Acts Chapter 8 – How the Church Grows

©Lightwritingmatters 2015

EPILOGUE to Stephen’s death:

Chapter 7 concludes as follows. Please note the italicized verse.

 ^“At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.” Acts 7:57-60 [emphasis added]

The epilogue:

“And Saul approved of their killing him.

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.” Acts 8:1-3 [emphasis added]

This information has a bearing on the Acts of the Apostles going forward. But for Chapter 8 it basically lets you know persecution was ramped up with the bold and faith filled testimony of Stephen. However, one of the things the persecution did was to scatter everyone from Jerusalem except the Apostles.

Chapter 8 records the acts of GOD’s Spirit through Philip

As we familiarize ourselves with the rest of chapter 8, there are notable actions and attitudes recorded that serve as reminders as to what TO DO and NOT to do.

Philip heads to Samaria. This is what GOD’s Spirit accomplished in one city:

1.      Release of impure spirits of many

2.     Paralysis and lameness was healed in many

3.     Encounter with Simon, a sorcerer in the city.

What NOT to do:

In 2 Cor 6:1 this is recorded: “Working together with him, we also urge you not to accept the undeserved kindness of God and miss its purpose.” (NWT) [emphasis added]

“We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.” 2 Cor 6:1 (KJV)

Philip meets a man named Simon who is regarded in the city as ‘a man rightly called the Great Power of God’. Yet, despite all his magic and sorcery, when the folks believed Philip and his testimony about Jesus they were baptized. Simon too was a ‘believer’ and got ‘baptized’.

Peter and John were dispatched from Jerusalem to Samaria upon hearing of the growth of the church in Samaria. When they arrived,  Peter and John prayed for Holy Spirit to bless the new believers. With the laying on of hands from Peter and John the new believers received the Holy Spirit.

Simon, apparently was willing to accept the grace of GOD but was way too interested in the purchase of the Holy Spirit and Apostolic way of laying on of hands of new believers. Read his question and Peter’s response:

“When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”” Acts 8:18-24

Clearly, this is a case of accepting GOD’s grace in vain…or more to the point, accepting grace but missing its purpose! This is an obvious case of what NOT TO DO!

What to do:

So, Philip is directed to move on by an angel of GOD. He headed south to Gaza. The following is the account of what TO DO!

“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” Acts 8:26-31 [emphasis added]

This man was a high-ranking official. In our day, the parlance he would be a CFO [Chief Financial Officer]. Though he held such ranking he manifested a very humble demeanor when he acknowledged he did not understand what he was reading. Beseeching further ‘unless someone explains it to me.’ Blessed indeed is he for GOD put him together with the very one who could explain it to him!

The part of Isaiah the CFO was reading Isaiah 53:7,8. He then further indicated what TO DO.

“The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” [37] 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.”  Acts 8:34-39

The CFO then gets the ‘understanding’ the scripture he read was about Jesus. He heard the gospel from Philip. He then got baptized in water and REJOICED!

Continuing acts of GOD’s Spirit

Again, as we started this series we have learned the many acts of the Holy Spirit. As a result, the church continues to grow here and there in cities and along the highways of the many who preached.

As we learn GOD’s desires for ourselves, do we do so with humility or with a view of personal gain? Do NOT accept GOD’s grace and MISS ITS PURPOSE. √

Next chapter we again visit the man mentioned in Chapter 7, Saul.

NOTE: All scriptures quoted are from the New International Version [NIV] unless otherwise noted.

 

©Lightwritingmatters 2015

©Lightwritingmatters 2015

 Bibles Designations

KJV – King James Version

NIV – New International Version

NWT – New World Translation

ASV -- American Standard Version