FOLLOW HIM  ·  Week 2

You Believe in God… But You Haven’t Let Go

Acts 8:9–24  ·  April 26, 2026

BIG IDEA

You can believe everything about Jesus and still want to stay at the center of your own story. That’s not following Him — it’s using Him.

Key Passage

Acts 8:9–24 (NLT)

Simon was a celebrated sorcerer in Samaria — called “the Great One — the Power of God.” He believed, was baptized, and followed Philip everywhere. But when he saw the apostles give the Holy Spirit through laying on hands, he offered them money for the same power. Peter rebuked him: “Your heart is not right before God.” Simon asked Peter to pray so the consequences wouldn’t come — but never repented.

Supporting Verses:

Acts 8:19  —  “”Let me have this power, too,” he requested, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit.””

Mark 9:35  —  “”Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.””

Philippians 2:3  —  “”Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.””

Matthew 6:24  —  “”No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.””

James 4:3  —  “”And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are wrong — you want only what will give you pleasure.””

2 Corinthians 7:10  —  “The kind of sorrow God wants leads away from sin and results in salvation… But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.”

Main Points

1.  You Can Follow Jesus and Still Need to Be Somebody

Simon’s entire identity was built on being the most spiritually significant person in Samaria. Conversion changed where he was — but not where he was going.

Like Gideon, who refused the title of king but built something that kept him at the center anyway — Simon found a religious way to remain significant. He couldn’t stay a nobody.

The instinct to protect our status doesn’t disappear when we believe. It goes underground — until it surfaces at the exact moment someone else gets what we wanted.

Reflect:  In the areas where you serve, give, or lead — who are you most aware of? Jesus or yourself? That awareness is a compass telling you where you are going.

2.  You Can Follow Jesus and Still Trust Yourself

Whatever you reach for when you feel threatened is what you actually believe in. Simon had believed in Jesus — but hadn’t unlearned his old operating system. When the moment came, he reached for his wallet.

Like Balaam (2 Peter 2:15), who never stopped being a prophet but kept trying to find a version of faith that let him stay in control of the outcome — Simon brought his old idol with him and gave it a new name. The idol was significance. The new name was ministry.

Peter’s verdict: “Your heart is not right before God.” Not your theology. Not your belief. Your heart.

Reflect:  What did you reach for the last time you felt out of control, frustrated, or scared? Whatever it is, it’s telling you something about where you are actually going.

3.  You Can Feel Convicted and Still Not Repent

There is a sorrow that manages consequences without changing direction. It feels like repentance — but produces none of its fruit.

Peter gave Simon a clear path: repent, pray, ask forgiveness. Simon’s response: “Pray to the Lord for me so these terrible things won’t happen to me.” He wanted the consequences removed — not his direction changed. Like Pharaoh, who asked for relief after every plague but hardened his heart when it came.

Remorse manages the feeling.  Repentance changes the direction.

They feel similar from the inside. They produce entirely different outcomes.

Application

Simon did everything right on the outside. Believed. Baptized. Engaged. Wanted to be in ministry. But underneath it all, he was still pointed at himself.

We’re probably closer to Simon than we are to Ananias and Sapphira:

•  We still feel the need to be seen.

•  We still need to stay in control.

•  We still need Jesus to work within our expectations.

Following Jesus is not about where you are. It is about where you are going.

God isn’t asking you to believe something new. He’s asking you to surrender something old — the need to matter on your own terms, the need to stay in control.

Repentance is not saying you’re sorry.

It’s letting go of the direction you’re facing and turning around.

No one can do this for you. And every one of us can do this.

_________________________________________________________________________