CONVERSION OF THE SAMARITANS
By Timothy Glover
In review, we have studied the establishment and growth of the church in Jerusalem. As persecution intensified, the preaching of the gospel increased and more were added to the church.
Philip, who was one of seven chosen to serve tables in Acts 6, went to Samaria to preach Christ to them. To confirm that his preaching was true and that he was a messenger sent from God, Philip was given the power to work miracles. Acts 8 records that he cast out unclean spirits, healed the palsied, and restored the lame. As a result, there was great joy in that city.
Simon, the magician, had worked his art in the city and had a great influence on the least to the greatest. He convinced them that in him was the power of God. Whom should they believe? Simon or the newcomer Philip? It is my observation that fake-healers, like Simon, do not come with a message of substance. Many hollow and useless teaching is done in the name of religion with the focus on someone’s claim to work a miracle. Once they have demonstrated this ability, we wait to hear some message from God (a revelation is accompanied with a miracle)? If it’s the same message we can read in the Scriptures, we question its value or significance. If it’s a new message, then we are forced to question whether its from God (Gal. 1:6-9). Since revelation is once for all time delivered to the saints (Jude 3), any new message must be rejected.
A second observation is that, while the city was captivated by Simon’s ability and believed him to be God-sent, they quickly saw the difference in Philip’s power. Honest inquirers can see the difference between the real and the fake. And “when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women” (Acts 8:12). Once again, the order for conversion is hearing Christ preached, believing it, and being baptized. The orders to the apostles in Mark 16:15,16 were the same. They were to preach the gospel and “he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.”
According to Acts 2:38, when the Samaritans obeyed Christ, they were to receive the “gift of the Holy Ghost.” Yet, the apostles sent Peter and John to them to lay their hands on them because the Holy Spirit had not fallen on any of them. We ask why Philip could not do this? He did not have the power to confer the miraculous measure of the Holy Spirit. We need to distinguish the “gift of the Holy Ghost” in Acts 2 and the miraculous measure of the Holy Ghost in Acts 8. The implication of this truth is that none today can have such a measure since no Apostle exists to confer the power. Today, we stand in the same position as the Samaritans before Peter and John arrived. If we have obeyed the message preached, we have received a measure of the spirit promised in Acts 2:38 (cf. Acts 5:32) but we do not have the spirit in the measure that gives us the power to work miracles like Philip. The fact that these disciples were saved before receiving this miraculous measure shows that it had nothing to do with salvation as some teach today. Are you thinking?
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