Trusting God for More Blessing

“The Word, Christian Baptism, and the Holy Spirit”

(Acts 8:14-17, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, October 23, 2011)

14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God,

The Word of God is powerful. One of the most important facts about the Bible is that is it not only the word of the human authors of the sixty-six individual books of the Old and New Testaments. It comes as a blessing to you from the God who created the heavens and the earth.

Many passages demand divine authorship, since authors are revealing hidden good news that simply could not be known in their days. Yet it is only by the Holy Spirit that the divine authorship of the Scriptures becomes a certainty to your heart.

When God brought Philip to Samaria and led him to speak about the kingdom and the King, the Samaritans received the Word of God. God has promised to us through the words of the prophet Isaiah that His Word would not just be an empty nothing. It will bring fruit. See Isaiah 55, especially 10-11.

God's Word accomplishes His purposes, and He is good. It was His purpose to extend His kingdom to the Samaritans. He did that through Philip preaching, but even more than that, He did that through the Samaritans receiving the Word.

Jesus criticized some of the Pharisees of His day because they made the Word of God “void.” In their case, they did this by preferring their traditions above the Scriptures. Others make the Word void in different ways. But God can show forth His power here this morning by enabling you to receive what He says.

The most powerful preacher here today is the voice of God coming out of your mouth in an “Amen,” going into your ear, and taking root in your soul. The Samaritans received the Word of God in the preaching of Jesus Christ as Lord of the Kingdom of God. But you are here today. What do you say? Do you receive the Word of Jesus and the Kingdom as the Word of God?

… they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

When the Samaritans received the Word, they were baptized into Messianic Judaism. Wow! They were taught to do that, no doubt, by Philip. He had received the command of Jesus that came to him through the testimony of the apostles who heard that instruction directly from the mouth of their risen Savior. Making disciples in Samaria included going there with the Word, baptizing those who believed, and teaching them to do what Christ commanded.

Water baptism was an important part of our Lord's commission to the church. It was a New Covenant sign with roots in the Old Covenant Scriptures. This simple ritual of spiritual washing and spiritual belonging not only put the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit on people; it also brought people into the name of Jesus Christ as part of a new community of faith that included not only males, but also females; and now, not only Jews, but also Samaritans.

But there was something missing in the introductory experience of the Samaritan believers. They had received the Word. That was very good. They had responded to the instruction that ultimately came from Christ by being marked with waters that symbolized not only the cleansing of the blood of Christ, but also the freshness of the Holy Spirit from heaven.

17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

So the Apostles sent two of their number, Peter and John, to Samaria. Consider Luke 9:54 by way of contrast. The Samaritans had received the Word, and many had been baptized into the Name, but they had not received the Holy Spirit in power in the way that He had made Himself known in Jerusalem, and would later reveal Himself among the Gentiles.

Peter and John came to Samaria and laid their hands upon the new Christian converts. What were they doing?

Just as water baptism has a rich Old Testament context, the laying on of hands was something that the New Testament church was prepared for through the Old Testament and through the ministry of Jesus. The laying on of hands was for setting apart a person by power from heaven for the task of serving the Lord, and more generally for blessing people from on high.

God uses weak people as agents of blessing to other weak people. Amazing.

The Old Testament priests pronounced blessings upon Israel according to the Lord's instruction. See Numbers 6:22-27. The Lord spoke words of blessing and healing upon the weak, and He used His hands to bless, even letting the little ones to be brought to Him. See Matthew 19:13-15. The apostles understood that they had a continued role of blessing. See 2 Corinthians 13:14.

The apostles did what they could do as representatives of the One who has become the source of great blessing upon the church. They laid hands on people. They prayed for them. They asked God to send His Holy Spirit in fuller measure. There is no good reason that I am aware of as to why the church should cease this powerful and compassionate practice. We are to be agents of the blessing of God wherever we go . We speak blessing. We touch those who are seeking help, healing, and provision from God. We pray for one another. And God blesses.

Have you received the Word of God?

Have you been baptized into the Name of Jesus?

Have you received the Holy Spirit?

I read an account this week from African Bible College in Liberia about a recent stadium event where people were invited to come forward for blessing and commitment. The response was so unusual that it surprised one man who has been leading evangelistic events in Africa and the United States for half a century. It was not merely that thousands of people came forward for blessing. Thousand RAN forward to receive blessing from God.

Psalm 110 says “a willing people in Thy day of power shall come to Thee.” There was a great day of power in Samaria in the first century, and there was a great day of divine power in Liberia just the other day. For two thousand years God has been using the words and hands of people in order to give gifts to his church. These blessings come to us solely based on the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord. But God uses His church to give His best gifts to others.

Be blessed and serve. Be a source of blessing to others, here, and even to the ends of the earth!

1. What does it mean to receive the Word of God?

2. Why did the apostles send Peter and John to Samaria?

3. What does it mean to receive the Holy Spirit?

4. What is the significance of being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus?

OT Passage: Numbers 27:12-23, Deuteronomy 34:9-12