When he
heard Philip preach the good news, Simon the Sorcerer believed and was baptized.
However, it wasn’t until Peter and John arrived on the scene and laid their hands
upon believers that they received the Holy Spirit. Simon proposed buying the same
ability to lay on hands. Peter answered, “May your money perish with you,
because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You
have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before
God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord.
Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin” (Acts
8:20-23 NIV). We may not personally know someone a brazen as Simon, but there
are believers who, rather than having their heart right before God, want to
market and exploit the church for personal gain.
No comments:
Post a Comment