Where are all the miracles? The age of Simony?
Posted by appolus on October 24, 2022
Signs and wonders and miracles follow those who believe. It follows the dramatic transformation of souls, which is of course the greatest miracle of all. A large majority of Christendom seem only transfixed on miracles. We see in Acts 8-9 a man called Simon magician or sorcerer. Upon seeing the power of the Apostles, he wanted the same power and desired to “purchase,” it. Of course he is sternly rebuked. He is never mentioned in Scripture again. In extra biblical writings it seems he continued in his sorcery while still being around the Christian community. He gave rise to the word “Simony,” which means “using religion for profit.” Men like Simon would never move in the power of God. May I suggest we live in an age of Simony. There is so little evidence of the miraculous power of God in Christendom because Christendom in large part is run by men who “use religion for profit.” God is still a miracle working God, therefore if there is a fundamental lack of the true supernatural power among that which names itself the church, then that is a reflection on them and not upon our Lord who never changes.
If God has not changed, and of course He has not, then why it is that there is next to no supernatural power on display in what we call the church today? Can I suggest that one of the major causes is “Simony” those who “use religion for profit.” And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? (Judges 6:13) Where are all the miracles Gideon asks? The very first thing Gideon had to do was tear down the idols of his fathers. What Gideon did, we will not do. The traditions of our fathers still stand and they are more important to us than the commandments of God. The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same things over and over again and expect different results. If there is a crisis and a lack of genuine power within the ranks of Christendom, then the answer is not to dim the lights, bring on the smoke machines and turn Sunday services into secular looking concerts. The answer, as always, lies within the Word of God and His commandments. 1 Cor 14. This is the model, and if we refuse to return to the Word of God in order to maintain our own traditions and the salaries of “senior pastors and so called worship leaders” then, of course, not only will nothing change, it will only get worse.
A Call To The Remnant 
John P. Thomas said
Hi Frank,
I have been struggling with simony in every church organization I have attended. I use the phrase “church organization” because churches in the US are almost always a 501-C3 tax exempt organization which puts them under the authority of government and pulls the people away from the authority of Jesus as the head of His church. My wife and I don’t attend church organizations because God is rarely present, regardless of what people hope is true. My wife has late stage heart failure and we look directly to the hand of our Lord Jesus to bring her the miracle of healing. High income for senior pastors and worship leaders disgusts me as does million dollar endowments that I have seen in small church organizations that had wealthy members who had died.
A friend of mine recently published an article “Synagogue of Satan: Why It’s Time to Leave the Corporate Christian Church” on his website.
https://created4health.org/synagogue-of-satan-why-its-time-to-leave-the-corporate-christian-church/
When I was a new believer back in 2003, I thought it was possible to help church organizations awake to the call of Jesus and behave as our Lord intended. I quickly realized that they are happy just the way they are. We have been marginalized numerous times when we called church organizations to start acting like the church that Jesus wanted.
Today I cherish every moment when I have an encounter with other true believers. I accept that the encounter might only be for a few minutes or a few hours or through the context of an email. I look forward to heaven when there will be true fellowship around the throne of God. I long for those times!
Today, I live in physical isolation with my wife. I am her fulltime caregiver. In addition to heart failure, she has multiple chemical sensitivity which means in part that she is made intensely sick when exposed to synthetic fragrance products that people usually have on their clothing and bodies. We live in a fragrance free home and find it nearly impossible to have face-to-face contact with other people (believers or nonbelievers) because they value their fragrances more than they value having contact with us.
I don’t recall if I previously mentioned that I am blind. In church organizations this makes me kind of popular especially when I can quote scripture and speak/write inspiring words. But the presence of my wife in those same organizations makes her an outcast. Other women hate her because she “doesn’t like the way they smell.” They can’t get it that their smell will give her a three-day migraine after only a few minutes of contact. In one church, my wife tried to explain her condition to a women’s Bible study group. The next Sunday we heard that my wife has a multiple personality disorder. Multiple chemical sensitivity got turned into a mental illness and none of the women would even talk to her any longer.
I have come to the conclusion long ago that only about 5% or so of people who attend church organizations are actually converted. The rest are there for the show. This makes me have an even deeper longing for heaven when we will be welcomed by other believers.
Thanks for reading. We have many very similar views about our Lord and His church.
John