It's a great day when Satan gets shot down once again, and that's what happened the day Philip came to Samaria town. Philip went about healing and doing miraculous signs snagging the townspeoples' attention. They caught the attention of Simon the Sorcerer too.
Prior to this event we read of the Holy Spirit of Truth descending on the 120 ++ disciples and the apostles assembled in the Upper Room (see Acts 1:18-26 & 2:1-4). What appeared like 'tongues of fire' rested on their shoulders and came to live in them, was actually the Holy Spirit of God. God and Jesus had kept their promise to send this Comforter who would lead and guide them into all truth and help them understand God and His word, and all of Jesus' teachings better. He would help them do what was right and good that would please God.
The Holy Spirit empowered them to speak boldly of Jesus and the peoples' need of salvation. Peter was prime example - he was given power to preach so effectively as to bring about 3000 people to Christ in one preaching session.
In the chapter of Acts we're looking at here (Acts 8), we meet Philip the Evangelist. Persecution by Satan's hand, had overwhelmed the saints in Jerusalem and they scattered to outposts in Judea and Samaria, still with courage to preach and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ along the way as they traveled from place to place.
All glory be to God.
Philip got the peoples' attention through the miraculous signs in a place where similar wonders happened at the hand of the witchdoctor Simon the Sorcerer. All the people from both high and low society had been amazed at what he could do. What Philip performed through Holy Spirit power however, must have been over and above what Simon could do under Satan's power.
Once Philip had their attention, he then preached his message. The people believed and were baptized. Praise the Lord! Even Simon the Sorcerer came to believe in Christ and was baptized, we're told.
This is where things get even more interesting. Peter and John hear about all the people who were coming to Christ and came to give support to Philip by laying their hands on these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit.
I find this of interest because at first the Holy Spirit came on the first believers in an appearance of fire. In this instance in Samaria, we see the Holy Spirit given through prayer and the laying on of the apostles' hands. In Acts 10 we discover the Holy Spirit was automatically
"poured out even on Gentiles" (Acts 10:44-46).
These were upon Cornelius and those he had had in his home at the time.
From that time on until now the Holy Spirit just comes to indwell believers upon acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior (see 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ezekiel 36:27; 2 Timothy 1:14; Acts 6:5; Romans 8:11 and John 16:13). He lives in us and can empower us equally as ever He did for Philip, Peter, John and others of that time.
To get back to our story ... Simon the ex-witchdoctor, who now must have lost his occultic powers since believing in Christ, must not have been able to do his usual practice and therefore lost his source of income, big time.
He was totally amazed at how Peter and John could lay their hands on new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. He wanted this capability too. He offered money to Peter and John, attempting to bribe and buy them to give him the Holy Spirit and the power to pass the Holy Spirit along as they were doing.
If you read the full chapter, you'll see he was so wrong to ask this. The Holy Spirit is a gift of God and He can never be 'bought'! Peter and John sternly reprove him and ask him to repent of such wickedness.
This does bring me to remark on how the Holy Spirit worked in the Old Testament times. He came 'on' people like Bezalel who was in charge of building the Tabernacle. He and Oholiab were given extra portions of the Holy Spirit to perform their mastercraft handiwork with wisdom and skill (see Exodus 36:1).
King Saul once had the Holy Spirit come powerfully upon him but later an evil spirit took hold of him (see 1 Samuel 11:6 and 1 Samuel 16:14 NIV).
"Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him".
King David pleaded with God not to take the Holy Spirit from him. This indicated he already had the Holy Spirit but could lose Him due to sin. If you read Psalm 51:10-12, you'll see David's repentance. David well knew what could happen as he'd witnessed it firsthand with King Saul. After all, David was the harpist who played his music to calm King Saul down from his evil spirit attacks.
In our New Testament times we know the Holy Spirit is given as a gift of God and a seal - like a warranty, or a guarantee that Jesus will come to get us one day (2 Corinthians 1:22),
"He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."
As believers in Jesus Christ we have the gift of eternal life and of the Holy Spirit's comfort and counsel all the way from the instant of salvation to instant of joining Jesus in Heaven at the Rapture call or through our death beforehand. What a great assurance we have in Christ.
