With Saul of Tarsus in hot pursuit, the disciples have been forced to leave Jerusalem following the death of Stephen. Only the apostles remain in the city.

Verses five through eight: Philip, a deacon, not the apostle, having escaped Saul’s wrath, went down into Samaria where Jesus had spent two days teaching those who came to hear Him following the episode with the woman at the well (Jn. 4). How many believed and embraced Him we are not told. The Samaritans were Babylonian Gentiles whose ancestors had been brought into the northern part of Israel to replace the ten tribes of Israel who had been defeated and enslaved by the Assyrians. Philip preached Christ and the Kingdom of God to the people who listened with one accord and watched as the sick were healed and demons were cast out of the afflicted. This had created great joy among the people.

Verses nine through thirteen: Philip’s success was nothing less than extraordinary in that Samaria already had a god who lived among them in human form. His name was Simon, a minister held in high regard among the people due to the miracles he performed. Young and old, rich and poor–all paid homage to him because he had for many years “bewitched them with his sorceries.” “This man,” they said, “is the great power of God.” The Samaritans believed that Simon was God. But when they believed Philip’s preaching about Jesus and the Kingdom of God, many were baptized, both men and women. Eventually Simon himself believed, was baptized and joined with those who continued to hear Philip preach and watch him perform miracles through the power of God.

Verses fourteen through seventeen: When the apostles in Jerusalem heard about the revival in Samaria, two of them–Peter and John–went down to check out what was happening. Upon arriving they found that the Samaritans had only been baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins and had not received the Holy Spirit. Then the apostles laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

It is at this point that the Institutional Church goes off God’s track and becomes low hanging fruit for Satan. See Bait and Switch. Without the power of the Holy Spirit no one can resist the devil’s siren call to sin. Being unable to “walk as Jesus walked,” (1 Jn. 2:6), church people assume that because of Adam’s sin they cannot obey God. Satan then assures them that their inevitable sins are overlooked because of Jesus’ sacrifice. As a result of this deception (Rev. 12:9), well-meaning but Biblically ignorant church people have been deceived by Satan into believing that the wages of their sins is not death, but rather eternal life. They are convinced by his false prophets that Jesus’ death gives them a license to sin, that His shed blood gives them the power to sin and get away with it.

This universally believed heresy is not new. Satan preached the same message to Adam and Eve, convincing them that they could eat of the forbidden tree (sin) and “You shall not surely die”–they would live eternally. See The Message of the Cross. The Messiah’s death on the cross did not enable man to sin with impunity, rather it enabled him to 1) receive forgiveness of PAST sins (Rom. 3:23) and 2) to receive power to overcome Satan. In Revelation 3:21 Jesus tells us that only those who overcome him will sit with Him on His throne in the Kingdom of God.  L.J.