This Week's Services

Acts 8:14-25

14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.

15 The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit

16 (for as yet the Spirit had not come[a] upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus).

17 Then Peter and John[b] laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,

19 saying, “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money!

21 You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right before God.

22 Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.

23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness.”

24 Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you[c] have said may happen to me.”

25 Now after Peter and John[d] had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to many villages of the Samaritans.

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Matthew 22:1-14

1 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying:

2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.

3 He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.

4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’

5 But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business,

6 while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them.

7 The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

8 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy.

9 Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’

10 Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe,

12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless.

13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”