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Subject 8 : The Holy Spirit
[8-2] Can Anyone Really Purchase the Holy Spirit With His Own Effort? (Acts 8:14-24)
(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, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. And 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.’ But Peter said to him, ‘Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.’ Then Simon answered and said, ‘Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.’”
Can a person receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands?
No. He has to believe the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
No. He has to believe the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Based on the main passage, I want to deliver a message on whether “one can receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through his own effort.” The Apostles at the time of the early church received power from God and were sent to various places by Him. There are several supernatural events in Acts, one of them being the Holy Spirit’s descent upon believers when the Apostles laid their hands on their heads. The Bible says, “When the apostles laid hands on those who had not received the Holy Spirit yet even though they believed in Jesus, they received the Holy Spirit.”
Then how did they receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands? At that time, the words of God were still being written and the work wasn’t yet completed, so God gave the Apostles special powers to do His mission. He was with the Apostles and produced many miracles and wonders through them. It was a special time, when God performed wonders and miracles that could be seen with the human eye in order to make people believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior. There was a necessity for God, together with the Apostles, to powerfully show the work of the Holy Spirit in order to prove that Jesus Christ is God and that He is the Son of God, the Savior. If the Holy Spirit hadn’t worked through wonders and miracles at the time of the early church, no one would have believed that Jesus is the Savior.
However, it is not necessary for us to receive the Holy Spirit through visible wonders and miracles today, because the Bible has been completed. Instead, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit now rests in faith. In other words, in believing the gospel of truth. God gives the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to those who have faith in the gospel of truth in front of God. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit only happens to those who believe in God’s words, as it was fulfilled by Jesus’ coming to this world and by His baptism and blood.
Nowadays, many pastors teach believers that the visible phenomena of miracles are signs of the indwelling of Holy Spirit. And they lead believers to receive the Holy Spirit in the same way. They deceive people by giving them false teachings, such as that speaking in tongues is a sign of the coming of the Holy Spirit. These pastors consider themselves to be apostles who perform great wonders and miracles, and they attract the attention of religious fanatics who want to experience God through their emotions.
This fanaticism has spread to Christians throughout the world, and many of them follow their beliefs and receive evil spirits through supernatural means. Even now, people who were influenced by religious fanaticism think that they can cause others to receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands.
However, as deluded as Simon, they are like the sorcerer who appears in the main passage. They are intoxicated with self-satisfaction and corporeal greed, but all their deeds only cause confusion amongst people. This kind of false teaching deviates from the true way to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit before God.
Even today, many false prophets do the work of Satan through their wrongful religious practices, pretending to do the work of the Holy Spirit. True Christians must cling to the Word of God, knowledge of which is the only way to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. So-called Pentecostalists, who place great emphasis on physical experiences of the Holy Spirit, should discard their absurd beliefs, return to God’s words and believe in the truth, which will assuredly lead them to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Simon was a famous sorcerer in Samaria at that time. After seeing Jesus’ disciples cause people to receive the Holy Spirit, he sought to purchase the Holy Spirit with money. People with this kind of faith inevitably became Satan’s slaves, used by him to do his work. Simon wanted to receive the Holy Spirit but his desire was nothing more than greed. We can see that this kind of faith is not true Spirit-receiving faith.
Simon tried to purchase the Holy Spirit with money only in his selfish longing for His power. He was severely rebuked by God’s servant, Peter, for this reason. Even though it was said that Simon believed in Jesus, he wasn’t a man who had received the Holy Spirit through the remission of sins. In other words, he thought that he was able to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit by giving worldly things to God.
Although his outward appearance suggested that he was a believer in Jesus, his true inner thoughts were unrelated to Jesus’ true words. Instead, he was filled with corporeal greed. Peter, who knew Simon’s thoughts, rebuked him for trying to purchase the Holy Spirit, which is God’s gift, with mere money. He told Simon that he would perish with his money.
Nowadays, false prophets possessed by evil spirits seek to deceive people by making them think that all the miracles and wonders are works of the Holy Spirit. We can often see people that admire this kind of power and arduously pray to receive the Holy Spirit. However, one should keep it in mind that no one could receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through prayers offered out of his worldly greed.
