( For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
Many in Samaria believed Philip's preaching about the risen Christ, received the word of God, and received Christian baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus. At that time the Holy Spirit had fallen upon none of those baptized believers. The Spirit of God was waiting to enlighten souls and convert them to the truth. For this work Peter and John were sent from Jerusalem to help them, and their work in Samaria had wonderful results.
This shows that after Jesus' ascension the Samaritans welcomed the disciples and received the gospel message. Simon Magus was among those baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus and joined the disciples. He sought supernatural power by welcoming Satanic influence. He possessed a spirit of divination and, like such people, had no conflict with the demons rather than suffering under demonic influence.
His baptism illustrates that an unworthy person could join the early church and be counted among its believers. Being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus is not complete while the Holy Spirit has not yet fallen upon believers, so truly converted workers, including men and women physicians, must give themselves fully to God to be baptized with the Holy Ghost, and then the Holy Spirit will cooperate with them. This baptism of the Spirit enables the spreading of the work into unworked cities by division and subdivision of workers instead of centering in a few places.
Many in Samaria believed Philip's preaching about the risen Christ, received the word of God, and received Christian baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus. At that time the Holy Spirit had fallen upon none of those baptized believers. The Spirit of God was waiting to enlighten souls and convert them to the truth. For this work Peter and John were sent from Jerusalem to help them, and their work in Samaria had wonderful results.
This shows that after Jesus' ascension the Samaritans welcomed the disciples and received the gospel message. Simon Magus was among those baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus and joined the disciples. He sought supernatural power by welcoming Satanic influence. He possessed a spirit of divination and, like such people, had no conflict with the demons rather than suffering under demonic influence.
His baptism illustrates that an unworthy person could join the early church and be counted among its believers. Being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus is not complete while the Holy Spirit has not yet fallen upon believers, so truly converted workers, including men and women physicians, must give themselves fully to God to be baptized with the Holy Ghost, and then the Holy Spirit will cooperate with them. This baptism of the Spirit enables the spreading of the work into unworked cities by division and subdivision of workers instead of centering in a few places.