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'tion himself.in so important a mat ter. This act of the apostles clearly reveals that there was no chief or ruler among them. They acted with equal authority. 2. "For as yet he was fallen upon none of them" (v. 16). Notice that: “The Samaritan believers had to.be identified with those in Jerusalem, because there was a schism, between Saniaria and Jerusalem. Samaria had denied both-the city of Jerusalem and the temple. This had to be ended and could be no longer tolerated. It was therefore divinely ordered that the gjft of the Spirit in their case should be withheld till the two apostles came from Jerusalem.' This meant an ac knowledgment of Jerusalem; if the Holy Spirit had been imparted unto them at once, it might have resulted in a continuance of -the existing ri valry” (Gaebelein). Since the Apos tolic days, every believer at conver sion receives the Holy Spirit and is by the Spirit baptized into the body of Christ. 3. "They . . . preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans" (v. 25). At one time John desired fire to consume these Samaritans (Luke 9:54). But transforming grace had done a marvelous work in his life. He was a changed man. The same was True of Peter. It is also true of all those who allow the Spirit of God to operate in their lives. Golden Text Illustration JoriN 4:35 In h is , thirty-fifth year, Thomas Guthrie left his delightful parish down in Forfarshire to labor among the slums in Edinburgh. Soon after his arrival in the city he found him self one gloomy afternoon standing on the George the Fourth Bridge, look ing dow*n on the squalor and filth and misery of the Cowgate. “The streets,” -he says, “were a puddle; the. heavy air, loaded with smoke, was thick and murky; the toppling chimneys and battered roofs below me were fit em blems of the fortunes of most of their tenants.” .'. . Dr. Guthrie felt home sick for his old parish, A ll at once a hand was laid on his shoulder. Turn ing, he was confronted by the finely chiseled face of Dr. Chalmers. The old doctor knew of the task that the younger man had undertaken, and guessed the thoughts that were surg ing in his heart. Slapping him on the shoulder, he exclaimed: “A beautiful field, sir; a very fine field of opera tion!” A “ field” ! A beautiful “field” ! ~A very fine “field” ! Dr. Guthrie had never thought of it in that light. The scene before him was completely changed. He saw the mob as Chal mers saw it; he saw it as his Lord saw it.—F. W. Boreham, in Pearls for Preachers. ,
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was not interested in the welfare of thè believers nór in furthering the work of the Lord, butaonly in the ad vancement and material profit that might come to him. He offered the apostles money if they would sell him that power. He reckoned without- Pe ter’s ¡Spiritual insight into the hearts of men. Simon proved that—as Péter knew—he had no part in the matter of the Holy Spirit, his heart not being right in the sight of God. The gift of God can not be purchased. It is ob tainable only by faith that truly ac cepts Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. Simon nteeded repentance o f the wickedness of his heart. Peter was aware of the gall of bit terness and bond of iniquity in which this man was held, and Peter exhort ed Simon to repent and to pray to God for forgiveness. But Simon again re pealed the condition of his heart-by asking Peter to pray for him, instead of praying for himself as Peter told him to do. The heart that really turns to God in true repentance always finds acceptance and forgiveness without the need for any one else to pray for hijn. IK. P r e a c h in g t h e W ord (25 ) After testifying and preaching “the word of. the Lord” to. the Samaritans, Peter and John returned with their re port to Jerusalem, from whence they' had been sent. Their report would be given t o ’ the apostles in Jerusalem, since all other disciples had been scat tered far and near by the persecution that was permitted by, God. But the apostles at Jerusalem remained, and theirs was an authoritative voice fòr believers until the establishment of the Gentile headquarters at Antioch. On their way to Jerusalem from Sa maria, these two apostles did not fail to preach the truth, so that many of the villages t h r o u g h which they passed heard the word of life. This is God’s intent for all His own, that wherever they may go, they shall con tinually proclaim the Word to all. Points and Problems 1. "They sent unto them Peter and John" (Acts 8:14). This act shows that Peter had no such authority and pri macy as the Roman Catholic Church claims for him: Peter exercised no au- thority in sending others, but was himself sent. He was appointed by- the united voice of the apostolic group, and claimed no power of direc-
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