ACTS TWO BELIEVERS STUDY GROUP

Consider this a sneak preview of Act 8.  Simon the sorcerer was saved, baptized, and still of a wrong spirit.  Here is the passage for your own reading: The Sorcerer’s Profession of Faith 9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, 10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” 11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. 13 Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done. The Sorcerer’s Sin 14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and ...

Spring has already passed! One Thursday, we explored the profound difference between factually knowing and personally knowing . English, for all its richness, is surprisingly limited in expressing this distinction. In Spanish, the contrast is clear: conocer versus saber . Conocer is always used when referring to knowing a person—implying relationship, experience, and intimacy—while saber refers strictly to factual knowledge. English lacks a direct equivalent for conocer ; the closest we come is “to know personally.” In Genesis, when Adam knew his wife Eve, the context reveals a deeply intimate knowing—not merely physical, though that may be included—but a knowing that transcends facts and enters the realm of shared life. John’s relationship with Jesus offers a vivid picture of this kind of personal knowing. He felt so at ease with Jesus that he leaned against Him during meals. In that culture, meals were shared reclining on rugs, with people circled closely around the food. I...