Acts 8:9-25 (NLT)

The man named Simon mentioned in this passage liked being the center of attention. When he was a sorcerer, people “oohed” and “ahhed” at his magic. You can be sure that whatever power he had, it did not come from God, but the folks in Samaria sure thought there was something divine about it. Simon had the reputation for having a direct link to some sort of divine power station. He was the local franchise-holder of GP (Great Power).

The Bible is not neutral about sorcery. It is not of God, period. When Moses was giving the Israelites instructions before they entered the Promised Land, he taught them to stay away from sorcery, lumping it in with child sacrifice and other activities involving manipulation of supernatural forces. Deuteronomy 18:9-11 says: “When you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, be very careful to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them to interpret omens or engage in witchcraft, or casts spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead.” When Philip came to Samaria, he too demonstrated power. Philip wasn’t doing magic tricks, though. The Holy Spirit was with him. As he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, as he cast out demons and healed the sick, the powerful love of God was made manifest for the people. Philip drew even more attention from the crowds than Simon did. Many believed, both men and women, and were baptized.

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money. Simon was accustomed to a world where he could get anything he wanted if he just had enough money, and he wanted a piece of this new franchise HS (Holy Spirit). Peter did not hesitate. Immediately he rebuked Simon. “May your money perish with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought with money!” Simon thought wrong. The Holy Spirit is not a force, like electricity, that can be conducted from one body to another through the laying on of hands. Nor is the Holy Spirit a commodity to be purchased or acquired in trade.

The Holy Spirit is a person. Those who are in Christ are, by the grace of God, gifted with an intimate relationship with this person of the Trinity. As the Spirit chooses, the laying on of hands by those in spiritual authority may be a visible sign of the gift of the Holy Spirit. The laying on of hands is not a mechanical or magical manipulation of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit blows where He will. When He dwells in a believer’s heart, He dwells there as friend, teacher and master, not as slave or as tool. We need to turn from a focus on power to a focus on relationship.

Reflection:
Have there been times when you misunderstood who the Holy Spirit was?

*This devotional first appeared in Encounter Monthly Journal, July 2006