The New Age isn’t new, as there’s nothing new under the sun. We can see elements of New Age deception in the story of Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8:9-24. Simon amazed the people of Samaria with his magic, and he boasted that he was someone great. Yet Simon craved more, in the form of the spiritual power that he saw in the apostles. He hoped to buy this power and exploit it for his own glory.

This story exposes the danger of seeking power for self-glory rather than glorifying God and submitting to His authority. It also parallels the New Age obsession with psychic ability, supernatural manifestations, and “upgrades” of spiritual energy. The lust for power is rebellion against God’s sovereignty and there’s a desire for “more” that can never be satisfied.

I can’t tell you how many times I met ambitious and self-glorifying famous psychics and healers during my 26 years in the New Age. I was one myself before God humbled me into repentance and salvation in 2017. Before then, I was like Simon the sorcerer who strutted around and believed that I was divinely gifted. And I can’t remember any famous New Age teacher or healer who showed humbleness, except for saying with false humility “Aw shucks” when the audience would applaud us.

Acts 8 describes Philip’s Gospel-centered ministry in Samaria following the persecution of the church in Jerusalem. When Philip preached Christ, Simon believed and was baptized, continuing with Philip and marveling at the miracles and signs.

Yet when Peter and John were laying hands on new believers, Simon offered them money and said, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:19). Peter rebuked him sharply: “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God” (Acts 8:20-21).

Simon begged for prayer that no judgment fall on him, but Scripture doesn’t explain what happened to him next. What we clearly can surmise is that Simon’s desire for spiritual power revealed that his heart wasn’t changed by repentance.

Samaria had long been a place of syncretism, where they tried to blend monotheistic Judaism tradition with polytheistic pagan practices. Sorcery and divination were common in the Greco-Roman world just as they are in the New Age today. Magicians claimed to channel spiritual forces, heal diseases, or reveal hidden knowledge. Inscriptions and papyri from the period include magical formulas invoking spirits, angels, and cosmic powers just like modern New Age and occultic books.

Simon was part of this environment, and the Samarians attributed divine power to him, which shows how New Age often blends into false gospel churches like Bethel Redding. The apostles’ confrontation with Simon reflects the larger clash between the Gospel and the pagan worldview.

Simon’s desire to purchase the gift of the Holy Spirit reveals that he was only interested in the visible manifestations of the Spirit, and not in the Gospel. His heart posture showed that he thought spiritual gifts were commodities to be bought, earned, or controlled. The Biblical truth is that the Holy Spirit sovereignly distributes spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11).

Peter’s rebuke was severe because Simon’s request struck at the heart of the Gospel that salvation is by grace and not by works. To try to buy divine power is to try to cheapen the cross and treat the Holy Spirit as an object for manipulation instead of reverence that He is God.

Unfortunately, the spirit of Simon the Sorcerer is alive today in New Age deception. People seek power through certification classes in psychic development and energy healing. Workshops (including the ones that I regrettably gave prior to my salvation) promise to unlock clairvoyance, mediumship and esoteric healing abilities for a price. The language may differ, yet the motivation is the same to achieve self-exaltation through supernatural power, instead of praising and glorifying God.

Modern parallels also appear in counterfeit Christian “prophecy schools” or “impartation services.” These schools promise that you can buy the Holy Spirit’s gifts as if they could be guaranteed through training or financial contribution. This commercialization of the Spirit echoes Simon’s error. Just as Simon tried to purchase power, some today turn spiritual gifts into commodities, forgetting that God alone gives as He wills.

In both New Age and corrupted Christian contexts, the lust for spiritual power reveals a desire to control God rather than to submit to Him. You hear folks in these deceptions shouting “decrees and declarations” at God, as if we could (or would even want to try to) control Him.

So, the story of Simon warns us that belief without repentance is empty. Simon “believed” and was baptized, but his heart remained unchanged. His faith was superficial and centered upon his fascination with signs and gaining spiritual power and admiration, rather than submission to Christ. This distinction echoes James’ warning that even demons believe and shudder (James 2:19).

Peter’s rebuke highlights that selfish ambition leads only to destruction. “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” James 3:16

The New Testament warns against false motives in ministry, such as the condemnation for those who “peddle the word of God for profit” (2 Corinthians 2:17). Jesus declared that many will say, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” but He will answer, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:22-23). Religious activity or spiritual experience without true conversion leads to judgment.

True spiritual power always glorifies God, not man. When the apostles ministered, they pointed to Christ, not themselves. As we read in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” This is the opposite of Simon’s boasting and ambition.

The Holy Spirit’s gifts are given to edify the church, not to elevate individuals (1 Corinthians 12:7). This truth unmasks the counterfeit: whenever spirituality becomes about personal greatness or control, it reflects the spirit of Simon rather than the Spirit of Christ.

Early church fathers Irenaeus and Justin Martyr associated Simon with the beginnings of Gnosticism, which is a heresy that emphasizes secret knowledge and spiritual elitism. This lust for power and hidden knowledge is central to Simon’s story, Gnosticism, and the New Age, which stands in sharp contrast to the Gospel’s call for humility, repentance, and reliance upon God’s grace.

The Holy Spirit can’t be bought, manipulated, or packaged. Singing, “Holy Spirit, you are welcome here” or trying to declare orders to the Holy Spirit show a misunderstanding that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Holy Trinity.

We must mark and avoid any practices that promise spiritual upgrades apart from God, which are modern echoes of Simon’s ambition. We must beware of distortions within the church that treat the Holy Spirit as a butler or a commodity. We must also avoid any teacher or preacher who boasts about themselves or their accomplishments.

Any movement that sells supernatural experiences or sells certification courses in prophecy or other spiritual gifts is following Simon’s error. Simon the Sorcerer’s story is a timeless warning about the lust for spiritual power and admiration. We must give all glory to God, and trust in His will for how He will use us.

For more from Doreen please visit her page at Servants of Grace or at our YouTube.