The Power that Cannot be Purchased

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “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. 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. Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans” (Acts 8:14-25).

To grasp the whole truth of the Scripture here, we must ask the Holy Spirit to lead us to the truth that is hidden deep in the very specific and intentional words He inspired Luke to use. For instance, the apostles heard that Samaria had “received” (Greek – dechomai, accepted, passively taken) the Word of God, but they had not “received” (Greek – lambanō, caught, got hold of, aggressively seized) the Holy Spirit. So, they came to Samaria, laid their hands on the new believers, and they seized the Holy Spirit. One among them, Simon, whom we got to know in the previous verses, tried to buy the power of the Holy Spirit from the apostles. Peter confronted Simon with the truth about receiving the Holy Spirit and His power, and together with Simon, we learn from Peter how to seize and share the power that cannot be purchased.

To seize the Holy Spirit and His power, we must ask. After the crowd heard Peter and John praying for them to receive the Holy Spirit, many in the crowd aggressively took hold of the Spirit. Watching this supernatural phenomenon also moved Simon to ask for this power. Although his motive was wrong, Simon’s first step, to ask, was right. Jesus made this point clear… “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13). Many Christ followers do not enjoy the Holy Spirit’s presence and power in our daily lives because we do not ask. Spending time with the Lord and listening to His Word helps us to realize how desperately we need more of Him and compels us to ask our Father to fill us with the Holy Spirit and His power every day.

To seize the Holy Spirit and His power, we must ask from a right heart. Peter told Simon very clearly that the reason he could not receive or share the power of the Holy Spirit was because his heart was… “not right before God”. Peter went on to describe the terrible condition of Simon’s heart, using the words… “gall of bitterness and… bond of iniquity”. The heart is God’s intended home for the Spirit of Christ… “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6). The heart that would be filled with the Holy Spirit must be made right by being cleansed of sin and iniquity by the forgiving blood of Jesus Christ first.

To seize the Holy Spirit and His power, we must ask in faith. Simon’s original request showed he trusted in his money. His second request, where he asked Peter to… “Pray for me to the Lord” showed repentance and was a desperate request of the Lord for forgiveness... “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith” (Matthew 21:22). Simon’s faith was redirected and his heart was now in the proper position to take hold of the true power of the Holy Spirit. His response reminds us of Jesus’ promise to answer our prayer to be filled with the Holy Spirit when we ask in faith.

As we grow up into Christ, we enjoy the blessings of the Spirit filled life as we learn how to ask for…

The Power that Cannot be Purchased.