WEDNESDAY 16TH JANUARY 2019 MORNING
Acts 8:9-13 New International Version (NIV)
Simon the Sorcerer
9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
Simon used evil powers to work miracles and he deceived many people. But later he met God through the preaching of Philip. Together with many other people he was baptized as a Christian. But ss we read the following verses we will see that God still had a lot of work to do in his life.
Baptism is the foundation of our lives as Christians but we need to keep building on that foundation all our lives. We need to attend regular church worship services and spend time in prayer and Bible reading so that God can work in our lives to make us more like Christ.
JUMATANO TAREHE 16 JANUARI 2019 ASUBUHI
MATENDO 8:9-13
9 Na mtu mmoja, jina lake Simoni, hapo kwanza alikuwa akifanya uchawi katika mji ule, akiwashangaza watu wa taifa la Wasamaria, akisema ya kuwa yeye ni mtu mkubwa.
10 Wote wakamsikiliza tangu mdogo hata mkubwa, wakisema, Mtu huyu ni uweza wa Mungu, ule Mkuu.
11 Wakamsikiliza, kwa maana amewashangaza muda mwingi kwa uchawi wake.
12 Lakini walipomwamini Filipo, akizihubiri habari njema za ufalme wa Mungu, na jina lake Yesu Kristo, wakabatizwa, wanaume na wanawake.
13 Na yeye Simoni mwenyewe aliamini akabatizwa, akashikamana na Filipo; akashangaa alipoziona ishara na miujiza mikubwa inayotendeka.
Simoni alitumia nguvu za giza na uchawi kutenda miujiza. Mwanzoni alidanganya watu wengi. Baadaye Mungu alimgusa Simoni na watu wengi kupitia mahubiri ya Filipo. Simon na watu wengi walibatizwa kama Wakristo. Lakini tukisoma mistari inayofuata tutaona kwamba Mungu bado alikuwa na kazi nyingi za kufanya katika maisha ya Simoni.
Ubatizo ni msingi wa maisha yetu kama Wakristo lakini tunapaswa kuendelea kujenga juu ya msingi huo kwa maisha yetu yote. Tuendelee kuabudu kanisani mara kwa mara na kupenda kusoma Neno la Mungu na kuomba. Tunahitaji kutakaswa ili tufanane na Yesu Kristo.
