a good night’s rest clears the mind, minimizes bags and energizes the body. There will be times when we can’t get to sleep early enough to get a full night’s rest, but we have to make these times as few as possible. We have to forfeit those regular late night phone conversations, social media interactions, volunteer overtime, and that bedtime movie. These all make me feel good when I do them, but I pay for them when I’m dragging the next day. We also have to stop staying up worrying about things that we can’t change.

It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.—Psalm 127:2

Life is demanding enough, let alone for those of us recovering from being that unrealistic strong black woman. We need to be healthy in spirit, mind and body. God wants us this way and helps provide it for us through sleep. At the beginning of the year with all our fresh goals, let’s add getting real rest so we can be refreshed, energized and healthy to do the work we are meant to do.

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith