MAGIC VS THE MIRACULOUS
“I believe in crystals”
MAGIC VS. THE MIRACULOUS
There are two groups of non-Christians here: the magician and the materialist.
The woman I referred to was in the first category. I would have fit in the second growing up. I had accepted Charles Darwin into my heart as Lord and Savior.
I have a message for each:
Magician: New Age Spirituality, Wicca, Crystals, Buddhism, Hindu, vague, loose spiritual but not religious types: What your longing for isn’t where you’re looking for it.
Materialist: Like me, you embraced the idea that we are computers made of meat, that evolved from primordial soup. The world is more mysterious and beautiful than you dared imagine.
I want you to experience the real thing. Some of you have settled for a demonic spirituality, others a counterfeit Christianity, still others you’re so disillusioned with the nonsense you have altogether rejected God’s reality.
01. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH UNCLEAN SPIRITS.
Context: Acts 8:7–8 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. [8] So there was much joy in that city.
Not all spirituality is treated equally by the God of the Bible. There is the Holy Spirit and unclean spirits. They do not play well with one another. That is because all other religions are considered false spirituality generated to lead you astray by demons pretending to be false gods.
Even the demons believe and shutter
The "Coexist" sticker is a popular, often bumper-mounted, decal. I saw one the other day in California. The point is to promote peace and harmony among different faiths and ideologies.
The phrase coexist only serves to highlight the arrogance of secularists and stupidly flattens the obviously contradictory truth claims of different religions that are simply incompatible.
Examples:
Buddhism teaches reincarnation until you reach Nirvana, while Christianity teaches Resurrection to the final Judgement and Renewed earth where Christ is King.
Mormonism claims there is an infinite regression of gods, Ollie Mormon Temple Christianity teaches one true eternal and everlasting God reigns.
Radical Islam seeks to establish Islamic rule through jihad violence. Christianity says to love your neighbor, die to yourself, and pray for those who persecute you to advance the Kingdom.
When you open The Qur’an, Wicca’s Book of Shadows, Zoroastrianism’s Avesta, or the Bible you find they are completely contradictory truth claims with completely irreconcilable differences.
So it should be no surprise that when you read the book of Acts:
The Holy Spirit doesn’t coexist—He conquers.
Jesus 7 demons teaching
Acts 8:9–13 [9] But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. [10] They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” [11] And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. [12] But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. [13] Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
Key Contrasts: Do this when you study
Simon practiced magic // Philip preached good news about the kingdom of God
Samaritans paid attention (x2) amazed // Samaritans believed & were baptized
Simon said he himself was somebody great // Philip preached the name of Jesus
Principle: The world works its magic in order to gain attention, amazement, and elevate themselves. Christians preach the good news in order to build the Kingdom and elevate Jesus.
The world performs for applause. The Church proclaims for Kingdom-allegiance.
The world builds platforms. The Church builds the Kingdom.
The world craves attention from people. The Church craves life change for people.
The world performs to gain followers. We preach to make disciples.
The world lifts personalities. We lift a Person.
The world elevates self. The Church elevates Jesus.
The world works pagan magic. The Church walks in the power of God.
Newbigin’s Pattern
01. Pre-Christian / Pagan Culture
Many gods, spirits, animism, or folk religion 👉 Ancient Europe, India, tribal societies
02. Christianized Culture (Christendom)
Gospel shapes public life, Morality becomes biblical, Institutions reflect Christian assumptions 👉 Europe for ~1,000+ years
03. Post-Christian Culture
Christianity rejected or privatized, Society keeps remnants of Christian morality (justice, equality, dignity), But removes the theological foundation 👉 Modern West
04. Return to Neo-Paganism
Newbigin argued that when Christianity fades, cultures don’t become neutral—they re-paganize, but in a new form.
Spirituality returns (but not biblical)
Truth becomes subjective again
Identity becomes self-defined
Transcendence without authority
👉 “Secular” culture is not neutral—it’s religious again, just without Christ.
The Pattern
Pagan → Christian → Post-Christian → Neo-Pagan
The Pattern
Pagan → Christian → Post-Christian → Neo-Pagan
I believe part of why cultures return to paganism is precisely BECAUSE Post-Christian cultures treat truth as subjective and therefore reduce Christianity to one of many options to mix and syncretize with spirituality. Simply put:
Before Christianity is DENIED, it is DILUTED.
Your family follows the same pattern
Jump down
[18] Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, [19] saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
Illustration: Coworker we have Jesus too!
People consider Jesus “one of many ways to God”. Or they blend into other spiritual ideas and preference like some kind of strange religious graveyard slurpy.
The term Moralistic therapeutic Deism was coined by sociologists Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton in their 2005 book, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. It describes the functional religious belief system common among American youth of that time prioritizing being "nice," feeling good, and utilizing God for personal happiness.
This is where as a kid I remember most of the moms of my friends would have “Faith Hope and Love” magnets on their fridge, learn from Oprah and Deepak Choppra on TV, do yoga and meditation on the weekends, and read the prayer of Jabez and the only verses they could quote were “Love your neighbor” and “judge not least ye be judged” out of context…
This mixture with the world
But here’s the question, have you experienced authentic Christianity? Or is there mixture with paganism, materialism, or neo-paganism?
I would go so far as to suggest some
THE HOLY SPIRIT FILLS AUTHENTIC FAITH.
Acts 7:14- 17 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, [15] who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, [16] for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. [17] Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
Why do Peter and John have to administer the Holy Spirit?
God was doing this unique thing to validate the movement under the leadership of the apostles. Why? The authority of the Word of God is what unifies the Church, not randomized and subjective spiritual experiences of the Holy Spirit. The apostles were the men on whom was bestowed the authority to ultimately write or approve New Testament Scripture. This was God’s way of establishing His seal, under the right doctrine and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Lunch money possible illustration “I wanted them to know that it was Jesus that did it.”
What did it look like?
We’re not given certainty. The evidences of first Spirit-fillings are differentiated in Acts:
❌ Wrong takeaway: “Real first filling = always tongues.”
✅ Biblical takeaway: “Real first filling = varied evidences that point to Jesus.”
Evidences of Spirit-Filling in Acts
(3-4 Columns on slide here)
tongues (Acts 2:4)
languages (Acts 2:4)
bold-preaching (Acts 2:14)
boldness (Acts 4:8)
boldness (Acts 4:31)
proclamation (Acts 4:31)
faith (Acts 6:5)
character (Acts 6:5)
vision (Acts 7:55)
glory-sight (Acts 7:55)
observable-sign (Acts 8:18)
heart-change (Acts 9:17)
healing (Acts 9:17)
preaching (Acts 9:20)
heart-transformation (Acts 9:20)
tongues (Acts 10:46)
worship (Acts 10:46)
authority (Acts 13:9)
confrontation (Acts 13:9)
joy (Acts 13:52)
perseverance (Acts 13:52)
tongues (Acts 19:6)
prophecy (Acts 19:6)
Believer: Are these things that mark your life?
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven… And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
Balloon illustration grace
Skeptic: Do you long to experience these things? Trust in Jesus and be filled with His Holy Spirit!
Why do you want the power of God?
[20] But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! [21] You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. [22] Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. [23] For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” [24] And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”
God offers something that money can’t buy. There is more than this world has to offer in what you receive when you receive jJesus.
Some of you are seeking spiritual encounters like Simon, but you’ve settled for a cheap counterfeit. You’ve made God too small. A god of your own making. Something cheap and incapable of saving. I want to introduce you to the real God of the Bible.
Let’s notice:
“Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”
Even the FOOL in this story can be saved!
That’s because of the cross of Christ. Jesus died for our sin and error so that we can live. He died to take our debt of sin so that we can be set free. Every other world religion says if you get it wrong, you need to work your way upward to get it right. Only Christianity says Jesus came down and died for you when you and I couldn’t get it right. When we were sunk in slavery to sin, He did the work that we couldn’t, so we could be forgiven and set free.
Maybe you got here because of Crystals…
Maybe God can use that to lead you to the real thing
→ “Feel their way toward God”
Burning magic books
INVITATION
PRAY