The Dangers of Bitterness in the Lives of Christians: The Case of Simon the Sorcerer (a.k.a. Simon Magus)

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice." (Ephesians 4:31; NIV; emphasis mine)

The Apostle Paul instructed believers in the church of Ephesus to get rid of all bitterness, and based on the book of Acts, we have also on record one believer  (Simon Magus, who was also known as Simon the Sorcerer) who was in bondage to bitterness, as well as other sins (Acts 8:18-24; NIV; emphasis mine):

¹⁸ When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money ¹⁹ and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

²⁰ Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! ²¹ You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. ²² Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. ²³ For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

²⁴ Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

Unforunately, church tradition suggests that Simon the Sorcerer did not end well. According to The Search for the Twelve Apostles, this is how Simon met his eventual death:

"The magician, vanquished by a superior power, flung his books into the Dead Sea, broke his wand, and fled to Rome, where he became a great favorite of the Emperor Claudius, and afterwards of Nero. Peter, bent on counteracting the wicked sorceries of Simon, followed him to Rome. About two years after his arrival he was joined there by the Apostle Paul. Simon Magus having asserted that he was himself a god, and could raise the dead, Peter and Paul rebuked his impiety, and challenged him to a trial of skill in the presence of the emperor. The arts of the magician failed; Peter and Paul restored the youth to life and on many other occasions Simon was vanquished and put to shame by the miraculous power of the Apostles. At length he undertook to fly up to heaven in sight of the emperor and the people; and, crowned with laurel, and supported by denons, he flung himself from a tower, and appeared for a while to float thus in the air, but St.Peter, falling on his knees commanded the denons to let go their hold, and Simon, precipitated to the ground, was dashed to pieces." ("Sacred and Legendary Art," Anna Jameson, p.209)."



The church tradition of Simon Magus crashing to the ground at the feet of Emperor Nero when the Apostle Peter commanded the demons who suspended him in midair to let him go is depicted in an artwork commissioned in the 1460s by the Alessandri family in Florence, and which is now exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Simon Magus is considered to be the first Christian heretic, the first Gnostic, and the founder of the sect of the Simonians. Had he been diligent in getting rid of his bitterness and other sins, it seems certain that history would have painted him in a different light.

Actor Chew Chor Meng Has An Incurable Genetic Disorder and Was Only Given 18 Months to Live, But Has Long Outlived the Doctor's Prognosis

When actor Chew Chor Meng was diagnosed with Kennedy's Disease (a rare genetic disorder that affects the nerves) in 2008, he had two doctors tell him that he had only 18 months to live.

Today, however, Chew remains well and alive, seven years after the prognosis given by the two doctors.

Chew shares his story in the three Youtube boxes below. The first is in Mandarin/Chinese, the second is an Teochew (however, it is incomplete), and the third is in English (but is audio-only).

Can Divorced Christians Remarry?

Can a Christian, who has had a valid reason for divorce, remarry?

I believe the answer is 'no'.

"Aha!" one might say to me after citing Matthew 19:9 ("I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery"), "Doesn't it say here that if your spouse has committed adultery, and that you have separated from your cheating spouse due to this, that you are allowed to remarry?"

One might add, "It seems unfair if you are not allowed to remmary, since it is your spouse's fault."
Admittedly, this verse may be construed as provision for remarriage following separation from an unfaithful partner. However, such a perspective would not be congruent with what the early church taught.

In the Shephard of Hermas (a Christian literary work of the 2nd century that is considered a valuable book by many Christians, and considered canonical scripture by some of the early Church fathers, such as Irenaeus), we find Hermas questioning his heavenly guardian about what a man should do if he learns that his wife is guilty of adultery and persists in it:

"I say to him, 'Sir, permit me to ask thee a few more questions.' 'Say on,' saith he. 'Sir,' say I, 'if a man who has a wife that is faithful in the Lord detect her in adultery, doth the husband sin in living with her?' 'So long as he is ignorant,' saith he, 'he sinneth not; but if the husband know of her sin, and the wife repent not, but continue in her fornication, and her husband live with her, he makes himself responsible for her sin and an accomplice in her adultery.' 'What then, Sir,' say I, 'shall the husband do, if the wife continue in this case?' 'Let him divorce her,' saith he, 'and let the husband abide alone: but if after divorcing his wife he shall marry another, he likewise committeth adultery.' 'If then, Sir,' say I, 'after the wife is divorced, she repent and desire to return to her own husband, shall she not be received?' 'Certainly,' saith he, 'if the husband receiveth her not, he sinneth and bringeth great sin upon himself; ... For this cause ye were enjoined to remain single, whether husband or wife; for in such cases repentance is possible.'"