Are there also charismatic people around you by any chance? You should be watchful of these kinds of people. They approach others with a fanatical faith. They say that they can cast out demons and even cause people to receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of their hands. However, they possess the power not of the Holy Spirit, but of evil spirits. Those who assert that they have received the Holy Spirit by means of the laying on of hands lead both themselves and others to receive only evil spirits.
The true indwelling of the Holy Spirit comes on those who believe in the words of the water and the Spirit (1 John 5:3-7). Even though the gospel of the water and the Spirit is clearly written in the Bible, because many people have sin in their hearts, they try to reach God through supernatural powers and experiences such as trances, speaking in tongues, clairvoyance and the casting out of demons. This is why false prophets are able to deceive so many people into believing in superstitious Christianity derived from the devil.
Peter rebuked Simon by saying; “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity. You’re a son of the demon.” We should sigh with grief at the fact that there are many ministers like this these days. Most of them are charismatic people. They demand money from their flock. We should keep our distance from this kind of faith and receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit by believing in the true gospel of the water and the Spirit (Matthew 3:15, 1 Peter 3:21, John 1:29, John 19:21-23).
Charismatic people work through the laying on of hands!
We should keep away from this kind of faith. Some people nowadays have the absurd belief that they can receive the Holy Spirit if they receive the laying on of hands from those who have obtained power. They think that since the Scriptures say that many people received the Holy Spirit when they experienced the laying on of hands from the Apostles, that they could do so as well. Some pretenders also have the absurd belief that they can give people the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of their own hands. We should be aware of the existence of these kinds of people.
However, we should keep in mind that their faith is greatly different from that of the Apostles in the time of the early church. Nowadays, the most serious challenge to the beliefs of some Christians is that they don’t have faith in the true gospel of the water and the Spirit. They say that they believe in God, but they don’t revere Him and instead deceive themselves and others. However, a sinner can neither receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit nor cause others to do so. If someone says that a Spirit came on a sinner, this spirit was not truly the Holy Spirit; instead it was the spirit of Satan only pretending to be the true Spirit.
The Apostles during the time of the early church were people who knew and believed that Jesus Christ was the Savior, who took away all the sins of mankind through His baptism by John and His death on the Cross. They were able to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit because they believed in the truth of Jesus’ baptism and His blood on the Cross. They also preached the gospel of the water and the Spirit to others, thus helping them receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
But nowadays, many Christians have mistaken fanatical beliefs. Is it really possible nowadays for a sinner to receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands from another sinful minister? This is absolutely nonsensical. There are people who say that even though they have sin in their hearts, they have received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Even if someone looks like a good shepherd in the eyes of his adherents, he cannot cause anybody to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit if there is sin in his heart.
Nonetheless, many people have this kind of wrong faith. This is the reason that so many false prophets are able to lead people into hell. You should know the fact that those who teach this kind of faith are false prophets. These are people who have already been captured by demons.
If a person has sin in his heart, can the Holy Spirit dwell in him? The answer is no. Then is it possible for a person who has sin in his heart to cause others to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit? Again, the answer is no. Then what causes charismatic people nowadays to perform miracles and wonders in Christianity, while they still have sin in their hearts? Evil spirits do so. The Holy Spirit can never dwell within a sinner. He only dwells in those with faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Are you sure the spirit that came on you is the Holy Spirit?
In John 3:5, Jesus said, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” As such, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit can only be obtained by believing in the true gospel of the water and the Spirit. The mistake that many Christians make nowadays is to believe that one can also receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit by receiving the laying on of hands from sinful ministers. This is a crucial mistake. Nowadays, many Christians and ministers have the faith and conviction that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit comes on them through the laying on of hands.
The relationship between true remission of sins and the laying on of hands
“The laying on of hands” is the means through which one can pass something in him onto the object. Think of it this way: If we speak into a microphone, the sound travels through the cables into the amplifier and then comes out of the loudspeakers so everyone can hear it. Similarly, in the Old Testament, when a sinner laid his hands on the sin offering’s head, his sins passed onto the sin offering and he was thus forgiven. In the same way, God’s power passes onto people when His servants lay their hands on them. In this way, the laying on of hands has taken on the meaning of “to pass, to transfer.”