To God be the glory!
Despite wrongs we continue to do, we do not have to plead as David did for the Holy Spirit NOT to leave us. Notwithstanding, we do need to sincerely confess our sins as Jesus is faithful and just and will forgive and purify us (see 1 John 1:9). David asked for God to purify him and said that God wanted a broken and contrite heart. To this day, God still desires this - obedience to Him and to fear Him in all sincerity and truth.
The Spirit of Truth within in us helps us in this. Jesus forgives.
The Holy Spirit helps us to live righteously before God, teaches us His ways, helping us to understand Him and the Bible and how to obey Jesus. He also gives us power to be faithful and good witnesses as Philip, Peter and John had been.
Peter was once afraid and kept behind locked doors with the other believers in the Upper Room. The Holy Spirit gave them all courage to boldly proclaim Christ. As mentioned earlier, in one of Peter's preaching sessions about 3000 people accepted Christ. The Holy Spirit gave him POWER to PREACH.
With Philip, he had POWER to HEAL, DO MIRACLES and to PREACH. He did a lot of good but someone wasn't happy.
We know that was Satan, the father of lies - the evil spirit. He made lots of trouble for the believers perpetuating persecution and then as one read about the witch doctor Simon's bribery request laced with money to 'purchase' Holy Spirit power and ability to pass on the Holy Spirit through laying on of hands.
It's good to keep in mind that the Holy Spirit of God is stronger than anyone and anything especially stronger than Satan and his minion demons. Satan and these minions are stronger than people though. Herein is danger if anyone wants to even just dabble in these out of curiosity or taking dares. STAY AWAY!
These are unclean, evil spirits.
Those of us who have Christ as Savior have the Holy Spirit indwelling us. Therefore, we are stronger with His power than Satan and his evil spirits. That's why we can cry out to Jesus, we can overcome the evil one only with knowing and remembering this is God's power and nothing from our human selves. It is the Spirit of Truth at work in us, who is our Helper and Guide.
This comes down to the realization that we should only depend upon God in our times of sickness and other troubles. Do NOT go to witch doctors (or 'bomoh's - as they are called in my neck of the world). Trust ONLY Jesus.
Jesus is the one through the Holy Spirit who gave Philip power to do the many miracles and to preach effectively. So as Christians we must put our trust in God alone. God has power over everything. Realize that black magic, as per Simon the Sorcerer's "power" belongs to the evil one. Trust only God because He is the only true God.
"The Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords; the Great God, mighty and awesome who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes" (Deuteronomy 10:17).
Look also at Ezekiel 20:29-30 NIV,
"The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery, 'they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice. v 30. I looked for someone among them who would build the wall and stand with me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one."
Isn't this sad? It is so profound and scary. In Noah's day of total corruption and wickeness, God did find one - Noah - who was righteous. He stood with God and built an ark.
In Ezekiel's day, no one, except for Ezekiel, I suppose, stood with God in warning the people. Yet because of their great wickedness, God would still pour out His wrath (see Exekiel 20:31).
In our day, how is it with you, brother or sister-in-Christ? We have the Holy Spirit's power to convict us of our unrighteousness. Will we repent and confess with a broken and contrite heart as the Holy Spirit convicts? Will we then build walls of protection in Jesus' name to stand against the evil in this world?
Will we stand in the gap in prayer and even 'hands-on' to help any who might come to Christ? Let us live by faith, walk in step with the Holy Spirit, listen and obey with discernment to know the Holy Spirit's leading and guidance in our lives and the lives of others He places in our sphere. You just never know, a witch doctor may come to Christ and into the Kingdom of God, thereby knocking a few bricks from Satan's evil kingdom.
May God get the glory in Jesus' name, through the Holy Spirit working mightily within each of us. He does all things well.
~ERC May 2023~
Based on Kawan Grace Resource, P4b Lesson 3 - A Black Magician ('bomoh' -pronounced bo - moh', both 'o's' as long 'o' sound) Believes in Christ.
Sing, To God Be the Glory, along with Northern Baptist Association.
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