Here, it should be noted that Hermas allowed for separation because of adultery, but required that the man remain single in hopes of his wife's future repentance.

TRUE STORY: Worldly, Pleasure-loving Woman Was Invited in a Dream to Join Jesus Christ in Heaven, But She Rejected the Invitation to Her Own Detriment

When Jesus Christ comes knocking on the door of your heart, please don’t reject Him, as there may never be another chance, as this poignant true story narrated by the late Basilea Schlink in her book What Comes After Death? Illustrates:

Who then will have the right to live in the heavenly Jerusalem? Who will be permitted to walk through its golden streets one day? Who will be granted the privilege to dwell in the palaces of Jesus, the King, to sit at table with Him and behold His countenance of ineffable beauty? Surely, it stands to reason that in such a city where the King of kings resides no paupers with shabby, dirty clothes will be able to live, but rather only priestly, kingly figures (Revelation 1:5f).

A true incident serves as a good illustration. In London there were three sisters living together. One of them was far away from Jesus and completely taken up with the interests of this world. One night she returned home late from a dance. The next morning she was considerably distraught. Her sisters questioned her at length and finally she told them that she had had a dream. It had shaken her deeply.

And it was so real that she could still see every detail. She found herself in a city of inconceivable beauty - never before had she imagined such beauty possible. Through the streets of the city people moved graciously with a kingly bearing, their faces radiant with joy. And she saw magnificent palaces, not like those on earth, but pervaded with light and brilliance. The streets seemed to be made of pure crystal. They were luminous and strikingly beautiful. She noticed that all the people who walked by were heading for the same goal, but she felt that she had nothing in common with them.

She followed them to a palace that far surpassed all the others in splendour, a sea of light for sheer beauty and exquisite loveliness. People of all nations were entering this palace and when they came out, they were clad in wonderful, dazzling white garments. As she stood there, everyone passing by called to her, 'Come, do come in. Let yourself be purified and made happy. Then you will be given this wonderful garment!' And one of those hastening past took her by the hand and led her into the palace. With graceful movements the regal figures glided into the hall. All joined in the anthems of adoration and moved to the strains of heavenly music, but she sat disgruntled in a corner. One of the figures moved swiftly up to her and said, 'Won't you come and be happy with us?' Whereupon she replied, ‘I don't want to sing with you; I don't know the tunes of your songs. I don't want to dance with you; I don't know the steps of your dances.'

Suddenly she saw Someone step forward, who commanded more reverence than the others and excelled all in beauty, being radiant like the sun. All the music and songs were in His honour. In His presence the faces shone brighter still and the music sounded even more glorious. All the singing and rejoicing were meant for Him - the King of Kings, Jesus! He drew near to her and she was immersed in the stream of His unending love. Addressing her, He said, 'Why are you sitting apart? Come and be happy with us and join in the anthems of praise.' 'I don't want to. I don't know the tunes,' she retorted defiantly. ‘Then why are you here?' came the thundering reply and at these words the earth opened and swallowed her up.

This was her dream. Her sisters sought to explain it to her and said, 'God was speaking with you.' But she hardened her heart and remained adamant, saying, 'I don't want to.' A few days later she was suddenly found dead with a terrible expression on her face. She had fallen prey to hell.

When we stand before the gates of the heavenly world, may we not have to say, 'I can't go in. Everything here is so foreign to me. I don't know these strains of love and adoration for Jesus and the Father. The world I live in is a different one. Other chords are struck in my heart. I am filled with other interests, earthly interests – my self, my reputation, my well-being!'

