"A Simple Presentation into The Book of ACTS" - Chapter #8 - Part 2 - Bro. John "Ernie" Perez

In Part 2 of Chapter 8 continuing the study "A Simple Presentation into The Book of ACTs", Brother Ernie recaps the first part of Chapter 8 and takes us into a deep dive!  Get your notebooks ready!

Persecution was supposed to silence the church—but it turned out to be rocket fuel. When believers scatter from Jerusalem, Philip steps into Samaria with a simple message about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus, and the city erupts with joy. Unclean spirits leave, the lame are healed, and crowds lean in. Yet even amid miracles, something crucial is missing: the believers haven’t received the Holy Spirit. That gap sends Peter and John on a focused mission to complete what God began.

We walk through the pivotal moment when the apostles lay hands on the Samaritan believers and the Holy Spirit is received in a way that can be seen and heard. The impact is so striking that Simon, a former sorcerer, tries to buy the power to impart the Spirit. Peter’s firm rebuke cuts through the noise: the gifts of God are not for sale. We talk about why spiritual authority cannot be monetized, how jealousy poisons calling, and why repentance is not a one-time doorway but a daily posture that keeps our hearts soft and our witness honest.

Along the way, we connect Acts 8 to the broader biblical story—Isaiah’s promise of refreshing, Ezekiel’s new heart and Spirit, John the Baptist’s prophecy, and Jesus’ invitation to ask the Father for the Holy Spirit. The thread is consistent: one gospel, one name, one baptism, one Spirit. We reflect on the early church’s wisdom in protecting both doctrine and experience, and we explore how real growth looks: humility that admits wrong, a conscience awakened by the Spirit, and a resilient will to press on.

If you’re hungry to see the gospel’s full shape—belief, repentance, baptism in Jesus’ name, and the gift of the Holy Spirit—this conversation offers clarity, challenge, and hope. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who loves the book of Acts, and leave a review to tell us what sparked for you.

Ways to Give at www.m3mi.org...Thank you for your seed!  :)

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:52

All right, we got the hull crowd here this morning as we're continuing our study into a simple presentation of the book of Acts into chapter 8, part two. We have brother Ernie with us. Good morning. Sister Ann. Good morning. Sister Helen. Good morning. Sister Audia. Good morning. Sister Tammy. Good morning. Sister Patty.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

Good morning.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Sister Sandy. Good morning. All right. Good to have y'all today. So happy to be here. I know you need a brother to go. I know, but but you know, you have us. I mean you have to be blessed, times eight. You're like a man with eight wives.

SPEAKER_00 1:35

You don't want to be solid. You get another mother-in-law with each wife.

Recap: Persecution And Stephen’s Martyrdom

SPEAKER_01 1:42

There we go. There we go. Well, listen, we're really excited to go into the study. Of course, we're using the study for podcasts, but we're also using it for videos. If you haven't seen the videos for the axe series, they're on the YouTube channel and they're getting really good reviews on there. So I want you to know that. I want you to know that people are watching and commenting. And so all good things. But if you have not started the Axe series with us and you just happen to tune into this one, I urge you to go back and we start with an introduction and then we start going through all of the chapters just one by one. And go back and listen to this whole series because it's just a powerful series. And we're going to use it on E3 for the School of Ministries as well for licensing. So all good stuff. Everybody have a good weekend.

unknown 2:34

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

Yes, amen.

SPEAKER_01 2:36

Yeah, we survived the Ismageddon.

SPEAKER_00 2:38

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:39

We did, didn't we? So Ice Megedon 2.0. Yeah. So yeah, we all survived. God has been good to us. And so we're really excited as we go into this series, Brother Ernie. You ready to go? Sure. All right, Sister Audia. We continue with a simple presentation of the book of Acts, chapter 8, part two.

