Acts 8

(taught on June 22, 2008)

(Acts 8:4) Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.

· In their efforts to destroy the church, their efforts merely served to expand the church. Jesus said, "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!" (Luke 12:49-50) Picture someone stomping into the middle of a campfire - the results would be a wider fire. The fire Jesus had spoke of has been kindled and is spreading.

· Note they didn't run and hide, which might be our reaction when the heat gets strong. They ran with boldness - they were preaching!

· Previously (Matt 10:5) Jesus had told them ""Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans." Their original focus was Jews in Jewish cities. That is certainly not the case now, as Jesus had freed them (Acts 1:8) to all people (including Samaritans), even to the remotest parts of the earth. Acts 11:19 tells us they were scattered as far as Phoenicia (west coast of Canaan along the Mediterranean), Cyprus (the large island just off the coast), and Antioch (city northwest of Canaan, on the coast).

· They scattered - they did not stay together in numbers to keep them stronger. They did not need to, as they had the power of God with them.

(Acts 8:5) Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.

· The city of Samaria is in the middle of the region of Samaria, between Galilee and Judea.

· The Samaritans were looked on with disdain by the Jews. See the comments on Luke 10:29. The Samaritans were a mixture of Jews and Gentiles. So, here in Acts 8 we see the gospel being presented to the mixed Jew/Gentile people, and then in Acts 10 we see the gospel presented to Gentiles. A progression from Jew, to Samaritan, to Gentile.

· Philip here appears to be one of the seven chosen to help serve, so the apostles could preach (Acts 6:1-6). Why? Stephen, one of the seven, "did great wonders and signs" (Acts 6:8), so Philip may have also had the capability to do so - as described in this chapter, they were "hearing and seeing the miracles which he did" (verse 6). After the stoning of Stephen (7:59-60), there arose a great persecution in the church (8:1). This caused all but the apostles to leave Jerusalem (8:1,14). Since Philip is here in Samaria, he probably was the Philip of the 7, not of the apostles.

· Philip was probably relieved of his duties as deacon, maybe because of his desire to go and preach. Others were probably selected in his and Stephen's place to serve in Jerusalem.

· Some speculate this was the same city or near it where Jesus preached (Sychar, where Jacob's well was - John 4:5). When Christ was there, many had believed.

(Acts 8:6) And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.

· The miracles were confirmation that what he spoke about Jesus was truth. Philip was able to do this, as Stephen had been (6:8).

· These multitudes were multitudes of Samaritans. I wonder whether they were more impressed by the miracles or by the passion Philip had for them, being a Jew. Philip's caring attitude towards them may have spoken much louder to them than the miracles!

· The way it describes it, the mob of people was being converted, not just sporadically a few here and there. How great it is when people are ready for the gospel!

· Also note that these Samaritans didn't have walls that prevented them from accepting the message. They didn't have the power, riches, family pressures, social pressures, etc. that kept them away, even if it made sense. Do you have pressures that prevent you from being what God wants, from doing what God wants? May we all be poor and empty vessels for God to use as He wishes.

(Acts 8:7) For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.

· Boy, these spirits did not like having to leave the person they had been living in. They were probably having good "success" with that person, and now would have to find someone else.

· The unclean spirits had to be removed, otherwise these people could not respond to the gospel. In the same way, many others who hear the gospel have been blinded from the gospel by Satan (2 Cor 4:3-4), so that they cannot properly hear and accept it. When you share the gospel, pray that God will prevent Satan from veling the gospel and blinding the ones who hear it.

· Why are these spirits called "unclean"?

· 1 Thess 4:7 says "For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness."

· John 13:10 Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you."

· John 13:11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean."

· Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

· Eph 5:26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

· Eph 5:27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

· We must be careful that, while we may appear to be clean outside, we are truly clean inside. What filth lingers inside of you?

· Matt 23:25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.

· Matt 23:26 "Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

· Matt 23:27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.

· Matt 23:28 "Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

· 2 Cor 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

· Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

(Acts 8:8) And there was great joy in that city.

· Why was there great joy? The healings (vs 6) and the arrival of the kingdom of God (vs 12).

This also implies mass conversions, for there was an electricity throughout the entire city.

