9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is rightly called the Great Power of God." 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. Where does the power of sorcery come from? Satan. He has power on this earth to steal, kill, and destroy. It's all he's interested in. He gave Simon this power to distract people from the real Truth.
12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them,
and they received the Holy Spirit. This is an interesting concept. Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Different Christian denominations approach this idea in different ways. Some believe we are filled with the Holy Spirit at the moment we accept Christ as Lord and Savior and that nothing else is necessary. Other denominations have ceremonies or procedures for the laying on of hands to allow a person to receive the Holy Spirit. I think the most important thing is to allow the Spirit of the Living God to take over our lives. Invite the Spirit into your heart, mind, and soul. I don't think God is a "cookbook" kind of God - like you have to say certain words or perform particular rituals in a particular way. I think it's the surrender of our hearts to Him that counts. Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find. Just my personal take. I did go to a "Life in the Spirit" seminar many years ago in the Roman Catholic church and was Baptized in the Holy Spirit by a charismatic priest who prayed over me in tongues. I think God honors any effort we make to let Him in.
18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money 19 and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
20 Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."
24 Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me
so that nothing you have said may happen to me." So Peter corrected Simon the Sorcerer and it seems he heard and may have turned away from his sin and to the true God and faith in Jesus. This is one of those stories where it would be interesting to know the rest of the story.
25 After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.
