WITNESSING JESUS!

Jesus is one person that stood out in the bible. His ways were so different. Anyone studying the scriptures could see that Jesus was a different man from everyone.

His difference wasn’t because His father is God, no! He was different in conduct, speech, approach, conversations and relationships. He was so different that even after His demise, His disciples could only be recognized by Him, CHRIST-LIKE (Christian).

The bible recorded that when Philip, the first evangelist mentioned in the bible after Jesus’ demise, was preaching and converting people, a certain man named Simon who tried to be like Jesus.

Before Philip got to Samaria, He was already doing miracles through sorcery through divination and was initiating people and deceiving them that he was the Lord. He was successful because the true gospel hadn’t gotten to the people.

When Philip got there, he began to teach them the true gospel. Simon immediately saw that his own gospel was the true one. He humbled himself and began to learn from Philip.

Peter and John out of the old disciples went to Samaria to baptize the people in the Holy Ghost, pray with them and admonish them. They laid hands on them and they received the Holy Ghost.

Simon, seeing that the Holy Ghost came through laying of hands, tried to buy the power from Peter.

The Acts 8:20-21 says; “But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.”(KJV)

Peter acknowledged that the power of Christ comes from Chroat freely. That’s why the bible said freely you receive, feely you give. Letwe couldn’t make Simon buy what he, Peter didn’t buy.

The Acts 8:22-23 says; “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.”(KJV)

Peter persuaded him to repent so that he can become a part of the convenant of power. Without being in Christ, you cannot have access to His gifts. Christ’s gifts are for Christ’s people, no one else.

Peter mentioned two things that serve as impediments to witnessing Christ;

1. Bitterness
2. The bondage of Sin.

In our subsequent blog posts, we would address both of them expressly.
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