First Scriptural Witness
ACTS 8:5
5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and PREACHED CHRIST unto them.
The Bible says that Philip preached Christ to the Samaritans. Preaching Christ is preaching the
good news of the gospel of salvation through Jesus.
Preaching Christ is obeying the Great Commission that Jesus gave to the Church.
These Samaritans believed the gospel message Philip preached: "And the people with one
accord GAVE HEED UNTO THOSE THINGS WHICH PHILIP SPAKE ..." (Acts 8:6). So
according to what Jesus said in Mark 16:16, the Samaritans were saved.
The Bible says to let every truth be established in the mouth of two or three witnesses (2 Cor.
13:1), so let's look at another scriptural witness which proves these Samaritans were born
again.
Second Scriptural Witness
The Bible says we are born again by the Word of God. The Book of Peter says we are born
"... not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, BY THE WORD OF GOD, which liveth and
abideth for ever" 1 Peter 1:23).
Our scripture in Acts 8:14 says, "Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that
Samaria had RECEIVED THE WORD OF GOD. ..." Therefore, as our second scriptural
witness, we have proof that the Samaritans were genuinely saved because they had received
the incorruptible Word of God preached by Philip.
Third Scriptural Witness
The third scriptural witness is that the apostles recognized that the Samaritans were saved:
"Now when the apostles . . . heard that Samaria had RECEIVED THE WORD OF GOD" (Acts
8:14). So we see that the Samaritans were saved under Philip's ministry.
These Samaritans had received the Word of God concerning salvation, but the Bible says they
had yet to be filled with or baptized in the Holy Spirit: "For as yet he was fallen upon none of
them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 8:16).
There is a work of the Holy Spirit that takes place in the new birth, but that is not called the
baptism in the Holy Spirit or receiving the Holy Spirit. That is called being born again, being
born of the Spirit of God, receiving salvation, or receiving eternal life (John 3:3-8).
Then there is an experience following salvation called the baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5).
It is also referred to as receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:15), or being filled with the Holy Spirit
(Acts 2:4), or being endued with power from on High (Luke 24:49).
The Samaritans Received the Holy Spirit
Peter and John were sent down to Samaria for the specific purpose of praying for the
Samaritan believers to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
ACTS 8:14-17
14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the
word of God [ that they w ere born again l, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might RECEIVE THE
HOLY GHOST:
16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of
the Lord Jesus.)
17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they RECEIVED THE HOLY GHOST.
Some might ask why Peter and John had to go pray for the Samaritans to receive the Holy
Ghost? Why couldn't Philip have prayed for them just as well? But we must remember that we
each have our place in God's plan. We must each find that place and do what God wants us to
do. God has special ministries. He didn't call all of us to minister the same, and He didn't give
all of us the same gifts or ministry.
Philip had a mighty ministry, but it was in the Lord's plan to send Peter and John to lay hands
on the new converts so they could receive the Holy Ghost. As I said previously, while it is true
any Christian can lay hands on another believer in faith to receive the baptism of the Holy
Spirit, it is also true that some members of the Body of Christ have more of a ministry and
more of an anointing along this line
Philip, for example, had more of a ministry of bringing people into salvation and of ministering
healing. As we saw in Acts 8:12, when Philip preached the good news of salvation through
Jesus Christ, people were saved. And there were also many healings under Philip's ministry
(Acts 8:6,7).
Peter and John, on the other hand, had a ministry more along the line of bringing believers into
the baptism of the Holy Spirit; when they laid their hands upon the Samaritans, these new
converts received the Holy Ghost.
FFT: Find your place in God's plan!
ACTION POINT: Make it your commitment to discover and fulfil God's ordination for your life.
INTERACTIVE SESSION: Have you discover your place in God's plan?
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