Acts 8: 14-24

(Acts 8: 14-24)

Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:  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.  And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,  Saying, Give me also this power, that 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 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.  Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the LORD for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.

The apostles in Jerusalem, hearing the news that "the Samaritans also received the word of God," sent Peter and John to Samaria. The two apostles went down to Samaria to pray and lay their hands on the new believers there, and while returning to Jerusalem, they preached the gospel in various Samaritan villages. The Holy Spirit also came upon the believers there. The Holy Spirit used Philip for another gentile evangelism. God's work of spreading the persecuted gospel more widely and growing the church under persecution has been truly remarkable. The fact that Stephen, who was no less than the twelve apostles, was martyred too early would have been a great loss to the church. But Stephen's martyrdom was never in vain.

The story that follows is about Simon the magician. Today, in most churches, the story of the Philippian jailer is preached rather than the magician Simon. In the story of the Philippian jailer in Acts 16, the jailer asks Paul, "What should I do to be saved?" Paul said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you and your house will be saved." The Apostle Paul always spoke of two conditions for salvation. He conveyed his repentance to God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. At the end of the book of Acts, he commanded King Agrippa to say, "God should repent to all people in the world." So, salvation is the gospel of repentance, not the gospel of faith.

Before speaking of salvation to the guards of Pauli Philippi, a long passage is explained in the Bible. That night, the jailer tortured Paul, and the jailer heard the praise of Paul and Silas. And when the jailer saw the jail open, he tried to commit himself. Then Paul does not run away. If we repent, our praise and prayer will not cease, even if we are in pain. Those who repent and those who do not will have this different decision.

The guard was not afraid of death. Paul said to the jailer, "Do not hurt your body." When he heard this, the guard was said to be trembling and afraid. He is afraid of God. As Paul, the one sent by God, spoke, the jailer trembled in fear. The symptoms of unrepentance are found in Romans 1-3, because they are not afraid of God. Those who do not fear God are those who do not repent.

Fearing God and realizing that I am worthy of salvation is the reaction of a person who repents. That's why Paul said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, you and your house will be saved." In Mark 1:15, ``And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 』. The Gospel can be believed only when we repent. Many church people say, "I wash my sins by the blood of Jesus and believe in Jesus." The way to get rid of the root of sin is to deny yourself and to die on the cross with Jesus.

If you do not know this, you are blind. Without self-denial repentance, the blood of Jesus does not work. In Acts 2:38 Peter said, ``Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 』, the European Puritan Bible says, "Repent, and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins." It was translated by considering the meaning of the Greek sentence. The Greek text reads, "Repent ye, and be baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in order to obtain the forgiveness of your sins."

Since the believers have the faith that their sins are forgiven, they are not baptized, but as a result of their baptism they have the forgiveness of their sins. Baptism means dying. In Romans 6:3, ``Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 』To God, a sinner is a spirit dead to God. They are those who react oppositely to God. They become enemies of God. So, the sinner must die for sin. Those who consider themselves humanly good are the hardest to accept to say to God that they are sinners who must die. Among those who believe in Jesus, many say they are sinners, but will not die with Jesus. They can be said to be unrepentant.