Charismatic people don’t cause people to have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of their hands, but instead they cause them to receive evil spirits. You must remember that a person with the power of evil spirits passes the spirits onto others through the laying on of hands. When a demon-possessed person lays his hands on the head of another, the demon in him passes onto that person, because Satan works through sinners. For this reason, everyone must believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit if they want to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Satan rules those who are in sin, even if they believe in Jesus, if they fail to receive the remission of sins.
If someone receives the laying on of hands from a demon-possessed person, demons will also come onto him and he will also perform false miracles. We have to know that demons come to dwell in others through the laying on of hands, and that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is only possible through the faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
The laying on of hands is a method established by God of passing something onto another. But Satan causes many people to receive evil spirits through the laying on of hands. The fact that nowadays there are many people who try to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit with money is an even bigger problem.
Most Christians misunderstand the truth of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit
When asked how they can receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, many people answer that it’s possible through prayers of repentance or fasting. This is not true. Does the Holy Spirit come on you when you offer special prayers to God? No. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit comes only on those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Because God is the truth, He established the law for receiving the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Can the Holy Spirit dwell in a person who has sin in his heart? The answer is most definitely not. One cannot receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. Even if someone attends revival meetings and frantically prays to God that he might receive the power of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will remain out of his grasp. Sinners can obviously not receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Sinners can receive the true indwelling of the Holy Spirit as a gift, but only when they receive the remission of sins by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Anyone who doesn’t know the gospel of the water and the Spirit cannot receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Nowadays, the gospel of the water and the Spirit is spreading rapidly through Christian literature, church meetings, the Internet, and even electronic books throughout the world. Therefore, anyone who seeks the true gospel can believe in it and receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. If you haven’t yet received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, you should realize that to do so you must believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
A prime example of false faith!
Nowadays when we examine the symptoms of people who receive false spirits, we can see the actual existence of demons. “Revival meetings for the Holy Spirit” are gatherings in which people who desperately want to receive the Holy Spirit attend. In these meetings, we see people clapping their hands and offering prayers of repentance while crying and fasting. The preacher instructs them to offer fanatical prayers by telling them that the Holy Spirit won’t come on them until they do so. People then cry out, “Lord!” and start their fanatical prayers.
Can these fanatics receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in this manner? No. You would see people scream and fall back, and then shiver, while making strange noises at such meetings. Some are falling back and shivering on the ground here and there, and we see them scream and start to speak in tongues. Someone throughout the meeting screams his head off and the crowd is overwhelmed with emotion. Some of them start to have fits, shaking all over and speaking in tongues. People say that these phenomena are the evidence that the Holy Spirit has come on them. But think about what happens when a demon does his work. Is this the work of the Holy Spirit? Definitely not.
Satan deceives many Christians
Nowadays, many Christians lead the kind of religious lives that Satan wants. Satan deceives people by telling them that they must receive the laying on of hands from a powerful minister in order to receive the Holy Spirit. Many Christians tend to believe this as a formal doctrine. Satan also plants the idea into people’s heads that they will receive the Holy Spirit if they pray excessively. Satan has been trying to double and triple the number of people who have this kind of faith.
Therefore, many people don’t know, and don’t even try to learn about the gospel of the water and the Spirit. We must struggle to avoid the thoughts Satan tries to put in our heads and know and believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit only comes on those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. You must believe in this.
Christians’ misconceptions about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit
First of all, there is a great misunderstanding in the beliefs of many adherents to charismatic Christianity. They try to receive the Holy Spirit with sin in their hearts. They mistakenly believe that even though they have sin in their hearts, they will be able to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. However, a person without any faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit can’t receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
Secondly, it is said that people’s arrogance hinders them from receiving the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Then does this mean that one can receive the Holy Spirit if he doesn’t behave arrogantly? Is there a person in this world who isn’t the least bit arrogant? An arrogant person who can’t be forgiven by God is one who adds his own thoughts to the Word of God. Many people try to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through their own methods, ignoring the true gospel of the water and the Spirit. However, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit comes only on those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Thirdly, it is said that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit comes when someone frankly confesses all his sins before God. So they are urged to confess their sins when they want to receive the Holy Spirit. But you must remember that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit does not come when someone simply confesses his sins. Most Christians nowadays eagerly long for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and for His fullness but they can’t receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit because they still have sin in their hearts. A person with this type of rash desire will be captured by demons.
