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.

The Power that Inspires Faith in Christ

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. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 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. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed (Acts 8:9-13).

God blessed Philip’s gospel preaching with such powerful signs and miracles that the entire city of Samaria was impacted… “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” (Acts 8:7). This was not the first time the Samaritans had seen such supernatural power. They were familiar with Simon; whose magic was so good they considered him to possess… “the power of God that is called Great”. But something was different about the power of Philip’s miracles. They did not point to Philip. While Simon’s magic attracted people to Simon, Philip’s message and power pointed to the… “good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ”. When our words and actions reflect the gospel of Jesus Christ, God releases His grace and we experience the power that inspires faith in Christ.

Miracles can manipulate faith. Everyone is looking for power. The devil’s great deception is to offer power to the people… “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). Simon’s magic appealed to this hunger for power that drives fallen men and women. Like Eve, our hunger for power greater than ourselves makes us vulnerable to the manipulation of our faith and we are tempted to pay attention to and follow deceptive philosophies and people that promise this false power. But when God’s grace quickens our spirit, our hearts begin to seek the kind of power to forgive our sin and restore us to fellowship with our Father that is only available in Christ… “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5). God’s grace sets us free from those who would manipulate our faith to trust in Christ.

Miracles can mislead faith. When people are desperate, they are compelled to seek quick and easy solutions to their problems and needs. We too are vulnerable to becoming so focused on our trials and troubles that we forget about who Christ is and who we are in Him. When Philip… “preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ”, God’s grace set the crowd free to refocus their faith on Jesus Christ, who calls His true disciples to keep our faith properly set on Him… “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1). God’s grace compels us to grow closer to Christ through our trials and protects us from those who seek to mislead our faith.

Miracles can magnify faith. The signs and miracles performed by both Simon and Philip attracted crowds, but after hearing the words and experiencing his power, Philip’s crowd had a different faith. Their faith was refocused from the miracle workers Simon and Philip to… “the name of Jesus Christ”, the Son of God who became their Savior. Believing in Philip would make no eternal difference, but believing in the name of Jesus Christ changed their eternal destiny… “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Words and actions that reveal Jesus Christ have power to offer life in the most desperate situations… “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31). May our words and deeds increasingly point to Jesus Christ as His grace magnifies the faith that compels the lost to discover and receive life in His name.

As we grow up into Christ, our words and actions increasingly reflect Him as we trust and experience…

The Power that Inspires Faith in Christ.