(Acts 8:9) 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,

· Simon practiced "sorcery", i.e. magic (not witchcraft). What is magic? The show of supernatural power over natural forces. These supernatural forces may simply be perceived or actual (as in the miracles Philip performs). Simon used his magic to gain power, respect, prestige. He even asked for it (he claimed he was great). He wanted the respect, and the people gave it to him (vs 10). And they had for a long time (vs 11). Simon may have been very insecure, and therefore had a stronger need for respect than most.

· But the fact is that men want respect, men need respect. It may be their #1 emotional need, similar to what may be women's #1 need - value.

· This is one secret of a great marriage - if the husband feels respected by his wife AND the wife feels valued by the husband.

· What is a husband to do?

* Pay attention to what his wife deems as worthy of respect, and avoid things that lower her respect of him.

* Show his wife value. Basically, it is simple - he needs to pay attention to her, and not pay attention to other women. (Don't compare her to other women!)

· What is a wife to do?

* Pay attention to what her husband values in a woman (e.g. attractive, cleanliness, takes care of the home, spends wisely, etc.).

* Show her husband respect. E.g. the husband who just never seems to live up to what she wants, even when he has a good job (or he may not, it doesn't matter). (Don't compare him to other men!)

(Acts 8:10) to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the great power of God."

· Yikes! The people assumed that his magical powers were from God, yet God does not work with magic. Witchcraft is detestable to God (Deut 18:10-12). But magic in itself is not bad. The problem is people were ascribing his power as from God, and Simon was not correcting them - he was eating it up.

(Acts 8:11) And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time.

(Acts 8:12) 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.

· "Jesus Christ" is a name which Jesus calls Himself (John 17:3). And so, His followers became accustomed to referring to him that way (Acts 2:38, 3:20, 4:10). Just as in "King David" gives him a moniker that includes his title and his personal name, so it is with "Jesus Christ".

· Philip was probably preaching the same thing we saw Peter preaching, to "repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38). Because, that is how these people responded, with faith and baptism.

(Acts 8:13) 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.

(Acts 8:14) Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,

· The apostles had stayed in Jerusalem (vs 8:1). Some claim that Peter was the leader of the apostles, the prince of the apostles. This shows him as a humble servant to the others, and they directed him and John to travel to Samaria, and he went.

· How had Samaria received the word of God? From Philip. The effect one person can have!

· (It's a good thing they didn't send Philip the apostle to Philip the deacon, as it would have been really confusing! They sent Peter and John.)

(Acts 8:15) who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

(Acts 8:16) For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

(Acts 8:17) Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

· Do all Christians have the Holy Spirit?

* 1 Cor 3:16 "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"

* John 7:39 "But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive;"

* John 14:17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."

* Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

* Romans 8:11 "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

* 2 Tim 1:14 "That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us."

· Examples of how the Holy Spirit was received:

* The apostles received the Holy Spirit when Jesus breathed on them (John 20:22)

* Repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38) Note that some received the Holy Spirit before baptism, so it is not required (Acts 10:47)

* Laying on of hands (Acts 8:17, 19:6)

(Acts 8:18) And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,

· What did Simon see? How did he know they received the Holy Spirit? Was it through the gifts, or because of what Philip was saying?

(Acts 8:19) saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

· He did not want the power to glorify God or help people, but to glorify himself.

(Acts 8:20) But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!

(Acts 8:21) "You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.

(Acts 8:22) "Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.

(Acts 8:23) "For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."

· At first, it did not appear that Peter had any unusual insight into the character of Simon, because it was obvious. But now we see unusual perception, in that he knows this is partially from bitterness Simon has. And, Simon is bound, tied, help, by this iniquity. He cannot free himself of it. God's forgiveness (vs 22) is his only real hope of freedom.

· Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

· Being a Christian and having a relationship with God does not tie you down, it frees you. You now have the freedom to conquer habits that you cannot otherwise be free from.

(Acts 8:24) Then Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me."

(Acts 8:25) So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

· Philip, Peter, and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching in other Samaritan cities along the way.

(Acts 8:26) Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert.

· Though angels were not used to preach the gospel, they were often used to carry messages to ministers for advice, encouragement, and aid, as in Acts 5:19.

· Philip had returned to Jerusalem (vs 25). He was to head south from there, to pick up this road that goes between Jerusalem and Gaza. Gaza is on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, southwest from Jerusalem. This road through Gaza was the trade route down into Egypt and Ethiopia. This road was mostly through the desert, so it was mostly deserted and barren, causing a difficult trip.

· The eunuch (vs 27) was traveling on this road from Jerusalem to Gaza after worshipping in Jerusalem.

