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E-pistle for July 22, 2005

#1 · July 22, 2005, 11:50 am

Quote from Forum Archives on July 22, 2005, 11:50 am
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E-pistle

Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay Foundation
July 22, 2005

Today's Interview: Simon the Sorcerer

Accreditation of Pillsbury C&S

Curt Scarborough's INTERVIEWS FROM HELL

Featuring Today's Special Guest

SIMON THE SORCERER

CS Simon, according to the book of ACTS, you originally
became famous

in the city of Samaria as a sorcerer. Did you
actually dabble in the

black arts and witchcraft, empowered by the prince
of darkness, or

were you merely a skilled slight-of-hand illusionist
and magician?

Simon It is against the magicians' code to reveal such secrets.
But since I am

now confined eternally to the pit of hell, I have
nothing else to lose.

CS If a man loses his soul, what else matters?

Simon Exactly! I astonished the citizens of Samaria with
divination and

miracles under the authority and power of the forces
of Satan.

CS You really performed miracles and forecast the future?

Simon Yes! I am one of those whom Jesus warned about when He
taught,

"Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have
we not prophesied

in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done
many wonders

in Your name?'"

CS And the Lord declared to such hypocrites: "Depart
from Me; I never

knew you!" (Matthew 7:22-23)

Simon Everyone in Samaria proclaimed me as a great
miracle-worker and

spiritual guru until Philip came to town. Through
the power of Jesus

Christ, Philip performed healings and exorcisms far
beyond my

power and ability. Multitudes were seeing his
miracles and accepting

the gospel he preached.

CS Dr. Luke recorded that you believed also and were
baptized.

Simon I believed that Philip performed miracles . . . I saw
them with my own

eyes! I asked him to baptize me in the hope that
some of his power

would wash off onto me.

CS So, you did not repent and have a genuine experience
of salvation by

receiving Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?

Simon What kind of a dumb questions is that? If I had been
born again by

faith in Christ, I certainly wouldn't be spending
eternity here in hell!

CS I knew that! But you did attach yourself to Philip,
observing carefully

everything he did and listening to his words.

Simon All the spectacular miracles and signs he performed were
beyond my

understanding. It was absolutely amazing!

CS Didn't your heart long for the reality of the
spiritual experiences that

Philip and the other believers possessed?

Simon I was more interested in being able to match their
showmanship.

Their ability to heal the sick was worth a fortune .
. . but they gave

away those miracles without charge. Imagine! They
did it free . . .

not even taking a love offering! It was a gold
mine, but those rubes

had no idea how to exploit their powers to turn a
handsome profit.

CS Then Peter and John arrived from Jerusalem to check
out the revival

which was reported to be sweeping Samaria. Were you
impressed by

those two leading disciples?

Simon Not really! They were quite ordinary in appearance, and
frankly, I

was a little disappointed. I expected them to
arrive with a fanfare of

trumpets . . . something like a circus coming to
town. But they were

just plain laborers, not far removed from a smelly
fisherman's wharf.

CS Did Peter and John perform other miracles when they
arrived?

Simon Their power was even more stupendous than Philip's!

CS What did they do?

Simon When Peter and John came to Samaria, they prayed for the
believers

that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

CS Those believers already had been baptized in Jesus'
name, but the

Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon them. Did you
observe the same

signs as on the day of Pentecost . . . sound of
rushing wind, flames of

fire, and speaking in other languages?

Simon I saw such phenomena happening right before my eyes, and
I coveted

such ability. In fact, I offered Peter a huge
amount of money if he

would bestow his power upon me.

CS You asked for the Holy Spirit's empowerment?

Simon No, I asked for the ability to lay hands on others so
they could receive

the Holy Spirit's power and signs. I could have
made a fortune!

CS Did you know that a form of you name, "simony," has
entered our

vocabulary, meaning, "the sin of offering or
receiving money in

exchange for a church office or some other spiritual
benefit"?

Simon To my eternal shame, I am aware that my name has become
linked

and immortalized as a type of spiritual sin. Peter
rebuked me

severely, exclaiming: "Your money perish with you,
because you

thought that the gift of God could be purchased with
money!"

CS He prophesied that you were perishing spiritually?

Simon Peter made that clear: "Your heart is not right in the
sight of God!" He

went on to say: "Repent of your wickedness, and
pray God if perhaps

the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For
I see that you are

poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity!"
(Acts 8:20-24)

CS Did you repent and pray for forgiveness?

Simon Regretfully, no! When Peter confronted me, specifying my
sin,

warning of judgment, and urging me to repent, my
heart turned cold.

Instead of confessing my sin and begging God for
forgiveness

personally, I asked Peter to pray to the Lord for
me, so that none of

the things which He had spoken would come upon me.

CS You asked Peter to pray that your punishment would be
removed?