Philip’s Ministry And Joy In Samaria

Apostolic Mission To Impart The Spirit

What Receiving The Holy Ghost Looks Like

Simon’s Offer And Peter’s Rebuke

One Gospel, One Application

Repentance, Integrity, And Growth

Closing, Resources, And Next Steps

SPEAKER_00 3:02

Okay, so what I'm going to do is do a little recap, and then we'll get back into continuing our journey. So let's talk about where we've been so far. Currently, the church in Jerusalem has come under extreme persecution. And Stephen is stoned to death. He's the first martyr. Stephen was killed because of the demonstration of the power of the name of Jesus displayed in his ministry. And you can read about that in Acts chapter 6, verses 8 through 10, how God did many wonderful things, wonderful miracles and signs as a part of his ministry in his presentation of the risen Savior. Now, Caiaphas, the high priest, who is the same high priest that conspired to lie about the resurrection of Jesus, paid the guards to lie and say that Jesus' disciples came and stole him away. He is still the high priest. He knew the truth. And you can go back and look in Matthew chapter 28, verses 10 through 15, and you can see the story of Caiaphas telling the guards. I'll make it right. Don't you worry about it. You take this money, you say his disciples came and stole him away. He presided, Caiaphas presided over the bogus trial that caused Jesus to be crucified, the bogus trial that caused Stephen to be convicted, not merely accused, but convicted of blasphemy because of the testimony of false witnesses. This happened even though Luke writes that during the trial, Stephen's face, everyone could see it, lit up like some sort of manifestation of angelic presence. Still, the mob was so incensed because they were coming against the power of Jesus and the power of his name. It just took a little bit of prodding by Caiaphas and his group to get Stephen convicted. Now, an angry mob takes Stephen, they cast him out of Jerusalem, they stone him to death. That's in Acts chapter 7, 54 through 60. And Stephen proves his discipleship even in death. He sees a vision of the Christ, the risen Christ, and he also prays, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge while they are killing him. Like when Jesus was hanging on the cross praying, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Stephen understood the assignment. He really did. Now both Stephen and Philip had miracles in their ministry. And as a result of Stephen's miraculous ministry and execution, a wave of extreme persecution scatters most of the church that's in Jerusalem. They leave. They're running for their lives. Only the apostles in what appears to be a small group of believers remain in Jerusalem. We don't know how many exactly. The main character that is the driving force for this persecution is none other than Saul. You remember Saul? He was the one who was standing by when Philip was stoned, holding the coats of the people that were stoning him as though he were a person in some sort of authority. So he's the main character, the driving force for this persecution. Now Philip leaves Jerusalem. And where he goes to is the city of Samaria, where his ministry produces the same kinds of miracle results as Stephen's ministry. Philip's preaching, we studied in our previous lesson, concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. That's how the scripture states it. He preached the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. Now both Philip and Stephen had ministries highlighted by miracles. Luke said of Stephen he was full of faith and power and did great wonders and miracles among the people. So it was not merely his preaching and teaching. There were signs following. Luke wrote regarding Philip. The people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them. And many were taken with palsies, and that were lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city. So both Philip and Stephen had miracles involved greatly in their ministries. And even the powerful sorcerer, a man named Simon, who was a powerful sorcerer, believed and was baptized, and it appears he was at least attempting to become a disciple of Philip. Now, before we dive into the rest of this lesson, please note that neither Stephen nor Philip are listed among the twelve original apostles. Still, there were miracles, signs, and wonders that followed throughout their ministries, and you can read in Mark chapter 6, verses 15 through 20, and I'm sorry, 16. Let's look there for a moment, even though it's just a recap. Let's turn there. And if you've been following along, you've heard this many times, but it's it's good to go back and make sure that we're doing things properly. Mark chapter 16. I'm going to start reading with verse 15. Jesus speaking to the apostles. There may have been other disciples there, but he was speaking, it sounds like directly to the apostles. Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe. So he didn't say, These signs shall follow you, apostles. That is a broad statement. Them that believe. And these signs shall follow them that believe in my name, they shall cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues, they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them, and they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. Read the last two verses. So then, after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven. Luke writes the same thing in the Gospel of Luke, chapter one. Jesus was received up into heaven. Verse 20, and they went forth and preached everywhere. They is not just Peter and John. They is the group that was up in that room who heard Jesus said, say, These signs shall follow them that believe. The them is now in verse 20, the they, and they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming his word with signs following. So we should not think it strange that Philip and Stephen are used by God to demonstrate the miraculous power that is in the name of Jesus. Now, back to Acts chapter 8. As a result of the people believing Philip's preaching concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. We're looking at Acts chapter 8 again, and you look at verse 12, and I almost quoted it verbatim, but I'll read it to