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14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit 16 (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). 17 Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:14-17 NRSV)
May this Wednesday be a wonderful one for you ConCafe Family! And may one of the wonders of it, be your testimony to the love God has shared with you, Friend, is my prayer for you! Our friend, The Rev. Virgilio Vasquez Garza is still in the hosptial and may spend another night (Tuesday) in there. Please pray for his healing and recovery; prayers for his wife Acacia. UPDATE: Rev. Vasquez may be discharged today, Wednesday, 01.05.22; let's pray for his continued recovery at home! Let's continue our prayers for those who need our prayers. Pray for one another, and pray for yourselves. Why do we pray? Because God answers prayers!
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. We believe in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One God, three persons. As we studied yesterday, Jesus was baptized with a water baptism for the forgiveness of sins yet His baptism had the presence, in bodily form, of the Holy Spirit. And earlier in this book of Acts, chapter 2 to be exact, we read of the coming of the Holy Spirit as a fire baptism for those who had already been water baptised. In today's passage we read of how the apostles understood the power and might behind a Holy Spirit baptism and when they heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they immediaely send Peter and John to them so that they might also receive the Holy Spirit. As Acts 2 showed, the Holy Spirit allowed the disciples to have the gift of tongues, to speak God's wonders in other languages they had not studied or knew. The power of the Holy Spirit allows better communication of God's love to others in new and different ways. The power of the Holy Spirit allows for discerning God's will for your life; He also allows for His wisdom and counsel to be yours when needed the most. Jesus said the Counselor (Holy Spriti) would provide the words when needed. When we request the presence of the Holy Spirit into our lives, He will come to us and provide us with those gifts that will bless our walk and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. That, dear friends, is the fullness of life that Jesus promised. It is ours for the asking.
The apostles sent Peter and John, two of the heavy-hitters of the 12, to go and pray for these new believers in Samaria. Remember Jesus' Parable of the Good Samaritan? And the story of the woman at the well, who was a Samaritan? To those who were not truly friends and colleagues, the apostles send Peter, in my opinion, the chief disciple; and John, second among the inner circle of Jesus, to pray for these newbies in the faith. The two arrive, lay hands on these new Christians, "And they received the Holy Spirit." Bam!
I should say that the passage we read above is but a small part of the entire chapter. Phillip has been in Samaria, and his preaching brought many to the Lord Jesus, including a magician named Simon, who was amazed at what the disciples could do with the power of the Holy Spirit, and after the new believers had hands laid on them and they received the Holy Spirit, he wanted to pay for this ability of receiving and praying for others to receive the Holy Spirit. Simon was impressed with Philip's ability to drive out evil spirits and the curing of the lame. He thought he might make money with those abilities. Imagine the power that is ours for gratis, that this magician was willing to pay for. Ours for the asking.
PRAYER: Awesome God, we are so blessed to have been forgiven of our sins. We are thankful for our baptism and for the gift of the Holy Spirit. May we learn to live with that power to better serve You and bless others; this we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Bless someone with love, a prayer, and a kind word of hope.
Receive my blessings of peace and joy, Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