That's "second party" faith and it simply doesn't
work! . . . Simon,

did you learn any lesson that might benefit persons
living today?

Simon When God convicts you of sin: repent, confess, and turn
to Jesus in

faith. Remember this! You can't buy spiritual
things with money.

Salvation is FREE, but Jesus purchased it with His
own precious blood!

Accreditation of Pillsbury College & Seminary

Pillsbury College & Seminary represents a personal and practical
distance-learning alternative approach to Christian education. By its very
nature, Pillsbury is too innovative and experimental to fit into the
traditional mold established by most official accrediting agencies in the
United States. At its founding, however, the College & Seminary did adopt
and meet all the structural, financial, and academic guidelines established
by an officially recognized accrediting agency.

Pillsbury, furthermore, does uphold the highest standards of
academic excellence, ethical conduct, and moral integrity to assure that all
the degrees awarded are absolutely legitimate and totally honorable. The
College & Seminary is owned, controlled, and operated by Freeway Foundation
. . . formerly Christian Civic Foundation . . . a widely respected, legally
recognized Christian educational institution chartered by the State of
Missouri in 1890.

As a Christian school, Pillsbury College & Seminary was granted
an "exemption" by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education of the State
of Missouri on August 19, 1992.

In January, 2003, Pillsbury College & Seminary was granted
"Accredited" status by the Accrediting Commission International for Schools,
Colleges, and Theological Seminaries. ACI is an independent non-profit
corporation chartered as an accrediting agency for small Bible colleges and
specialized Christian schools, institutes, and seminaries.

ACI is dedicated to assisting those institutions of Christian
higher education to gain a quality, non-regional accreditation,
characterized by academic excellence and ethical practices. It has a
current membership of over 250 schools in 39 states. Because of the
convictions of its member schools in support of religious freedom and the
separation of church and state, ACI has elected not to request official
recognition as an accrediting agency from the U.S. Department of Education.

Persons whose professional or career goals require certification
by a state or federal government agency should check to determine whether a
degree from Pillsbury College & Seminary would be acceptable. Individuals
needing to earn a regionally accredited degree in one of the disciplines
offered by Pillsbury may wish to investigate comparable programs offered at
more traditional on-campus institutions currently accredited by a regional
association recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

____________________________________________________________________________
__________________

For more information e-mail [email protected] or call Dr.
Scarborough at 314-739-1121

"I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder

I work the more I have of it!"

- Thomas Jefferson

--
To unsubscribe, send ANY messag

Posted by: info <info@...>

E-pistle

Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay Foundation
July 22, 2005

Today's Interview: Simon the Sorcerer

Accreditation of Pillsbury C&S

Curt Scarborough's INTERVIEWS FROM HELL

Featuring Today's Special Guest

SIMON THE SORCERER

CS Simon, according to the book of ACTS, you originally
became famous

in the city of Samaria as a sorcerer. Did you
actually dabble in the

black arts and witchcraft, empowered by the prince
of darkness, or

were you merely a skilled slight-of-hand illusionist
and magician?

Simon It is against the magicians' code to reveal such secrets.
But since I am

now confined eternally to the pit of hell, I have
nothing else to lose.

CS If a man loses his soul, what else matters?

Simon Exactly! I astonished the citizens of Samaria with
divination and

miracles under the authority and power of the forces
of Satan.

CS You really performed miracles and forecast the future?

Simon Yes! I am one of those whom Jesus warned about when He
taught,

"Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have
we not prophesied

in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done
many wonders

in Your name?'"

CS And the Lord declared to such hypocrites: "Depart
from Me; I never

knew you!" (Matthew 7:22-23)

Simon Everyone in Samaria proclaimed me as a great
miracle-worker and

spiritual guru until Philip came to town. Through
the power of Jesus

Christ, Philip performed healings and exorcisms far
beyond my

power and ability. Multitudes were seeing his
miracles and accepting

the gospel he preached.

CS Dr. Luke recorded that you believed also and were
baptized.

Simon I believed that Philip performed miracles . . . I saw
them with my own

eyes! I asked him to baptize me in the hope that
some of his power

would wash off onto me.

CS So, you did not repent and have a genuine experience
of salvation by

receiving Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?

Simon What kind of a dumb questions is that? If I had been
born again by

faith in Christ, I certainly wouldn't be spending
eternity here in hell!

CS I knew that! But you did attach yourself to Philip,
observing carefully

everything he did and listening to his words.

Simon All the spectacular miracles and signs he performed were
beyond my

understanding. It was absolutely amazing!

CS Didn't your heart long for the reality of the
spiritual experiences that

Philip and the other believers possessed?

Simon I was more interested in being able to match their
showmanship.

Their ability to heal the sick was worth a fortune .
. . but they gave

away those miracles without charge. Imagine! They
did it free . . .

not even taking a love offering! It was a gold
mine, but those rubes

had no idea how to exploit their powers to turn a
handsome profit.