Fourthly, some say that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit can be given when we earnestly solicit God to give us the blessing. But it can’t be obtained through begging. This is just mistaken thinking.
Fifthly, some identify the indwelling of the Holy Spirit with the possession of some spiritual powers. Speaking in tongues is regarded to be a common evidence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t dwell in one’s heart simply because he is able to cast out demons in Jesus’ name or speak in strange tongues. Sin belongs to Satan. Can someone with sin in his heart truly say that he has received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit because he has possessed some strange powers? Once again, this is mischief played by demons.
The gospel of the water and the Spirit that Jesus gave us is the only true gospel that can lead us to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. If you still think that you can receive the Holy Spirit and the remission of sins through other methods, you are deeply deluded. I hope that you will free yourself from your mistaken beliefs and instead come to have spiritual thoughts and authentic faith.
It is no exaggeration to say that nowadays many Christians are possessed by demons. Many Christians throughout the world come under the power of demons because they want to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through special revival meetings or by receiving the laying on of hands. They go to specific people such as the superintendents of prayer houses, senior deacons, revivalists, or pastors who are said to have received the power of the Holy Spirit. They go to them in hopes of receiving the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. However, no one can ever receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through this kind of faith, no matter how arduously they believe in Jesus. In other words, there is no one except God who can cause someone to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Like Simon, many people nowadays try to purchase the Holy Spirit. They try to receive the Holy Spirit by believing in worldly teachings, not the gospel. Most Christians throughout the world are stuck in this mindset. The Holy Spirit only comes on those who have the necessary qualifications to receive Him. The only formula to receive the Holy Spirit is by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and this is the only answer to the truth (Acts 2:38).
Receiving the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands was only possible for a short period at the time of the early church. After this, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit came on people at the same time when they came to know and believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Therefore, other than the work of the Holy Spirit occurring through faith in the Word of God, everything else is the work of demons. God says that demons are servants of Satan, and Satan has ingeniously worked in such a way that people cannot receive the remission of sin even if they believe in Jesus. Satan lies to people by saying that he will give them the Holy Spirit if they believe in Jesus and receive the laying on of hands. Satan expands his territory throughout the world through this kind of trickery.
We will now look at the symptoms of those possessed by demons. First, when we examine the symptoms of possession by a demon in a fortuneteller or shaman, we see that they experience trembling fits, trances and even fainting. Then their tongues get twisted and odd words come out of their mouths against their will. They speak in strange tongues.
Both sorcerers and Christians who have been possessed by demons through the laying on of hands are joint owners of this experience. When a charismatic revivalist takes out his mike and shouts, “With fire, with fire, with fire,” the congregation gets excited and loses self-control. People who want to receive the laying on of hands from him come up to the front. They experience uncontrollable shaking fits and speak in tongues. These symptoms are the work of demons that are pretending to do the work of the Holy Spirit.
People who are possessed by evil spirits, which can be summoned by shamans and fortunetellers of every primitive religion, show the same symptoms as Christians who are possessed by demons through the laying on of hands. However, people misunderstand this, despite this evidence. Those Christians are plunged into deep confusion because they think they have received the Holy Spirit when they experience these kinds of symptoms.
Satan works through Christians like a fortuneteller
Satan enables demon-possessed people to make prayers of prophecy. They prophesy by saying, “You will be a precious leader. Thousands of sheep will graze in front of you. God will train you in the future and make a precious leader out of you.” To others they say delusive words such as, “You will become a precious servant of God. You will be a very dignified servant of God,” in order to encourage people to follow them and live as servants of demons throughout their lives.
Fortunetellers also make prophecies about other people’s futures. “You should be careful of water in the future.” “You will make a lot of money.” “A noble man will appear from the east and help you.” These are examples of the things they say. The first symptom that shows up in demon-possessed persons is that they make false prophecies.
Then they speak in tongues that they can’t even understand themselves. They experience shivering and they even show symptoms of personality disorder. If you meet a shaman or fortuneteller, can you assert that they have sound personalities? They often talk rudely to people who are much older than they are.
However, people who have the true indwelling of the Holy Spirit have received Him by believing in the biblical truth that says that Jesus cleansed all the sins of the world through His baptism and death on the Cross. These people also help others know and believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and help them receive the remission of sins and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. They themselves try to live in a righteous way, and their personalities are so pleasant and sound as to lead others to the blessed faith of God and to the kind of life God wants. Now and then, God reproaches them in order to keep them sacred when their minds intend to turn back to the world.
