Acts 08(01–25)

Introduction

Last week we spent our time on Stephen’s arrest and his trial and his speech to the Sanhedrin and his death by stoning.

And as he died, he was enabled by the Spirit to see into heaven where he saw the glory of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, standing at the right hand of God. And we thought about how Stephen was given a preview of what every believer will see in the life to come, when we’ll come into the new heavens and earth and we’ll see God and we’ll be perfectly happy and perfectly holy for ever and for ever. Stephen was given a preview of what every believer will one day see.

And every Sunday, when we gather in church, the Lord God reveals his glory to his people in the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the preaching of the gospel, we behold the glory of God. And we’re transformed by it into the likeness of our God so that we’re able to live our lives for his glory and honour.

That was what we were thinking about last week. Today’s passage tells us what happened after Stephen’s death and the effect it had on the church in Jerusalem. And, as we can see from the reading, it had a kind of centrifugal force on the church in Jerusalem because after Stephen’s death a great persecution broke out against the church and the believers were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. And Luke then tells us about Philip and what he did. Philip was one of the seven deacons who was appointed to oversee the daily distribution of food to the widows. However, according to chapter 21, he also held the office of an evangelist. And he went to Samaria where he preached the gospel to the Samaritans who were living there. And many of them believed in the Saviour.

Luke is showing us how the Risen Lord Jesus was enabling the apostles to fulfil his words to them back in chapter 1, where he said that they they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria and to the ends of the earth. The church went out of Jerusalem and into Judea, which was the region around Jerusalem. And then they went to Samaria. Philip went first and the apostles followed him. And very soon, Peter will take the gospel to Gentiles living in Caesarea. And then, in the rest of the book of Acts, we’ll see how they take the gospel throughout the Roman Empire and to Rome itself, which, in those days, represented the end of the earth. The Risen Lord Jesus was enabling his apostles to fulfil their calling to be his witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. And in this way, the Risen Lord Jesus was building his church on the earth.

And his church comprises, not only believing Jews, but also believing Samaritans and Gentiles. His church is made up of everyone who believes in his name. And there’s only one church. There may be many congregations and there may be many denominations, but every congregation and every denomination is part of the one church of Jesus Christ throughout the world and throughout the generations.

Verses 1 to 3

Let’s turn to the passage. Stephen has just been stoned and the very first line of chapter 8, tells us that Saul was there, giving approval to Stephen’s death. As I said last week, this Saul will eventually become Paul. But at this point in his life, he does not yet believe in the Saviour. In fact, at this point in his life, he hates the church and wants to destroy it. And so, he approved of what happened to Stephen.

And Luke tells us in the rest of verse 1 that a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Luke doesn’t tell us why the apostles remained behind or how this was even possible, given the persecution which was taking place in those days. Were the apostles able to avoid the persecution? Was the persecution aimed at the believers only and not the apostles? Or were the apostles not afraid of the persecution? Luke doesn’t tell us. But he does tell us that the members of the church were scattered.

And Saul began to destroy the church. He went from house to house and dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. And, of course, in those days, people weren’t confined in prison for long. They were kept in prison for as long as it took to decide what punishment to inflict on them. And so, presumably they were flogged just as Peter and John were flogged for the faith in chapter 5. Saul was taking the Lord’s little lambs, the members of the church, and he was beating them. And in this way, he did what he could to destroy the church of Jesus Christ.

And in case we’re wondering what happened to Stephen’s remains, Luke includes a note that godly men buried his body and they mourned deeply for him. When a believer dies, we comfort ourselves with the knowledge that he or she is now present with the Lord. But since God did not make us blocks of wood which cannot feel anything, we still feel our loss and we weep and we mourn and we are sorrowful because the person we loved has gone. God made us to love and care for one another and the absence of our loved ones is hard for us to bear. And so, it’s normal for us to grieve. But in our grief, as in all our sorrow, we should turn to the Lord to comfort us.

Verses 4 to 13

Let’s move on to verses 4 to 13 where Luke tells us that those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. However, one of the words which Luke uses to describe what they were doing means ‘tell the good news’. And the emphasis is on the good news. They had good news to proclaim. So, instead of going about moaning and complaining about what Saul was doing and how they had to leave everything and flee from Jerusalem, they had good news to proclaim.

We can imagine people asking them why they’d left Jerusalem and what they’re doing here, in the back of beyond in Judea and Samaria. And instead of complaining about their lot, they took the opportunity to tell the people around them the good news about the Lord Jesus, who is God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King who died and who was raised and who is able to rescue us from our sin and misery in this world and to give us everlasting life in the new heavens and earth. And so, even though they were being persecuted, even though they had to leave everything behind and flee from Jerusalem and find somewhere else to live, they did not focus on their troubles, but on the good news which God had revealed to them about Jesus Christ.