CS Then Peter and John arrived from Jerusalem to check
out the revival

which was reported to be sweeping Samaria. Were you
impressed by

those two leading disciples?

Simon Not really! They were quite ordinary in appearance, and
frankly, I

was a little disappointed. I expected them to
arrive with a fanfare of

trumpets . . . something like a circus coming to
town. But they were

just plain laborers, not far removed from a smelly
fisherman's wharf.

CS Did Peter and John perform other miracles when they
arrived?

Simon Their power was even more stupendous than Philip's!

CS What did they do?

Simon When Peter and John came to Samaria, they prayed for the
believers

that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

CS Those believers already had been baptized in Jesus'
name, but the

Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon them. Did you
observe the same

signs as on the day of Pentecost . . . sound of
rushing wind, flames of

fire, and speaking in other languages?

Simon I saw such phenomena happening right before my eyes, and
I coveted

such ability. In fact, I offered Peter a huge
amount of money if he

would bestow his power upon me.

CS You asked for the Holy Spirit's empowerment?

Simon No, I asked for the ability to lay hands on others so
they could receive

the Holy Spirit's power and signs. I could have
made a fortune!

CS Did you know that a form of you name, "simony," has
entered our

vocabulary, meaning, "the sin of offering or
receiving money in

exchange for a church office or some other spiritual
benefit"?

Simon To my eternal shame, I am aware that my name has become
linked

and immortalized as a type of spiritual sin. Peter
rebuked me

severely, exclaiming: "Your money perish with you,
because you

thought that the gift of God could be purchased with
money!"

CS He prophesied that you were perishing spiritually?

Simon Peter made that clear: "Your heart is not right in the
sight of God!" He

went on to say: "Repent of your wickedness, and
pray God if perhaps

the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For
I see that you are

poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity!"
(Acts 8:20-24)

CS Did you repent and pray for forgiveness?

Simon Regretfully, no! When Peter confronted me, specifying my
sin,

warning of judgment, and urging me to repent, my
heart turned cold.

Instead of confessing my sin and begging God for
forgiveness

personally, I asked Peter to pray to the Lord for
me, so that none of

the things which He had spoken would come upon me.

CS You asked Peter to pray that your punishment would be
removed?

That's "second party" faith and it simply doesn't
work! . . . Simon,

did you learn any lesson that might benefit persons
living today?

Simon When God convicts you of sin: repent, confess, and turn
to Jesus in

faith. Remember this! You can't buy spiritual
things with money.

Salvation is FREE, but Jesus purchased it with His
own precious blood!

Accreditation of Pillsbury College & Seminary

Pillsbury College & Seminary represents a personal and practical
distance-learning alternative approach to Christian education. By its very
nature, Pillsbury is too innovative and experimental to fit into the
traditional mold established by most official accrediting agencies in the
United States. At its founding, however, the College & Seminary did adopt
and meet all the structural, financial, and academic guidelines established
by an officially recognized accrediting agency.

Pillsbury, furthermore, does uphold the highest standards of
academic excellence, ethical conduct, and moral integrity to assure that all
the degrees awarded are absolutely legitimate and totally honorable. The
College & Seminary is owned, controlled, and operated by Freeway Foundation
. . . formerly Christian Civic Foundation . . . a widely respected, legally
recognized Christian educational institution chartered by the State of
Missouri in 1890.

As a Christian school, Pillsbury College & Seminary was granted
an "exemption" by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education of the State
of Missouri on August 19, 1992.

In January, 2003, Pillsbury College & Seminary was granted
"Accredited" status by the Accrediting Commission International for Schools,
Colleges, and Theological Seminaries. ACI is an independent non-profit
corporation chartered as an accrediting agency for small Bible colleges and
specialized Christian schools, institutes, and seminaries.

ACI is dedicated to assisting those institutions of Christian
higher education to gain a quality, non-regional accreditation,
characterized by academic excellence and ethical practices. It has a
current membership of over 250 schools in 39 states. Because of the
convictions of its member schools in support of religious freedom and the
separation of church and state, ACI has elected not to request official
recognition as an accrediting agency from the U.S. Department of Education.

Persons whose professional or career goals require certification
by a state or federal government agency should check to determine whether a
degree from Pillsbury College & Seminary would be acceptable. Individuals
needing to earn a regionally accredited degree in one of the disciplines
offered by Pillsbury may wish to investigate comparable programs offered at
more traditional on-campus institutions currently accredited by a regional
association recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

____________________________________________________________________________
__________________

For more information e-mail [email protected] or call Dr.
Scarborough at 314-739-1121

"I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder

I work the more I have of it!"

- Thomas Jefferson

--
To unsubscribe, send ANY messag