you. But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Now we know from reading previous chapters that until a person is at least repentant, they don't qualify for baptism. Baptism is not a ritual that you can just say, well, I'll be baptized because it says that I ought to be baptized, and that'll take care of me and I'll be saved. You got to believe first, and after you believe, you gotta repent. If you don't believe enough to repent, you're not a candidate for water baptism because it's not a simple ritual, it is obedience to the command of the Lord. It's not the works of men, it's the command of God, and we are yielding to that command when we are baptized. So if Philip was ready to baptize these people, and Philip was a deacon, and Philip was a man full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, would he follow a different gospel than the Apostle Peter? Would the application be different than the Apostle Peter in Acts chapter 2 and Acts chapter 3? It can't be. It has to be the same gospel with the same application. So I'm gonna read verse 14 just to give us a little refresher, then we'll dive into today's lesson, verses 15 through 25. Verse 14. And when the apostles, which were at Jerusalem, heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John. So now Peter and John are on an assignment via apostolic instructions. So the apostles in Jerusalem got together and said to Peter and John, You got to go. You got to go to Samaria and be a part of what's happening there. And we're gonna find out what prompted that as we read through the lesson. Verse 15 now. And when Peter, when they were come, prayed, who, when they were come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost. For as yet he was falling upon none of them, only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Oh, give me also this power, then on whomsoever I lay hands he may receive the Holy Ghost. 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 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. Then answered Simon and said, I pray ye to the Lord for me that none of these things which he has spoken come upon me. And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. Okay, so now we'll go back. We'll we'll walk through these verses and we'll talk about them a little bit. Remember, this is a simple presentation by a simple man. And what we're trying to do is just stir up within us a love for the word of God and a basic understanding for the word of God, and out of this hoping that each one who hears will have their own personal encounter with Jesus. Because there is no substitute for that. All right, going back, we're going to read verses 15 through 17, and then we're going to talk about them. Who, when they were come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost, for as yet he was fallen upon none of them, only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. All right. So when Peter and John arrived from Jerusalem, they set about fulfilling their apostolic instructions. Instructions which they received in Jerusalem according to Acts 8, 14. And what were those instructions? Well, when they got there, they prayed for the people who had believed and had been baptized in the name of Jesus. Who were they? Peter and John. Who? The apostles in Jerusalem, where the church was headquartered. Most of the church had escaped out of Jerusalem, but the apostles stayed there. And a small group of believers evidently stayed there. And the apostles got together and heard about what was happening in Samaria and Philip's ministerial successes and sent to them Peter and John. Why? Why did they send them there? Well, because they were not yet filled with the Holy Ghost. That's what we read. So now we know the specific reason the apostles in Jerusalem sent Peter and John to Samaria. Evidently, the apostles in Jerusalem got together, had some sort of counsel, some sort of discussion, determined that the new believers in Samaria needed to receive the Holy Ghost. Why? They had repented and they were baptized. Leave them alone. That's good enough. They believed. But the church at Jerusalem felt there was something there that was incomplete. Well, if you read Acts chapter 2, verse 38, the first time that Peter talked about, gave instructions for how to apply the grace of Jesus Christ to yourself, how to have it imparted. Most of us can quote that repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. That's like the sun shall rise. It shall rain on occasion. It's a certainty. But what's happening in Samaria, in spite of all the miracles, in spite of all of the people coming under faith and conviction to repent and be baptized, something's not happening. The shall is not being fulfilled in their lives. And that's that's of so much concern that the apostles in Jerusalem send Peter and John to address the issue. Why weren't they satisfied? Because the very first time that people ask, what do we do now that we believe Jesus is who you preached He is? Tell us what to do. Peter told them what to do. Repent, be baptized. But then he told them, and God will give you. When has God ever failed to keep his word? See, it stands to reason in my mind that this is the conversation happening in Jerusalem. Hey, they shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and they haven't. Something's wrong for all that's good. We appreciate it. We've got to believe God for the full completion of the experience of being born again of water and of spirit. So it's decided, Peter and John, you go. So here's a little side question. If Peter was the Pope, how come other people were instructing him what to do? If he is the first Pope, how come the other apostles are telling him and John, we're giving you an assignment? This is what you'll go do. And there's no resistance we read from Peter and John. They're up and gone, they're ready to go. Now, they lay hands on them because they had not received. The Holy Ghost. So the church is not satisfied. We're not saying the church looked at them and said, this is not good. It was wonderful. They are saying this is incomplete. Now, please take this to heart. Salvation is not an event. It is a lifelong experience. Yes, it has a beginning when a person believes. But when do you quit being saved? When you decide you no longer want the experience, then you're going to walk away from it. But it's not an event that you go and buy tickets to attend and say, it's happening on this date. There'll be a big crowd there and we'll all be happy. No, it's an experience you have with the living God. So they decided they needed to receive the Holy Ghost, and Peter and John came down and laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. Now we need to talk about this a minute. Was receiving the Holy Ghost a different experience than what the apostles received and preached in Acts chapter 2. Was it a different experience than Peter preached in Acts 3.19? So let's look at those two portions of scripture for just a moment. Turn to Acts chapter 2. We read verses 1 through 4. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind. The wind wasn't blowing. There was a sound of a rushing mighty wind. Must have sounded like a tornado. And it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as a fire, and it sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. We know from Acts chapter 1, there was approximately a hundred and twenty people in that upper room. We know from Paul's later testimony that there was above 500 who heard Jesus say, Go stay in Jerusalem, don't leave until you be endued with power from on high. You're going to be baptized in the Holy Ghost. 40 days later, or 10 days later, however you want to calculate it, depending on how you calculate, there's a disagreement on that. So we'll say somewhere from 10 to 40 days later. Only 120 were left. But above 500 saw him ascend. That means miracles doesn't always make believers. Who left five minutes before? Who was standing outside the door as they were leaving and heard what was going on inside and didn't get to experience it initially? That doesn't mean it didn't happen for them later, but they missed being a part of God's history in the church. This is why we need to be diligent in praying. God, please continue to grow me. Please give me an obedient spirit. Please give me patience. Because in our walk with God, we have to continually grow so that we'll understand what He wants from us. Now, Peter says that, you know, everybody will receive the Holy Ghost. We've quoted Acts 238. And we get down to verse 41. Then they that gladly received the word were baptized. And the same day were added unto them about 3,000 souls. In order to be added unto them, the entire promise of Acts 238 has to be fulfilled, or they're not added. Now, in Acts chapter 3, the next time Peter gives instructions for what to do when you believe, verse 19, he says, Repent ye therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out. Now this is just a reiteration of 238 in different words. So then being baptized washes away your sins. And we'll find as we go through the book of Acts that that is a true statement. It does blot out your sins. When the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. What is when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord? Where did he get that? He got that from Isaiah chapter 28. If you want to turn with me, we'll go there. Isaiah 28, and we're going to look at just a couple of verses here. Start reading at verse 9, and we'll start at verse 12. The prophet prophesying in the form of a question, speaking the word of God, the will of God, in the form of a question. Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Now he's going to answer the question. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little. In other words, they took time to understand what was going on, precept on precept. They weren't satisfied with an initial glance. Then look at verse 11. Speaking of those people now, for with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. So then stammering lips and speaking in another tongue is part of this experience. To whom he said, This is the rest, wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest, and this is the refreshing, yet they would not hear. So this was going to be fulfilled at some time in the future to those who would be faithful to the word of God and mature in understanding of the word of God. And yet there would be a group of them that would not receive it. Though they saw and heard people with stammering lips and another tongue. Well, we have that today. We have multitudes of people who say, I believe, but I don't want that experience. I believe, but I don't think that experience is for me. But when Peter was reiterating Acts 2.38 in Acts 3.19, he reaches back to the prophet Isaiah, showing us that that was prophecy of the outpouring of the gift of the Holy Ghost. It involved stammering lips and another tongue. That tells me that the people in Acts chapter 2, verse 41, that were added unto the church had the same experience because there is not two gospels, nor can there be two applications of the same gospel. Now, Luke was a part of the Apostle Paul's ministry team. Luke wrote the book of Acts. And he's Paul's companion. Now, Paul wrote something to the Galatian church we ought to look at here. Now, this is to the church. This is not to unbelievers. This is to people who are already repentant, already baptized, filled with the Holy Ghost. Doesn't mean there weren't some people in there that were growing into the experience, but it's written primarily to the redeemed, to the church at Galatia, not to the sinners, not to the unrepentant, not to the unbelievers. Now, we're going to read verses 6 through 10 of Galatians chapter 1. Paul says to the Galatian church, I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. Whoa! You receive the gospel that I brought you, that I received by revelation from Jesus Christ. I leave you for a few months, a few years, whatever. You're taking on a different gospel, which is not another. But there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. So if you pervert the gospel, it's no longer the gospel, it's another gospel. But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. That is apostolic doctrine. And that's a hard saying, isn't it? In other words, if somebody knowingly, intentionally twists the gospel, not saying they're ignorant, not saying they didn't understand, they twist it for their own