The righteous, who have received the remission of all sins, are definitely different from people whose personalities have been destroyed by evil spirits. True personality comes alive again if one receives the remission of sins and thereby receives the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Additionally, the righteous are deeply worried about others under unfavorable circumstances, about what they truly need in God’s words, praying for them to be delivered, and actually offering self-sacrifices to help them.
On the other hand, we can see that the personalities of demon-possessed people have been terribly destroyed. Satan controls them and bends them to his will because they think that things like shivering and speaking in tongues are the gifts of the Holy Spirit. However, these experiences are definitely not the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
There are so many ministers who are proud of their powers such as making prophecies in God’s name, being capable of performing many wonders and speaking in tongues. But if they still have sin in their hearts, then their powers are decisive evidence to the fact that they are demon-possessed. Therefore, they can’t give the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to others, but can only give that of demons. Also, because Satan is deceitful, the miracle they have performed runs out very easily in a short period of time.
There is a clear difference between the work of the Holy Spirit and that of a demon. Even though it may seem as if the work of the Holy Spirit offers no particular experiences or wonderful gifts in the beginning, as times go on, God’s power grows in the hearts of the righteous incessantly like the rising sun in the morning.
Demon-possessed Christians
Why is it that so many people come to be possessed by demons even though they try to receive the Holy Spirit?
Because they receive demons through the laying on of hands from false prophets.
Because they receive demons through the laying on of hands from false prophets.
Surprisingly, we can see many believers in Jesus whose bodies and souls have gone to ruin because they received demons through the laying on of hands from false prophets. These people have nothing to do with God because their faith doesn’t rest in the words of the Bible. They’re busily using up their power not knowing that their services are causing many people to be Satan’s servants. Why do they work so hard in performing their powers in Christianity? Because so-called powers of theirs will soon disappear if they don’t use them. This is why they become very busy.
They continuously have to pray and practice wonders and signs by the name of Jesus. People who say, “I have received the gift of preaching the gospel,” continuously have to preach the gospel because if they don’t, their pseudo-happiness soon disappears. If these people are not loyal to the demon’s gifts of speaking in tongues, healing, or prophecy, in other words, if they are not faithful to the works of Satan, then Satan may make them become sick for no particular reason. It is just like a fortuneteller or a shaman gets a lingering illness when he neglects his role as Satan’s servant. This is why they have to use the gifts they have received from Satan ardently lest they are abandoned in misery after they have used up their powers.
I once knew someone who was a fervent believer in Jesus and looked as if he possessed many powers from God. He encouraged people to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit and led revival meetings in which he cast out demons through the laying on of hands, also performing wonders such as speaking in tongues and healing. He became an object of envy and respect through his works of wonder. Scores of thousands of believers followed him. However, soon he began to deny Jesus saying, “Jesus Christ is a failure. He isn’t the Son of God.” He cursed Jesus Christ and even claimed that he himself was God. He finally killed Jesus Christ in his heart and in the hearts of many Christians.
People like this reject the gospel of the water and the Spirit because Satan is their guide. They come to have the mistaken belief from the beginning because they have an illusion that they possess the same powers as the Apostles when they see their abilities to make people speak in other tongues and to cast out demons through the laying on of hands. They have the firm belief that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit has come on them.
They teach people about the methods of receiving the Holy Spirit, thinking that it is possible to receive Him by offering prayers of repentance. However, this method of receiving the Holy Spirit is not based on God’s words. In spite of this, they say that if a believer in Jesus speaks in tongues and makes prophecies, then this is proof of the coming of the Holy Spirit on him. Because many people don’t truly understand the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, they believe that they can also receive the Holy Spirit by learning and following the teachings of false prophets. This is how Satan was able to fill Christians with the spirits of demons and reign over these people. All of these methods are the traps of Satan.
Numerous people have been possessed by demons through the teachings of false prophets. Ordinary believers lead a humdrum religious life, but demon-possessed people use the power of evil spirits and seemingly lead passionate religious lives. What are the abilities they display? They have the abilities to heal, to speak in strange tongues and lead others to be possessed by demons through the laying on of hands. We should know that the laying on of hands is a method of passing something onto others and that the demons’ kingdom has been greatly expanded through this means.
