Money Can't Buy Spirit

Acts 8:14-24 “Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,  (15)  who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.  (16)  For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  (17)  Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.  (18)  And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,  (19)  saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit."  (20)  But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!  (21)  You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.  (22)  Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.  (23) For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."  (24)  Then Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.”

This is the second account in Scripture of the disciples being baptized with the Holy Spirit. Philip the evangelist had gone to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. Because he operated in the ministry gift of the evangelist (Acts 21:8), multitudes in that city gave their hearts to the Lord Jesus and were born again. Part of the anointing associated with the office of the evangelist includes the gifts of the Holy Spirit called the working of miracles and gifts of healings (1 Corinthians 12:9-10). These gifts manifested through Philip's ministry during his meetings in that city, and many demons were cast out and many paralyzed and lame were healed (Acts 8:7). Philip ensured that all new converts were baptized in water, according to the doctrine taught by the Lord's apostles (Acts 8:16).

However, during Philip's ministry in that city, none of the new converts were filled with the Holy Spirit because Philip did not have that particular gift operating in his ministry. Knowing the disciples needed to receive the Holy Spirit, he sent to Jerusalem for help. When the apostles heard Philip's request, they specifically sent Peter and John to pray for the new converts to receive the Holy Spirit. Peter and John had this particular anointing in their ministries, enabling them to lay hands on disciples so they could be filled with the Holy Spirit. This anointing is a gift of the Holy Spirit, falling under the category of the spiritual gift called working of miracles. Peter called it a gift when he rebuked Simon for trying to buy it. Some have thought that Simon and Peter's conversation referred to being filled with the Holy Spirit as the gift. However, Simon actually wanted the same ability (gift) that Peter and John had—the power to lay hands on people so they could be filled with the Holy Spirit.

When Peter and John came to Samaria, they held a meeting specifically for the saints (new converts) to be filled with the Holy Spirit. By this time, they had personally laid hands on hundreds of new converts in Jerusalem and had extensive experience in this ministry. In this meeting, the apostles would have taught the disciples about baptism with the Holy Spirit, including the gift of tongues that would be imparted to each one and the possibility of other spiritual gifts being imparted to some, as the Spirit willed. They would have also taught them how to receive the Holy Spirit by faith (Galatians 3:2). After their teaching, they would have called all the saints to gather around, and either Peter or John would have prayed a general prayer requesting the Lord to fill His saints with the Holy Spirit. Then both men would have walked among the saints, laying hands on them and imparting the Holy Spirit to each one in turn.

The incident involving Simon was recorded in Scripture to teach the church certain truths about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. To understand these truths, we must first understand Simon's background. Simon was a sorcerer who had practiced in Samaria for a long time. Through his sorcery, he had become both wealthy and famous, to the extent that everyone in the city believed he was the great power of God he claimed to be. Simon was familiar with the supernatural power of demons and worked with them to bewitch the people of Samaria through various signs and wonders.

When Simon encountered the truth of the gospel preached by Philip and witnessed the signs and wonders performed through Philip's ministry, he was convicted of his errors and believed in the gospel, becoming born again. Philip baptized him as one of the new converts to Christianity in that city, and Simon continued with Philip for the remainder of his ministry in Samaria. When Peter and John held their meeting for the saints to be filled with the Holy Spirit, Simon was among the disciples who received that experience. Simon not only saw the Holy Spirit being given through the laying on of hands but also experienced it firsthand.

It was then that he offered Peter and John money, for Scripture says, "When Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, 'Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.'" Why did Simon make this offer? Until then, Simon's exposure to the gifts of the Spirit had been through witnessing Philip, who as an evangelist ministered his gifts of healing to both the saved and unsaved alike. Simon, in his ignorance, assumed this gift could also be ministered to everyone, not knowing that the gift of the Holy Spirit was given only to the Lord's saints.

The ability to lay hands on individuals to receive the Holy Spirit is indeed a gift of the Spirit. If Simon's motivation for wanting this gift had been to bless others, it would have been entirely scriptural, for the Bible encourages the saints to desire spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:31). Had his zealous ignorance as a new convert led him to offer money simply because he didn't know better, Peter would have merely corrected his thinking rather than rebuking him harshly. However, Simon's motivation was selfish ambition—he wanted to maintain his fame and continue making money. Having switched from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, he could no longer work with demonic powers to attract crowds through sorcery. To his surprise, he had found a new source of power that he thought he could use to attract crowds once again.

What evidence convinced Simon that the Holy Spirit's power was real? He would have seen the same evidence described in the previous account: disciples trembling under God's tangible power, some weeping, others laughing, some crying out in surprise and joy at their first encounter with God's tangible power. Some may have fallen under God's power while standing to receive the laying on of hands. All disciples would have spoken in other tongues as the Spirit gave utterance, and Simon himself would have experienced the same tangible power and phenomena.

As sorcerers charged money for their services, Simon, being a businessman familiar with supernatural powers, would not have offered money for something without clear supernatural evidence, knowing that people's craving for the supernatural attracted crowds. Speaking in tongues alone would not have motivated his offer, as he knew no one would pay to receive an incomprehensible supernatural language. It must have been the other aspects of being filled with the Spirit, such as experiencing God's tangible power and laughing under that power, that Simon knew would attract crowds willing to pay for the experience.

Simon offered Peter and John a significant amount of money for this gift, seeing it as a business opportunity. Peter, knowing Simon's motivation, rebuked him sharply for wanting to profit from God's gifting and warned him that he was close to blaspheming the Holy Spirit with all its dire consequences. From this account, we learn that the Holy Spirit can be given through the laying on of hands, just as the healing anointing is imparted similarly. Every believer that Peter and John laid hands on received the Holy Spirit, with none left out. All disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit after being born again, and beyond speaking in tongues, there was clear physical evidence of their being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Michael E.B. Maher

Holy Spirit Encounters

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