Acts 8:20-23 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
Ah Friends, even today, people still wrongfully think that the Lord’s grace and favour can be bought with money. But it’s just not so. This Bit is about Simon, a sorcerer in Samaria, in the early days of the church, when Paul was still Saul, and wreaking havoc in Jerusalem, just after he had them stone Stephen to death, and the believers were scattered all over, fearful of Paul, but still preaching the Word. At this time, Phillip went down to Samaria and preached the Word successfully. Acts 8:8 says; ‘And there was great joy in that city.’ However, Simon, who had made lots of money before this, bewitching them with his evil doings, saw his following converted and baptized, and figuring that he might as well get in on a good thing, he followed suit, then began hanging around with Phillip and his crew, marvelling at the miracles they performed. Now when the Apostles in Jerusalem heard about the good things happening in Samaria, they sent Peter and John down to witness also. When they came, they prayed for the Holy Spirit to come into the hearts of the believers, as they’d not received it yet, only been baptized. That’s when Simon, with his greedy self, popped up and offered Peter money for the power to lay hands on others and invoke the Holy Spirit. He obviously saw it as a money making machine. And Peter appropriately put him in his place: ‘thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.’ Yes Friends, there’s nothing truly of the Lord that can be bought with money. His grace, LOVE, salvation, forgiveness and mercy are all free, depending on the rightness of our heart. It’s all about out belief and trust in Him. Even being baptized and having the Holy Spirit in you, is not sufficient. You’ve got to use it, and use it right too. It’s like having money in the bank for a rainy day, but the rainy day comes and you don’t use it. As the cliché goes, ‘if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.’ That’s the same with our God. He wants us to be actively involved in spreading His Word, using the tools He’s given us, in the right manner, with a heart to match. So my people, if today we find ourselves in a situation like Simon, where our intentions are not in sync with God’s Word, ‘in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity,’ and only we can know that, then let’s take Peter’s advice, turn to God, repent of our misdoing and ask for forgiveness. He will grant it, once He sees that our heart is right and we’re sincere. Much LOVE!…that’s why Bruh David pleaded…create in me…a clean heart…O God…
Ah Friends, even today, people still wrongfully think that the Lord’s grace and favour can be bought with money. But it’s just not so. This Bit is about Simon, a sorcerer in Samaria, in the early days of the church, when Paul was still Saul, and wreaking havoc in Jerusalem, just after he had them stone Stephen to death, and the believers were scattered all over, fearful of Paul, but still preaching the Word. At this time, Phillip went down to Samaria and preached the Word successfully. Acts 8:8 says; ‘And there was great joy in that city.’ However, Simon, who had made lots of money before this, bewitching them with his evil doings, saw his following converted and baptized, and figuring that he might as well get in on a good thing, he followed suit, then began hanging around with Phillip and his crew, marvelling at the miracles they performed. Now when the Apostles in Jerusalem heard about the good things happening in Samaria, they sent Peter and John down to witness also. When they came, they prayed for the Holy Spirit to come into the hearts of the believers, as they’d not received it yet, only been baptized. That’s when Simon, with his greedy self, popped up and offered Peter money for the power to lay hands on others and invoke the Holy Spirit. He obviously saw it as a money making machine. And Peter appropriately put him in his place: ‘thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.’ Yes Friends, there’s nothing truly of the Lord that can be bought with money. His grace, LOVE, salvation, forgiveness and mercy are all free, depending on the rightness of our heart. It’s all about out belief and trust in Him. Even being baptized and having the Holy Spirit in you, is not sufficient. You’ve got to use it, and use it right too. It’s like having money in the bank for a rainy day, but the rainy day comes and you don’t use it. As the cliché goes, ‘if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.’ That’s the same with our God. He wants us to be actively involved in spreading His Word, using the tools He’s given us, in the right manner, with a heart to match. So my people, if today we find ourselves in a situation like Simon, where our intentions are not in sync with God’s Word, ‘in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity,’ and only we can know that, then let’s take Peter’s advice, turn to God, repent of our misdoing and ask for forgiveness. He will grant it, once He sees that our heart is right and we’re sincere. Much LOVE!…that’s why Bruh David pleaded…create in me…a clean heart…O God…
SCRIP-BITS 