We are still living in a time of grace. Jesus is still knocking on the door of our hearts and showing us through the Holy Spirit the way of preparation. We still have the chance now to learn the strains of those who truly Jove Him, the songs of adoration, by letting ourselves be cleansed and delivered from our sinful ego by His blood. By consenting to the Father's chastenings with a 'Yes, Father', we can still be transformed, so that one day we shall have the right to dwell in the wonderful City of God as citizens and attain the goal of supreme joy as the bride of the Lamb.

Testimony of a Former Temple Medium and Drug Abuser (In Hokkien/Mandarin)

This audio-only testimony given by a former temple medium cum drug abuser was recorded sometime during the 90s, and in it, this brother-in-Christ shares how he got saved, of his marvellous transformation, and his miraculous healing from a painful stomach ailment.

He also explains, in some detail, the business of being a temple medium -- of how the demons enter and leave the medium's body as they please (even at the most importune time for the medium), and of how the medium does not feel any pain when the demons are controlling him to mutilate his own body.

Kindly take note that at certain parts of the testimony, the volume levels may be soft, so please adjust the audio volume accordingly.

If you enjoyed listening to this tesimony, you might also wish to listen to the testimony of another ex-medium, Vincent Liow (who was a trance medium for the Monkey God for over 10 years), which can be accessed by clicking HERE.

The Elite Own More Than the Rest of the World

Although he has not done so in more recent times, Pastor Lindsey Williams had previously for a number of years gone on various Internet talks shows claiming that “there is a group of people on the face of the earth who control the world”. He referred to these people as “The Elite”.

Many people were quick to dismiss his claims. However, according to a study by anti-poverty charity Oxfam that was recently publicised, the richest 1% of people on earth is expected to own more than the remaining 99%, by the end of this year.

The inequality in wealth is “simply staggering”, noted Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International. Ms Byanyima added that “the gap between the richest and the rest is widening fast”.

Citing statistics from Oxfam, The Guardian highlighted that the wealth of the poorest 50% dropped by 41% between 2010 and 2015, despite an increase in the global population of 400 million. In the same period, the wealth of the richest 62 people increased by $500 billion to $1.76 trillion.

Also, according to the charity, in 2010, the 388 richest people owned the same wealth as the poorest 50%. This dropped to 80 in 2014, before falling again in 2015 – suggesting that wealth is being concentrated in the hands of a very minority of people.

Christian Movie Celebrity Gets Healed Miraculously But Later Dies of Uncontrolled Anger

In his book Spirit, Soul & Body, the late American evangelist Lester Sumrall shared an amazing story of how a Filipino movie celebrity had become a Christian and was miraculously healed by God, but later died in a fit of uncontrolled temper:

When we lived in Manila, Philippines, one of their movie idols was converted. He had had a stroke. His tongue hung out the side of his mouth, and he was almost an idiot. They brought him to our services where Brother Clifton Erickson was the evangelist. God miraculously healed that man. His tongue went back into his mouth. He got up and began to talk. They brought him in a wheelchair, but he walked out of there while someone else pushed the chair. God had totally healed him. I went to his house to see him. His beautiful wife said to me, “Brother Sumrall, this is not the first time he has had this. He gets this way through his temper. I’ve seen him scream until he foams at the mouth and falls on the floor.” I turned to Carlos and said, “That is your natural Adamic nature. If you ever do it again, you may die.” He said, “I promise not to.” He was dead in a month’s time. His wife said, “Brother Sumrall, he was so angry and screamed so loudly that people could hear him a city block away. The very moment that he dropped dead, he was bellowing like a bull and cursing as loud as he could curse.”

In sharing this story in his book, Bro Sumrall wanted to illustrate the importance for Christians to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, and to no longer be controlled by their sinful Adamic natures (or the ‘flesh’, as the bible refers to it):

“If you do not control that Adamic nature and subdue it with the power of the Spirit, it will ruin you and send you to the wrong place,” wrote Sumrall.

Indeed, Romans 8:5-8 (NASB, with emphasis added) says:

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Bro Sumrall observed, “Did you know that millions of Christians have no idea whether or not they are living in the Spirit?”

“Did you know that every church problem that has been was born in the soulish part of the church, through the Adamic nature and not Jesus?”

“We must learn to have the mind of Christ. The mind of Christ is a spiritual mind, not a carnal mind."