purposes. There is not another gospel. And their application is not going to work. Verse 10, for do I now persuade men or God, or do I seek to please men? For if I yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ. I didn't preach this gospel to make you happy. I can't tell you the word of God to make you happy. I worked for Jesus. Listen, if you think you're called to ministry, and you can't be in submission to the apostle, to the prophet, to the evangelist, to the pastor, to the teacher, you're fooling yourself. You're claiming to do things different other than what the gospel has brought you. Why? Well, remember when Moses and Aaron looked at the people that were murmuring in the wilderness against them and said, What are you murmuring at us for? Why are you getting on us for these things that we're telling you to do? We didn't make this up. This was not our idea. You got to understand, you're rebelling against God. You think it's us because you can see us, flesh and bones, because we delivered the message, but it didn't originate with us. We want to be careful and never ever lose the fear of the Lord, the respect for God and for his authority in our lives. Do not receive another gospel. He wrote to the Ephesian church also. Let's look there. Ephesians chapter 4. That's the very next book. Ephesians chapter 4, we'll read verses 6 through 10. Paul is telling the church. I'll start with verse 4 instead. But key on verses 6 through 10. He writes to the church, there is one body, that's the church and one spirit. Even as ye are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one body, the church, one God, and Father of all, who is above all through all and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. Now he that ascended, what is it, but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth. He descend that descended, the same also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. Then he goes into the gifts that were given to the church. Listen to me. There is one body, the church, one spirit, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, one Lord, the Lord Jesus, one faith, one baptism, water baptism in the name of Jesus. Therefore, there can only be one gospel and one application of that gospel. And we must believe and repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then God will not fail to keep his promise and fill us with the Holy Ghost. That is prophesied. We read Isaiah 28 verses 9 through 12. It's also prophesied in Ezekiel. Look at Ezekiel chapter 36. I'm slow on the trigger, forgive me. Ezekiel 36 and verse 27. Well, I'll read 26 and 27. A new heart also will I give thee. Oh, God is prophesying through Ezekiel to his people. Some of them are in captivity already, some of them are still in Jerusalem. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I pour within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you. In other words, you'll be filled with it. And cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments and do them. When you're baptized in the Holy Ghost, I want to tell you from personal experience and from testimonies that I have heard. When you think that wrong thought, you'll become guilty. When you do that wrong thing, you'll become guilty. When you say that wrong thing, you'll become guilty. If not immediately, 20 minutes later, the next day, sooner or later, guilt will come up to you because God is continually purifying us. In order for that to happen, we must live in a repentant mode. You'll find that's what Romans 6 and 7 is all about, that. Living our life in the mode of repentance. Would you rather not be baptized in the Holy Ghost and not have a sensitive conscience and not have God tell you you need to repent and let you wallow in your sin? And the trumpet sound while you're treasuring sin? That's not for me. You could say the one thing I'm afraid of, God don't ever leave me. I can't make it without you, Jesus. And don't let me make decisions that separate me from God. How do I prevent that from happening? I stay humble before the Lord, sensitive to my conscience, willing to look up and say, I'm wrong, God. I always say my father-in-law was the greatest Christian man I ever knew. And it's not because he was perfect, it's because he was sincere in his faith. And one of the great things he had was the ability to look at you and without making excuses, say, that was wrong. I did wrong. I apologize. I hope you forgive me. I pray the Lord will forgive me. No excuses. I've often prayed that I would someday have the integrity that man showed me. He didn't show me a sinless person. Jesus did that. He didn't show me a mistake free person. He showed me someone who made up their mind, I am going to love God and I'm going to follow him. And if that means I have to repent 50 times a day, so be it. But I'm following. One of his favorite words was press on. No matter what you experience, press on with the Lord. Now, also in Matthew chapter 3, this was prophesied. Let's go there. Matthew chapter 3. Probably all quite familiar with this by now. Unless you're new, you're just hearing us for the first time. Maybe you're not familiar with scripture. I get it. Everybody's got to start somewhere. Matthew chapter 3, verse 11. John the Baptist is preaching to the multitudes. And he says, I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. But he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire. He was preaching that to the multitudes. He was telling them all, you'll be baptized with the Holy Ghost and fire. You submit to the word of God. This is what will happen. All right. It's prophesied again in John chapter 1, verses 32 through 33. You can read that there, make a note of that. We've already read Acts 2.38 and Acts 3.19. It was prophesied by Jesus himself in Luke chapter 11. And I just have this off the cuff. It's probably not the only place Jesus prophesied it. But as you read through the Gospels, you look for it. Luke chapter 11, verse 13. Jesus, after speaking in parables, says to the listening crowd, If ye then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to the 120 of Pentecost? I beg your pardon? No, it says to them that ask him. He's telling that to the multitude. It was God's intention. Now, Acts 24, I'm sorry, Luke 24. Stay in that book, go to chapter 24, verse 49. Jesus says, Luke writes it down, Jesus is about to leave. