“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, ‘May your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!’”
ACTS 8:18-20
It is necessary to understand that the Holy Spirit is He, not “it.” The Spirit is not an impersonal force–a sort of spiritual electricity. The anointing of God is not just power or gifts, but the Holy Spirit Himself.
VARIOUS ELEMENTS ARE USED TO DESCRIBE THE HOLY SPIRIT in Scripture: fire, wind, water. But it is important to realize that the Holy Spirit is not an inanimate element but rather a person. He is not a force, like the gravitational pull of the universe or a current of electricity. He is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. Neither His gifts nor the fruit of the Spirit are to be separated from Him. You have all of God, not just His gifts.
Is there a price to pay for the gifts? If there is, they would not be gifts but purchases (Acts 8:18-20). Nevertheless, there well may be a price to pay in their use. Those not prepared to risk their leisure, their comfort, their reputation and perhaps much more may be little used by God–even if He does bestow His power gifts upon them.
A COMPLETE TOOL KIT MAY BE A MARVELOUS GIFT FOR A carpenter, but it would be useless without the sweat of his brow. Gifts call for commitment; as Romans 12:7 says, “Let us use it in our ministering.” His life is poured out with ours. Gifts are for givers. To get, give! When Jesus sent out His 12 apostles, He gave them authority to work various miracles and charged them thus: “As you go, proclaim this message: The Kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give” (Matthew 10:7, 8 NIV). Jesus clearly emphasized that these gifts have been freely given by Him, and likewise they were to be graciously dispensed. However, the disciples had to expend their energies to do the going, travel across treacherous terrain, sacrifice their comforts and perhaps be persecuted. The gift is free, but walking out the journey that the gift empowers you for, requires something from you.
The anointing of Holy Spirit is not for sale, and if it were, no one could afford it. All that is required is that you come and drink freely. “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” (Isaiah 55:1 NIV)
THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN’T BE WORKED UP, pulled down, manufactured or generated by hard work and much praying. The Holy Spirit doesn’t wait until you sweat. Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you . . . Everyone who asks receives” (Matthew 7:7, 8). God only has gifts; He has nothing for sale. He has no bargains, no discounts, no negotiation, no haggling and no agreements. He is one-sided—He just gives. And we can only do one thing—receive. He wants nothing from us in payment. If you are a dead coal, get the fire of the Holy Spirit and become a living coal. He will get you burning at once.
God has more than enough of everything for all His children and indeed, for all His creation. You do not need to be envious or jealous of another human being. And you do not need to sabotage, slander or malign others to get ahead. If He did not withhold His Son from us (Romans 8:32) and has given us His Spirit freely (1 Corinthians 2:12), what else would He withhold from you?
IN POST-WAR GERMANY, MY SIBLINGS AND I RECEIVED A PIECE of candy maybe once a year. When my brother Peter had a piece of candy in his mouth, I did NOT try to steal it, but rather did some quick thinking. From whom did my brother get the candy? There was only one possible source—Mother. My mom, I knew, was very fair. She wouldn’t give a piece of candy to one of her children if she didn’t have one for each of us. I would run to Mom and shout, “Mom, where is MY candy, please?” And there it was . . . she put it right into my hand. In the same way, if you see God bless a fellow Christian, another church or ministry, don’t be jealous! Go to Jesus! He’s also got “candy” for you. In Luke 15:31, the Father said to His son, “All that I have is yours.” This promise is for us too!