SIMON THE SORCERER 6 BETWEEN WORLDS FULL

Before, the Spirit had not “come upon” them but now the Spirit most certainly had! This manifestation of the Spirit demonstrated that God accepted the Samaritans, too, to be part of his one people.

When Peter and John placed their hands on them these new Christians received the special ability to perform miracles themselves. But upon the arrival of Peter and John the Samaritans witnessed the same kind of great outpouring of the Holy Spirit that had been seen before and after Peter had preached the famous Sermon at Pentecost in Jerusalem. The powerful story of King Jesus was spreading from Jerusalem outward.Īccording to the promise, the Holy Spirit had come to live inside each of these Samaritans when they believed and were baptised. Peter himself, when preaching the Sermon at Pentecost, said that the promise of the Holy Spirit was for “all who are far off- for all whom the Lord will call.” This is recorded in Acts 2:38-39. Before Jesus ascended back to the Father he had told the apostles to “teach the nations” (read about this in The Great Commission) and that they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. Two of the Apostles, Peter and John, travelled to Samaria when they heard how not only Jews but now even Samaritans were becoming followers of Jesus. The apostles were still living in Jerusalem. The Apostles Visit Samaria and Share the Power of the Spirit ( Acts 8:12-17) Simon was so impressed that he continued to follow Philip around and watch him perform even more miracles. Simon joined many of the Samaritans in believing what Philip was preaching and became a follower of King Jesus by being baptised. Magic tricks can be learned and explained but a miracle is an event that is not explained by natural laws or science. Even though Simon had been impressing people with his magic tricks he recognised that the power of the Holy Spirit as seen in the miracles Philip performed was different from what he had been doing. Simon was not afraid to boast about his greatness and had a wide following. Simon was famous in Samaria and was said to have divine power or what the people called “the Great Power”. Simon the Sorcerer Believes ( Acts 8:9-11) This was the place referred to by the Woman at the Well ( John 4:20). They practiced the Jewish religion but had their own version of the Pentateuch and had their own temple in Gerizim until it was destroyed by the Jews in the 2nd century B.C. Samaritans were a mixed race of people with some ancestral ties to the northern kingdom in the Old Testament. They were looked down on by the Jews and also despised by non-Jews. Samaritans had Jewish ancestry and had much in common with the practicing Jews but were regarded by Jews as inferior and unclean. Up to this time only Jews had obeyed the Gospel. The Samaritans were very impressed and received the news with joy. He taught the people in Samaria about Jesus and performed many miracles. Later, in Acts 21:8-9, we read about Philip living in Caesarea and being the father of four unmarried daughters that prophesied. Later in Acts 8 we learn more about Philip in the story Philip and the Ethiopian.

SIMON THE SORCERER 6 BETWEEN WORLDS FULL

Philip was known to be a faithful man and had been one of the seven men full of the Spirit and wisdom chosen to be one of The First Deacons for the church. One of the Jesus-followers who left Jerusalem and shared the gospel with other people was Philip. You can learn more about how Saul’s life changed drastically in the story Paul (Saul) Becomes a Christian. So, ironically, by trying to destroy this Jesus movement, Saul actually played a part in making it spread and grow. As they went they shared the good news of Jesus Christ. When a person or group is made to suffer this is called “ persecution“.īecause of the great persecution, followers of Jesus left Jerusalem in great numbers and went to live in other regions. He even went from house to house dragging off men and women and putting them in prison. After that event Saul seems to go on a rampage against the followers of Jesus in an attempt to destroy the church. When the angry Jews were stoning Stephen Saul showed his approval by taking care of the cloaks of those who were throwing the stones. The Christians are Persecuted and Scatter ( Acts 8:1-3)Īt the conclusion of the story of the Stoning of Stephen we are first introduced to a man named Saul. Click here for an overview of the Book of Acts

Simon the sorcerer 6 between worlds