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high. We know from reading Acts chapter 1, verses 4 through 8, that is being baptized in the Holy Ghost. So back to Acts chapter 8. What was seen by By Simon, the former sorcerer, was so powerful when they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Ghost. To me, it's evident they spoke in other tongues. I can't make you believe that. I can encourage you to study the Word of God and see why I say that. And we're not through covering this. We'll cover this more in the book of Acts. But what Simon saw was so powerful that he, as a former sorcerer, decided, I will pay good money, any price to be able to exercise this power. He's used to casting spells. And this was beyond any spell he'd ever cast. He said, I'll pay you. You just teach me how to do this, so that when I lay hands on people, they receive the Holy Ghost. What did he see? That he's ready to pay money so he can mimic it. Well, from everything I've studied so far, he witnessed people receiving the Holy Ghost and speaking in other tongues, probably acting like they were drunk, like they did on the day of Pentecost, like Isaiah prophesied, like Ezekiel prophesied. Why would we assume it was different? Why would we make the word of God inconsistent by saying there's different applications of the gospel? Why? There's only one gospel. So now we'll get and read verses 20 through 23 of Acts chapter 8. 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 might be forgiven thee, for I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity. Then answered Simon and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. So Peter has experience with believers who intentionally practice deception. Simon's request may have even reminded him of his encounter with Ananias and Sapphira, who fell over dead for trying to lie to the Lord. So Peter very quickly and very firmly rebukes Simon for thinking that he could purchase with money the ability to lay hands on people and cause them to receive the Holy Ghost. Listen to me. Money is a useful tool in the kingdom of God, but you can't buy blessings. You can't buy miracles. So be careful. I'm not saying it's it's wrong for you, that you've got a good project, a good Christian project, and you're trying to raise funds to get it done. But be careful. Be careful that you're not promising people you'll be blessed with a hundredfold more if you just give to my mission. Put your money in here so that you'll get money back. This ain't the stock market. The gospel is not something you use like trading stocks and bonds. They took up offerings. The early church took up offerings. There's nothing wrong with that. But let us not get the attitude. This is like investing, and we're going to get a return. 15%, 20%, 80%. You know, it might come back to you in money, but what if it comes back in the salvation of your family members? Which would you rather have? The money or relatives walking with God. Don't make up your mind that my blessings have to come monetarily, or they're not really blessing. Don't do that. As your faith is, Jesus said, so be it unto you. Don't make that your faith. And if you're raising money for a ministry, let me discourage you kindly. Everybody probably doesn't mean it the way I'm thinking it, but be careful when you say plant a seed. Are you telling people if they plant a seed, you're guaranteeing them that that money will reproduce money and they'll be wealthy beyond their wildest dreams? No, this seed, if they're planting a seed, it's to grow something in the kingdom of God. Not to grow an account like people do at Wall Street. So Peter informs Simon that his request shows that he's out of bounds with God. He is in danger of consequences he does not understand. And repentance is the only remedy for this gross wickedness of his heart. He makes Simon aware that he, Simon, is still controlled by the spirit of bitterness. Remember, we read earlier in the chapter that people worshiped him as though he himself were a god or some great man of God, the power of God. He lost all that affluence and influence when Philip came to town and started preaching the gospel, then miracles started happening. People started believing, so much so that he himself also believed. Now, where once he was that affluent, influential person, now he's one of the group of believers. And he doesn't have that affluence and influence. This speaks to me that he the bitterness he had had to do with jealousy. I once was the main show. Now I'm following Philip around. I see what he's doing is good. I'm gonna try to be his disciple, but I boy, I sure wish I was still the prime act of this show. If I pay money, maybe I will be again. So instead of seeking God to be useful in the kingdom in this type of ministry, he would just get what he wanted by purchasing it. You can't purchase the anointing with money. You can't purchase anointing, you can't purchase a ministry, you can't purchase a testimony, you can't purchase an experience with God. And if you're selling miracles, God help you. Because when you stand before him on judgment day, you're gonna have to tell him why you are selling what he was giving away for free. Some of these people who do that and and deceive people about, you know, you just give me your money and you'll be millionaires. I fear God. I can't do that. I know God won't let me get away with it. And I don't want to try. And if you never had a spanking from God, be careful, because when you get one, it'll be memorable. You you won't forget it. But he only does it because he loves you and he wants to correct you and grow you. But it's memorable. I won't tell you, I never forgot a spanking that my dad gave me because it's more like a beating. And and God's discipline is worse because it's not just a bruise to the flesh, it's in your heart and your spirit and your conscience. Now, Simon gets the message. It makes me wonder if he heard the story of Ananias and Sapphira. He immediately starts seeking the mercy and forgiveness of God to be imparted to him. So he learned something that he didn't want to be on the wrong end of this power.

