Dr Paul Allen

Peter's conflict with Simon Magus by Avanzino Nucci, 1620. Simon is on the right, dressed in black. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “‘You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God . Repent , therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.’ And Simon answered, ‘Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.’” Acts 8:21–24 Have you ever had someone say a hard, challenging word to you that stung, but after the sting wore off, you could see clearly that it was exactly what you needed to hear? Often times, when we are knee-deep in sin , it’s hard for us to see our way out. We need someone to wake us up. For some people, it takes the equivalent of a two-by-four to the head—a strong, direct word to show us the depth of our sin. Without it, we simply wouldn’t respo...

Jesus helped by Simon of Cyrene, part of a series depicting the stations of the Cross. Chapel Nosso Senhor dos Passos, Santa Casa de Misericórdia of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Oil on canvas, XIXth century, unknown author. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 27:32 –34 “As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene , Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross” (v. 32). Having finished their scourging and mockery of Jesus in the governor’s headquarters (Matt. 27:26–31), the Roman soldiers take our Lord and begin His march toward the cross. Evidently, the physical beating Christ has suffered at the hands of the centurions has taken its toll, for He is not able to carry His cross on His own. Thus, the soldiers compel a man named Simon to bear the weight of the wooden crosspiece the condemned man would have to carry (v. 32), that is, the part to which Jesus’ arms will be nailed. The vertical beam of the cross is already put in the ground be...

There is no biblical evidence that suggests Satan needs God 's specific permission in order to act against Christians . Many people believe that Job 1 supports the idea of Satan not being able to afflict Job until he asked God. However, consider Satan's argument before God, "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land" ( Job 1:10 ). Satan is obviously familiar with who Job is and is aware of Job's special protection and blessing by God. How could Satan have known of Job's protection, unless he and/or his demonic minions had not already tried to work their will against Job? What Satan is really asking is for God to remove Job's protection. A similar passage is Luke 22:31-32 : " Simon, Simon , Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned...

Crucifixion of St. Peter by Caravaggio. The early Christians were persecuted by the Roman Empire (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Non- Christians live as if God doesn’t exist. Christians live as if the enemy doesn’t exist. Yet the Bible makes it clear that we do have an adversary, and he has a terrible plan for our lives. The apostle Peter put it this way: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). And he should know. Remember Jesus ’ words just before Peter’s denial ? “ Simon, Simon , behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32). As to the terrible plan he has for people’s lives, Jesus made it very clear that a battle rages in the spiritual realm: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have ...

Jesus helped by Simon of Cyrene, part of a series depicting the stations of the Cross. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 27:32–34 “As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene , Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross” ( v. 32 ). Having finished their scourging and mockery of Jesus in the governor’s headquarters ( Matt. 27:26–31 ), the Roman soldiers take our Lord and begin His march toward the cross. Evidently, the physical beating Christ has suffered at the hands of the centurions has taken its toll, for He is not able to carry His cross on His own. Thus, the soldiers compel a man named Simon to bear the weight of the wooden crosspiece the condemned man would have to carry ( v. 32 ), that is, the part to which Jesus’ arms will be nailed. The vertical beam of the cross is already put in the ground before the condemned arrives. Simon is from Cyrene, a Greek settlement in North Africa , and later church traditions depict him as a model of piety for carrying...

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Stephen Simon, a movie producer whose credits include What Dreams May Come and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure , was horrified recently when he noticed a mother who had brought her young son to a showing of the R-rated End of Watch in Tigard , Ore. "It was very violent and very profane from frame one. There were people getting beat up and shot," Simon said. "I thought this is child abuse ." Simon was so upset by the woman's choice that he confronted her and called Child Protective Services . Says Simon, "The woman [at CPS] told me on the phone I was absolutely right and this was a dreadful thing to do but then said there's nothing we can do and suggested I talk to the manager." Simon told United Press International that he's been calling some theater owners to ask them to have their ticket sellers talk to parents about R-rated films' content when they try ...

English: "The Judas Kiss", (Mark 14:45) by Gustave Doré. Judas kisses Jesus in order to betray him to the guards. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The author of Hebrews wrote, " Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption" (9:11–12). We have a great High Priest who offered a sacrifice for us on the cross once and for all—His own blood. That portion of His priestly ministry is finished. But His priestly work for us goes on as He intercedes for us. On the night before He died, Jesus prayed : I have manifested Your name to the men whom you have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I hav...

English: Mary and Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses , and of Juda, and Simon ? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him." ( Mark 6:3 ) There is many an individual who has by God's grace found the Lord and has had a fruitful ministry in a place far from his hometown where he once lived a lifestyle of which he has now repented. Going home is difficult, for his former companions in sin will be there to oppose and tempt and disbelieve. In the course of His travels, Jesus returned to His birthplace ( v. 1 ), and although He had lived a sinless life in His early years, He was still only one of the local citizens, and this resulted in their prideful opposition and disbelief. "And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is...

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon , behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." ( Luke 22:31-32 )   In the evening just before His betrayal, capture, torture, and trial, Christ turned to Simon with these final words, encouraging him to remain strong. Of course, Peter boldly proclaimed that he would never deny Christ, but Christ knew better ( vv. 33-34 ).   Actually, our text is quite forceful. Christ claimed that Satan has "begged earnestly" (literal translation of "desired"), not just for Peter, but for all the disciples, as seen in the plural pronoun "you," to "sift you as wheat." Satan knew (as he still knows) that the fall of Christian leaders causes many others to fall, and if all of the disciples could be made to abandon the faith, th...

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia "And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before." ( Job 42:10 )   Strange as it may seem, the experience of Job indicates that godly believers can be captured by the devil . God Himself allowed Job to fall into such captivity, for He told Satan : "Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life" ( Job 2:6 ). All the sufferings which Job endured were inflicted by his captor, who hoped thereby to get him to renounce the Lord. Similarly, Peter was briefly bound in Satanic captivity. " Simon, Simon ," said Jesus , "behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat" ( Luke 22:31 ).   Such bondage, however, is temporary. Job was delivered "when he prayed for his friends" and Peter when he was "converted" and went forth to "strengthen |his| brethren" as Christ h...