Daily Bread

Acts 8:17 - "At that time they laid their hands upon them and they received the Holy Spirit."

Of the three times that the phrase "lambano pneuma agion" (received the Holy Spirit) is used in the New Testament two of them describe the fact that the recipients of the Holy Spirit received the language of the Spirit (Acts 10:47; 19:2,6). To conclude that the Samaritans were deprived of this same measure and blessing of the Holy Spirit is to step outside of revealed truth on the subject. The experience that the Samaritans had when they received the Holy Spirit was so impressive that Simon the Sorcerer was able to see the working of God's power to the extent that he was willing to pay to have it for himself (8:18). To conclude that what the Samaritans received and what Simon saw was different than the event of Acts 2:4 is to ignore the evidence of God's word. Similarly, the language of the Spirit is not expressly noted concerning Paul in Acts 9:17, yet we know for certain that he was not deprived of the full manifestation of the baptism of the Holy Spirit received by the disciples on the day of Pentecost (see footnote for Acts 9:17). Reception of the Holy Spirit became of such importance to the early church that Paul's first question to the men of Ephesus was "have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed" (Acts 19:2). To the early church the reception of the Holy Spirit was one of the primary testimonies of being a believer, Acts 2:38; 4:31; 6:3, 5; 7:55; 8:15-16, 19; 9:17; 10:44; 11:15-16; 13:9; 19:2. To subjectively alter the precedence set for the gift of the Holy Spirit given in Acts 2:4 is a violation of scripture.The gift of the Holy Spirit was emphasized by Jesus and his apostles and should also be emphasized by us as well: by Jesus - Matthew 3:11; 16:17; Acts 1:5,7,8; John 7:38, 39; Luke 24:49; John 14:16,17, 26; 15:26, 27; 16:13-15.by Apostles and brethren -Acts 2:33, 38; 5:32; 6:3, 5; 7:55; 8:15-16; 9:17; 10:38, 44-45, 47; 11:15-16, 24; 13:4, 9; 15:8; 19:2, 6; Romans 5:5; 14;17; 15: 13, 16, 19; 1 Corinthians 2:4; 12:7-11;14; 2 Corinthians 5:5; Galatians 3:2-5, 14; Ephesians 3:16; 5:18; 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 1:5; 4:8; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:2; Jude 20).

Blessings,

Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org