And we can learn from their example. Since we too have received from Christ an eternal inheritance in the new heavens and earth, then what does it matter if we have to suffer a little in this life? The glory that will be revealed in us and to us in the life to come far surpasses whatever we’re suffering now. And knowing the good news means knowing God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. And since God is for us, and not against us, then we’re able to face whatever troubles and trials come our way, because we know that the God who loves us is able to work all things together for our good.

Wherever they went, these believers spoke about the good news of Jesus Christ which God had revealed to them. And then Luke focusses on Philip who went down to Samaria where he proclaimed Christ to the people. As I’ve already said, according to Acts 21, Philip held the office of an evangelist in the church. And so, holding this special office, he was able, like the apostles, to perform miraculous signs and wonders to confirm the message about Christ. And so, by means of the Holy Spirit, he cast out demons and he healed the lame. And there was great joy in the city.

According to verse 6, the people paid close attention to what Philip said. So, not only did they marvel at the miracles, but they listened to what he was saying about the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you look down to verse 12, you’ll see that Luke tells us that they believed Philip as he preached the good news about Christ. And so, they not only paid attention to the message, but they also believed the message. They believed what Philip was telling them about the Lord Jesus. And so, they were baptised. They were baptised, because baptism is the sign of God’s promise to wash away our sins because of Christ who died for sinners. And it signifies the end of our old life of unbelief and sin and the beginning of our new life of faith and obedience. And by means of baptism, we’re admitted to the membership of the church.

And Luke also tells us about this one man in Samaria named Simon. According to verse 9 he practised sorcery in the city and the people were amazed by what he could do. And he boasted that he was someone great. So, we can imagine him, boasting about his great magical powers and the things he could do. And Luke says that for a long time the people were impressed by Simon and his magic.

But then, according to verse 13, Simon believed the good news and was baptised. And he began to follow Philip everywhere and he was astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

So, what a mission! Philip went to this city and proclaimed the good news. And many people believed and were baptised and were added to the church. And Simon was among the converts.

Verses 18 to 24

I’m going to skip over verses 14 to 17 for a moment and we’ll come back to them later. But in those verses Peter and John arrived from Jerusalem and prayed for the believers in Samaria to receive the Holy Spirit. And in verse 18 Luke tells us that when Simon saw that Peter and John were able to give people the Holy Spirit just by laying their hands on them, he offered them money. He offered them money because he wanted to buy from them the ability to give people the Holy Spirit in the same way.

And when you hear that he wanted to buy the ability to control the Holy Spirit, you wonder about the reality of his conversion. Was he really converted to a true faith in Christ? It’s possible that he was only attracted to Christianity because he was impressed by what the Holy Spirit can do, but he had no interest in the forgiveness of his sins. On the other hand, perhaps Simon was genuinely converted, but it takes a long time for the Spirit to do his work in our lives and it takes time for the Spirit to transform the way new believers think and behave. And so, perhaps Simon really was converted, but he needed to learn to give up his old way of thinking about sorcery and magic and power.

It’s not clear which of these options is right, but Peter is forthright with him, isn’t he? In verse 20, Peter responds to his request by saying to him: ‘May your money perish with you.’ It’s a kind of curse, isn’t it? And Peter makes clear that you can’t buy the gift of God with money. When he refers to the gift of God, he means the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us, because he graciously and freely gives the Holy Spirit to his people to renew us in his image. He renews us inwardly over time in this life; and then, in the life to come, he will renew us completely in body and soul so that we’ll be able to come into the presence of God and be with him for ever.

We all need the Holy Spirit to renew us and to enable us to live, not for ourselves, but for God’s glory. We all need the Holy Spirit. But you can’t buy the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is a gift which God gives to his people freely.

And Peter went on to say to Simon that he has no part or share in this ministry, because his heart is not right before God. Perhaps Peter means his heart is not right with God because his faith was not genuine. Or perhaps he means his heart is not right with God because, although he had been converted, his way of thinking needs to be transformed. Whichever it is, the solution is the same, because Simon needs to repent. He needs to give up these sinful thoughts and desires and attitudes in repentance and he needs to turn to God through Christ for mercy and forgiveness.

So, repent of this wicked and pray to the Lord to forgive you for having this thought in your heart. Peter says that Simon is full of bitterness and he’s captive to sin. He probably means that this sinful thought is like bitter poison which will do Simon no good. And so, he needs to be set free from it.

And the only way to be set free from the bitter poison of sin in our lives is through repentance and faith: turning from our sins and turning with faith to the Saviour. That was true for Simon and it’s true for every one of us, because sin is like bitter poison. And it’s like bitter poison that works slowly over time. You see these movies or TV shows where someone drinks or inhales some poison and moments later, they collapse and die. It happens instantaneously. But sin is not like that, because it affects us slowly over time so that we hardly even notice how some sin has infected us. But slowly over time sin grows and become a habit and it spoils our relationship to the Lord and to the people around us, because this sin — whatever it is — grows in us and affects what we think and desire and do. And if we don’t watch out, it takes us over. It takes us captive to do its will.