· Those whose desire is to follow God can be confident that God will be directing them to where He can use them. Philip was told to go, not knowing who or what was in store for Him, just that God had plans to minister through him. He did not hesitate to go (vs 27), trusting God to reveal where he was to minister. As God directs our steps and places us in various circumstances, we should look forward with anticipation to how He plans to minister through us.

· We may also be tempted to question why God would be sending us to such a bizarre location or circumstance, but we need to trust that God has His divine plans for us. Philip was sent into a seemingly barren and forsaken area, yet he ran into the precise person God had planned for Him to minister to.

(Acts 8:27) So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship,

· Philip went without questioning why, or doubting that God could use him in such a barren land.

· Ethiopia here is an area covering parts of modern-day Sudan & Ethiopia, the region just south of Egypt. It represented most of the extreme limits of the civilized world to the Greeks & Romans.

· The acceptance of the Jewish faith there was prophesied in Psalms 68:31, saying "Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God". Apparently there was a strong Jewish following there, so it is probable that the eunuch was a Jew from that area. Plus, there probably would have been some mention about that fact, as was done for Cornelius in chapter 10. But, Philip very naturally accepted the fact of the eunuch's faith and need for Jesus.

· Eunuchs were castrated men placed in charge of a harem or employed as a chief officer in a palace. This eunuch was a high official of that day, in charge of all the treasure of the queen.

(Acts 8:28) was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.

· Note the eunuch's strong commitment to Judaism. He had traveled to Jerusalem to worship God, a huge trip for him, and here was studying Isaiah.

(Acts 8:29) Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot."

· The eunuch was probably travelling alone. Since he was reading, he probably was not going very fast, so Philip on foot could catch up to him. He may have even been going slow enough that Philip while walking had nearly caught up to him.

· How great it would be to learn God's will by the voice of the Holy Spirit! (Philip - "Hmm, what should I do next?" Holy Spirit - "Go to that chariot.")

(Acts 8:30) So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

(Acts 8:31) And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.

· Note the eunuch's sincere and open heart to learn and grow. May we come to hear the Word with the same attitude, to learn and be fed. Also, we should be ready for our life to change, and be flexible enough to immediately change when we see a need to. How ready are you to hear truth? How reluctant are you to change?

· How great it would be to have someone with a deep understanding of God's word that could explain it to you whenever you had questions. (See web site gotquestions.org.)

(Acts 8:32) The place in the Scripture which he read was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth.

· This is from Isaiah 53:7-8.

(Acts 8:33) In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth."

(Acts 8:34) So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?"

· The eunuch was a Jew, but he did not realize this spoke of the Messiah. Most Jews probably did not realize it either, as this shows a Messiah very different than what they expected, the conquering king.

(Acts 8:35) Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.

· "Preaching Jesus" included teaching about baptism, for the eunuch was the one who initiated the request for baptism. Philip's gospel message included mention of the believer's need for baptism. See the comments on Acts 2:38.

(Acts 8:36) Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?"

· I wonder how long it was from when the eunuch learned of his need for belief in Jesus and his need to be baptized, to when they spotted the water. We usually think of it as immediate, but it may have been a while.

(Acts 8:37) Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."

· The eunuch had asked what could hinder him from being baptized. Philip answered by telling him the only thing that could hinder him - a lack of belief in Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah.

(Acts 8:38) So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

· "Down into the water" and "they came up out of the water" - baptism is an act of immersion, not sprinkling. In the Old Testament, it does mention sprinkling (see the following verses). But these do not apply to baptism.

· Num 8:7 "Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purification on them,...

· Num 19:20 'But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.

· Num 19:21 'It shall be a perpetual statute for them. He who sprinkles the water of purification shall wash his clothes; and he who touches the water of purification shall be unclean until evening.

· Ezek 36:25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.

(Acts 8:39) Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.

· Another spot in the Bible where it would have been interesting to be present, to see Philip taken away.

· The eunuch now had a new life in Christ. I wonder what happened when he returned to Ethiopia. Were others converted? Did they see a changed person?

(Acts 8:40) But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.

· Azotus was on the Mediterranean Sea, north of Gaza. Caesarea was north of Azotus, also on the sea.

· Note the continuous boldness that Philip preached with. And the tenacity to keep preaching. He had a consistent passion for God and for people that didn't fade. May we have the same passion for God and for people, and if we don't, to pray regularly for it.