Evil spirits work through human greed!
Satan works in people like Simon of the main passage. These people say that they can receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands, regardless of their faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Nowadays many people are deceived by Satan, and try to receive the Holy Spirit through prayers of repentance, fasting, self-sacrifice or the laying on of hands. However, they are possessed by demons and lead a cursed life.
We should be well aware that today’s Christianity helps demons do works in everyone’s soul through this means called ‘the laying on of hands.’ These people who possess the same traits as Simon are false prophets before God. Even believers in Jesus, if they have sin in their hearts, can be possessed by demons. These people are capable of performing miracles through the workings of the devil. Satan leads people to receive the laying on of hands from his servants in order to facilitate their possession by demons and build his kingdom throughout the world. Nowadays, the churches of the [2]Pentecostal-Charismatic Movement are officially recognized as formal Christian denominations throughout the world.
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2Western Christianity began to wither away in the face of the material prosperity and mass consumption in the latter half of the 20th century. At the same time, as a result of this, many Christians who were searching for a way to walk closer with Jesus were unsatisfied with the dryness of their previous churches. Others were afflicted with either a lack of, or a slow pace of spiritual growth, and yet others were frustrated with their inability to translate their faith into a personal love of Jesus.
The so-called Pentecostal-Charismatic Movement arose under these circumstances. Those who indulged in this movement seek enthusiastic experiences and practices such as speaking in tongues, prophesying, performing miracles and wonders, admiring the first Pentecostal events. In their enthusiasm, they willingly entrust themselves to so-called the dominion of the Holy Spirit, but strictly speaking most of their teachings and practices are not based on the Bible.
In the developing world, this movement has developed tremendously within the context of their needs. Their leaders have attracted developing world Christians with the blessings of wealth and health along with religious enthusiasm. Some deviation of the movement like the Neo-Pentecostalism is even reported as the movement sharing the same teachings as the New Age Movement.
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This world is slowly coming to an end. If we want to be born again in the last days, we have to know how the devil works and stand firm against his schemes. We also have to be saved from our sins once and for all and receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as a gift by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. We have to return to the truth with the perfect knowledge of how God’s Spirit comes to us.
Just as God said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6), nowadays many truth seekers are destroyed when, in their ignorance, charismatic people mislead them. People say that even if the so-called Pentecostal-Charismatic churches were established in the desert, people would gather there. Why is this so? Charismatic people expand their churches by confusing others with their pseudo-powers, leading them to become demon-possessed through the laying on of hands. One of their special talents is that once people are possessed by demons through the laying on of hands, they become enthusiastic about leading a religious life.
Another special feature of charismatic people is that they donate large amounts of money to their churches and unconditionally become fanatical believers. Even numerous Christians are enthusiastic over evangelism with the power of demons, but are certainly going to hell not realizing their own destination. These people, who fervently believe the power of the devil as the evidence of their salvation, are looking forward to heaven without a single doubt. However, they have sin in their hearts and are doomed to be destroyed.
If they are asked the following question, “Do you have sin in your heart, even though you believe in God?” they surely answer that it is natural of them to be in sin. They think it’s impossible for a person not to have sin in his heart, even if he believes in Jesus.
People tend to think that they deserve to enter the kingdom of Heaven, even if they have sin in their hearts, because they feel comfort in believing in Jesus, having the evidence of pseudo-power.
What an absurd hope this is! The reason for their firm belief is that they possess some kind of supernatural ability. They have experienced speaking in tongues, receiving visions and healing the sick, and they think and firmly believe these experiences to be the work of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they tell themselves that they have definitely received redemption and the Holy Spirit through these experiences.
Because these people have an imperfect knowledge of the words of salvation, they have no confidence in their salvation if any kind of visible ability doesn’t appear to them. Therefore, these people try very hard to find visible assurances of salvation and later end up being used by Satan in his work. Because these people are trying to find God’s answers through prayers of repentance or self-sacrifice rather than believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, they eventually receive evil spirits instead of the Holy Spirit.