And the only cure for sin is to repent: to turn from it and to turn to the Lord for forgiveness. And the good news is that God is willing to forgive you for all that you have done wrong because of Christ whose body was broken and whose blood was shed for your salvation. He gave up his life on the cross to pay for your sins and shortcomings.

The Lord is willing to forgive you. And he’s willing to give you his Spirit — free of charge — to renew your thoughts and desires and attitudes. He gives you the Spirit to free you from your sinful habits so that you will do what is good and right and pleasing in his sight. And so, whatever your sins, you should turn from them and you should turn to God for forgiveness. And you should ask the Lord to renew you by his Spirit so that his fruit will be seen in you.

Verses 14 to 17

Let’s turn back to verses 14 to 17, where Luke tells us about the coming of the Spirit on the believers in Samaria.

It says in verse 14 that when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. Let me explain why this was necessary.

The regions of Judea and Samaria in those days correspond roughly to the Old Testament kingdoms of Judah in the south and Israel in the north. So, Judea corresponds roughly to Judah and Samaria corresponds roughly to Israel.

You might recall from our studies in 1 and 2 Kings that after the Israelites in the northern kingdom were exiled to Assyria, the king of Assyria brought people from other nations and he made them settle throughout the towns of Samaria in the northern kingdom of Israel. These blow-ins took over Samaria and lived in the towns. And they married some of the Israelites who remained in the land. And although the king of Assyria sent them a priest to teach them how to worship the Lord, they worshipped false gods as well as the Lord and they didn’t worship the Lord in Jerusalem. All of this meant that the people living in Samaria in New Testament times were half Jews and half Gentiles and they didn’t believe what the Jews in Jerusalem believed. And up until this point in the book of Acts, the apostles had preached the gospel to the Jews and to the Jews only.

But now Philip has taken the gospel to the Samaritans. And the Samaritans have believed the good news about the Lord Jesus. And since this was new, Peter and John were sent to check it out. Was this according to the will of the Lord? Was it right in God’s sight for Samaritans to be included in the church? Or did they need to stop it. After all, perhaps the gospel was for Jews only.

And when they got there, Peter and John discovered that the believers in Samaria had not received the Holy Spirit. That’s in verse 16. And what Luke means is that they had not received the Holy Spirit the way they had received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. In other words, they had not received the Spirit in an obvious way. When the Spirit came on them on the Day of Pentecost, there was the sound of wind and there were tongues of fire and they spoke in foreign languages. The Risen Lord Jesus made it clear on the Day of Pentecost that the Spirit was there. And the apostles want the Risen Lord Jesus to give his Spirit to the Samaritans in an obvious way to make clear that he was willing to include believing Samaritans in the church. The apostles needed some kind of sign from the Saviour to make clear that believing Samaritans were part of the church which Christ the King is building on the earth.

They needed some obvious sign because this was so new. And, when we get to chapters 10 and 11, you’ll see that the apostles also needed some kind of obvious sign that believing Gentiles were also part of the church which Christ the King is building on the earth.

And so, Peter and John prayed for the believers in Samaria that they would receive the Holy Spirit as they received him on the Day of Pentecost. They asked the Lord to show them that he was willing to accept these believers. And having prayed, they laid their hands of the believers. And they received the Holy Spirit.

Pentecostal or charismatic believers say that what happened in Samaria is normal: someone believes the good news one day; and then, if the Lord wills, they receive a second blessing of the Spirit on some other occasion. So, according to some believers: we believe; and then, later, we receive the Spirit. But that’s not right. Every believer possesses the Holy Spirit. In fact, you can’t be a believer without the Spirit, because he’s the one who enables us to believe the good news. Without the Spirit, we are dead in our trespasses and sins and we’re unable to believe. But then the Spirit comes into our lives and he enables us to believe the good news.

So, what happened in Samaria is not what normally happens when people believe. On this occasion, the Risen Lord Jesus did something extra-ordinary to make clear that believing Samaritans are part of the church, just as much as believing Jews are part of the church. And later he’ll make clear that believing Gentiles are part of the church. There’s not one church for believing Jews and another church for believing Samaritans and another church for believing Gentiles. There’s only one church. And that’s what the Lord was making clear when he sent the Holy Spirit on these Samaritan believers.

At the midweek on Wednesday evening, we confessed what we believe by saying together the Nicene Creed. And in the Creed, we confess what we believe about God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And in the Creed we confess that we believe in one holy, catholic, apostolic church. The church is catholic, or universal, because there’s only one church. There’s only one church and it comprises everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, no matter where they live or what they nationality or gender or age or social status or whatever else divides us. We’re united together as members of the church through faith in Christ.

And, of course, we can’t see this one church yet, because the one church is divided into different congregations and denominations. But we believe that it is true and that we’re united together as one under Christ. S, for now we can’t see it. But one day — when we all gather together in the new heavens and the new earth — we’ll see it for ourselves.

And since we are indeed united together under Christ, then today we gather around the Lord’s Table and we share this meal together because we are one in Christ.

And since we’re united together under Christ, then we’re to love one another just as Christ loved us and gave up his life for us to make us his people.