It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. You are God’s building.” In God’s kingdom we work hand in hand with each other and God! The Holy Spirit orchestrates and anoints God’s followers to work in harmony with each other to do God’s will. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. The apostle Paul talked about this topic in 1 Corinthians:5:9: “After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Every job, no matter how big or small it may appear, is important in God’s Kingdom. Philip, Peter and John had different roles and all worked together to accomplish God’s work. Peter and John came to Samaria and then baptized these believers in the Spirit. The church continued to grow and even some Jewish priests became believers that's powerful! When Philip was sharing the Gospel in Samaria, he also baptized the new believers in water. We see that the deacon’s role was important because it freed up the apostles to pray, study, and preach God’s Word instead of doing tasks like feeding the widows in the church. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.” (Acts:8:6-7) “These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them. But, listen to what happened when he and the other deacons did their jobs. Perhaps that doesn’t sound very important or exciting. 1 Peter:5:6 says, “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.”īefore Philip became an evangelist and worked miracles, he was a faithful deacon serving the widows in the church. When we do that, He will exalt and lift us up at the right time. (John:6:15, John:18:36) Instead of seeking earthly power, we are to live to serve God and humble ourselves before Him. Jesus instead came to seek God, to do His will on the earth, and to prepare us to live with Him in God’s spiritual kingdom. Jesus, when He came to earth, refused to set up an earthly kingdom even when His followers tried to make Him king. He tells us to seek His face and live for Him. Matthew:6:33 says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” God never tells us to seek power on this earth. Simon set his sights on the things of the world and thought about what he could do with God’s power for his own benefit. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” Colossians:3:1-2 says, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. As followers of Christ, we are to seek God above all else. Simon was all about earthly power and fame. It seems he wanted to attract large crowds again and amaze those who followed him, just like Philip. Yet, instead of seeking God and a closer relationship with Him, Simon sought God’s power first. Simon was probably sincere when he first believed and was baptized. It was full of jealousy, wickedness, and sin. Simon wanted this power so much that he offered money to buy it from Peter! Peter rebuked him and revealed that Simon’s heart was not right with God. (Acts:8:5-7, Acts:8:12-13) When Peter and John came to Samaria, they laid hands on people to receive the Holy Spirit. He was attracted and amazed by the miracles that Philip performed by God’s power. In fact, his ministry was so powerful that even Simon believed and was baptized! Simon then followed Philip everywhere he went. The people believed God’s Word and were amazed at the signs and miracles that accompanied Philip. Acts:8:10 says, “ Everyone, from the least to the greatest, often spoke of him as “the Great One-the Power of God.” However, things changed when Philip came to Samaria. For many years he claimed to be great and soaked up the praise of the people. Simon the Sorcerer liked the feeling of power.
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