DAILY GUIDE DEVOTIONAL:NUTURING THE CHURCH

 

Text: Acts 8:14-25

Philip presented the gospel of faith to the Samaritans under the influence of the holy spirit. The word came out in power and souls were converted unto the lord. In verse 14, "the apostles which were in Jerusalem heard that Samaria received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John." And in verse 17_ they laid their hands on them and they were baptized in the holy spirit. This is the ministry of the church displayed. The body of Christ is home for all believers. People may hear the word of God being preached anywhere and surrender to Jesus. This does not mean they have been fully established. The holy spirit is the one who confirms a believer. He is the power that equips a believer to live the above life free from the oppressive grip of sin and Satan.  It is sad to note that many organization today which go by the name of churches have neglected this very important and indispensable aspect of our faith. Hence, many are empty and looking for spiritual power in all the wrong places.  Callous men have made a merchandise of the faith because of this ugly lack in the body of Christ. Pardon me, but if you are a reader and you have not yet received the baptism of the holy spirit with its attendant evidence, I must say that you need to seek the face of the lord concerning this infilling, for without it you may not go far in your relationship with God. 

Peter and John were sent by the elders. This shows organization. Philip did not continue to work alone. He fell back on the rest of the apostles. Evangelism is not showmanship. The person who received the word of God from your lips and repented is not your convert, he was converted by the holy spirit without whose power you can do nothing. So he primarily belongs to the body of Christ. He must be introduced to the larger body for proper establishment, guidance, edification and comfort as needed, which is made possible by the different ministries given in the church. Your place is prayer for the new convert just as Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:15-18.

Simon the sorcerer is another issue. Many people go to church with different mindsets occasioned by their vague understanding of the scriptures. This is unfortunate and very worrisome too. Some see church going as another source of magical power where they will receive oil, handkerchiefs, water, salt etc as spiritual objects for deliverance, success and breakthrough. They are so accustomed to these things that it has taken over faith in Jesus finished work as the source of real christian and apostolic power. Sadly, Many professing Christians, in various denominations  have gone down this wrong path. I encounter people with such beliefs on a daily basis and most times its very hard to convince them otherwise. These so called ministries have done more harm than good to the body of Christ. Simon was with such mindset until he was rebuked and confronted with the truth. The church has a duty to continue to expose the lies and transmit the truth through and through. We cannot fold our hands and keep on watching. We must speak out in the power of the holy ghost and silence all the evil dreamers. May we step out in faith today to do so.