Something Greater

Acts 8: Baptism, The Holy Spirit, and Tongues Acts 8:18-19 What has gone before... Philip's preaching brought crowds in Samaria to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Sustainer. They gladly proclaimed their repentance and dependence upon God through water baptism. But something more was yet in store for these new believers. Peter and John prayed for the Samaritan Christians and they received the Holy Spirit. Moving on... "Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, - Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." Acts 8:18-19 (ESV) Simon the Magician was a believer , baptized along with crowds of men and women who had listened to Philip and saw the signs that he did. Simon must have also been among those for whom Peter and John prayed, and upon whom the Holy Spirit had fallen. Luke does not describe what "receiving the Holy Sp...

Tongues Of Fire "And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them." Acts 2:3 DIVIDED: "Diamerízo", to partition thoroughly (literally in distribution, figuratively in dissension); from "diá" (through) and "merízo" (to part, to apportion, bestow, share) and "méros" (a division or share) and "meiromai" (to get as a section or allotment) TONGUES: "Glossa", the tongue; by implication, a language (specially, one naturally unacquired); FIRE: "Pyr", "fire" (specially, lightning) APPEARED: "Optánomai", to gaze with wide-open eyes, as at something remarkable; RESTED: "Kathízo", to seat down, i.e. set (figuratively, appoint); intransitively, to sit (down); figuratively, to settle (hover, dwell); from "kathézomai" (to sit down) and "katá" (down, in place or time) and "hedraîos" (sedentary, immovable) The wor...