unknown 52:44

Right.

SPEAKER_00 52:45

But I wonder why he felt he needed to use Peter as a mediator. All he really needed to do was repent as heart. Never forget that. Verses 24 and 25. Then answered Simon and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. Finally, Peter and John, having fulfilled their apostolic assignment to Samaria, headed back home to Jerusalem. But it's in their bones, it's in their blood, and along the way, they stop in many Samaritan villages to preach the gospel. You know where they went and preached the gospel? People believed. After they believed, they repented. After they repented, they were water baptized in the name of Jesus. And they were gloriously filled with the Holy Ghost, with the evidence of speaking in other tongues, because they preached the same gospel that was preached in Acts chapter 2 and in Acts chapter 3, fulfilling the prophecies from Ezekiel, from Isaiah, from John the Baptist, from Jesus Christ Himself. We're looking for truth. So if something in here doesn't ring for you in your heart, by all means, get out your Bible, talk to Jesus, pray over it, seek God over it. I'm not here as a substitute for the Holy Ghost. Your personal experience with Christ. That's what I'm trying to facilitate. Because He'll do the things that no one else can do. Well, thank thank you for your time and attention. And I hope the next lesson to close out Acts chapter 8.

SPEAKER_01 54:51

Hi, Brother Ernie. Thank you so much. Enjoyed that very much. Anyone, I know we're gonna have some questions and stuff. I think we'll do that on another podcast because we're out of time. Yeah, used up all the time. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_00 55:02

I was trying to be thorough.

SPEAKER_01 55:04

That's okay. It's good, good, good stuff. All right. So thank you so much for joining us today. Like I said, if you haven't listened to the other podcasts going up to this, please go and and watch those and study those, get your notebooks out, take notes, and and go and watch the videos on our YouTube channels under the same name of Simple Discipleship Unfiltered. And you can just see Brother Ernie's beautiful face. So handsome on the screen. We love you, brother. Thank you everybody for being here. Thank you so much. And we thank everybody who helps us do this. Thank you, Sister Audia, for your home, for the for the food today.

SPEAKER_00 55:46

It's my pleasure.

SPEAKER_01 55:47

And we're so good. Uh we're so grateful for you. Thank y'all for being with us today. We always say and end with this what? Go show some love. Show some compassion. Give mercy and go be Jesus today. Hey, STU family. If you have enjoyed this podcast today, would you please like, follow, and share our podcast link? We would love to hear your feedback and your podcast topic suggestions. To do that, simply go to our website at www.m3mi.org. Scroll to the four S Lake.