The devil accuses people by whispering in their ears, “You have sinned, haven’t you?” and leads them to fall into self-condemnation. There is a person I know who has now received the forgiveness of sin and the Holy Spirit. This is something that happened to him before he was born again, when he was a fervent but reckless believer in Jesus. This person even spoke in tongues and performed many miracles. Even though he cried and offered prayers of repentance all night, despite his belief in Jesus, the sin in his heart continued to torture him. This is when the whispers of Satan started. “You have sinned, so it’s better for you do die than live.” Satan often came to him and accused him, torturing him and reminding him of his sins. Satan led him to self-condemnation and self-judgment. However, all he could do was confess the sins in his heart. He couldn’t free himself from Satan’s accusation until he came to hear and believe in the beautiful gospel.
You should know that those who don’t believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit become the prey of the devil. Do you think anyone who hasn’t received the forgiveness of sins has the power to reject the devil? Anyone who doesn’t hold to the true gospel of the water and the Spirit will be captured and tortured by Satan. God’s gospel of the water and the Spirit is absolutely necessary to cast out Satan. Therefore, everyone who believes in Jesus should believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and also preach it to all the people of the world. Those who hear this should obey and believe in it.
The mystery of lawlessness is already at work in the world!
The whole world is now covered with the activities of demons. If we want to preach the gospel that leads people to receive the Holy Spirit, we have to remove the deep misunderstandings about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
First of all we have to make clear that it’s a lie that the Holy Spirit comes through the laying on of hands. We should clearly testify that experiences such as “speaking in other tongues after receiving the laying on of hands, feeling something hot through repentance and fasting, and hearing messages directly from Jesus” are the work of the devil. Only through faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit can people be delivered from the devil’s trickery. Only by faith can we be saved from our sins through the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
We have to defeat the devil, “the father of lies,” with the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Satan has bound all the people throughout the world with the bondage of self-condemnation, so we should return these people to the truth by making them realize that their misguided experiences and emotions are the trickeries of Satan.
These days, people like the Samaritan Simon, who tried to purchase the Holy Spirit with money, are ministering to the church. They are the blind leading the blind. They cannot show people the way to perfect salvation because they don’t know the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and have sin in their hearts. So they cause Satan to dwell in the hearts of their followers by holding all-night prayer sessions, calling for prayers of repentance and using the laying on of hands. These people are actually possessed by the devil, and if we want them to return to God’s Word, we have to destroy the work of Satan by providing them with perfect knowledge of the water and the Spirit. If people don’t know about Satan’s strategies, they will have no other choice but to suffer in helplessness.
Just as I said, performing miracles such as speaking in tongues and issuing prophecies after receiving the laying on of hands are all the activities of the devil. In other words, the powers of charismatic people are manifested through the workings of the devil. We should teach them, “It is the devil who works in you if there is sin in your heart. If you think the Holy Spirit dwells in you, even though you have sin in your heart, then you have been deceived.”
The faith of the Apostles and that of people who received the laying on of hands in the main passage of Acts 8 have been placed in the same category, because both of them knew about Jesus Christ’s gospel of the water and the Spirit. But the Apostles’ faith was completely different from that of most Christians today who believe merely the laying on of hands will cause them to receive the Holy Spirit.
Does a person receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands by someone who has received the remission of sins? No. The Bible says that the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2). This means that in order for one to receive the remission of sins and the Holy Spirit, he has to hear and believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. God sends the Holy Spirit as a gift to a born-again Christian who believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
We should bear in mind that it would be like opposing the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which God intended to save us from our sins, if we taught people to seek the laying on of hands in order to receive the Holy Spirit. Thinking that a person can give someone else the Holy Spirit is like challenging God, and people with this kind of faith easily fall into Satan’s traps. This should never be allowed to happen.
All our sins are forgiven when we believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit testifies to this. Someone who believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit no longer has sin in his heart. This is not because he hasn’t sinned, but instead because he believes in the power of the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The gospel of the water and the Spirit testifies that he has no sin in his heart, and the Holy Spirit testifies to that too. One cannot call Jesus his Savior without having the Spirit of God within him.
Demon-possessed people don’t know about the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and never even make it a subject of discussion. They don’t even know the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and moreover they are unable to discern the truth. They say that the Holy Spirit comes only when they perform and receive the laying on of hands. However, the Holy Spirit never comes through the laying on of hands. You should realize that the workings of the devil now exercise great influence over people in churches throughout the world with its false teachings. For this reason, it is imperative to receive the true indwelling of the Holy Spirit by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
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