Chapter 8

(Acts 8 KJV) "And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. {2} And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. {3} As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.

Saul of Tarsus, the man people today call Saint Paul, was the prime instigator of the great persecution against the church that scattered them all over the landscape of the Middle East. He entered into houses. He arrested men and women and committed them to prison. And later he will tell us that he even testified at times when they were put to death.

It is as though in killing one man, they broke through a barrier that was holding back the persecution of the church. They would circle and snarl, but they were hesitant to actually kill anyone. All that changed once they had actually done it.

There is a great irony in this. The agent of the persecution was Saul, who we know as the Apostle Paul, the man who would ultimately do more to spread the gospel than any other apostle. And from the very beginning, he was an agent of spreading the gospel, even in persecution. The church had settled on its lees in Jerusalem. So far, no one had taken the first steps to take the gospel beyond Jerusalem. It is almost as though God used the persecution to get the lead out. And yet, the church had needed this time in Jerusalem to fully internalize the story we call the Gospel. In its earliest years, the only written scriptures they had were the Old Testament. The Gospel was a memorized story which only later would be written down.

{4} Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. {5} Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. {6} And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.

These people really had power. When they went around they healed sick people, they performed miracles. The message rang true to people and they were making disciples everywhere.

{7} For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. {8} And there was great joy in that city.

Now Philip has take the Gospel to the despised Samaritans. They knew who God was. They had their own copy of the first five books of the Old Testament and they weren’t total pagans. So when he came preaching the God of the Old Testament and that Jesus is the Son of God, they believed him. Unlike the Jews, the Samaritans didn’t want to hurt Philip. There was joy throughout the whole city because of this wonderful thing that had come upon them.

{9} But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: {10} To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. {11} And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. {12} But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. {13} Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. {14} Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: {15} Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: {16} (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) {17} Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. {18} And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,

It is a measure of how far out this man was that he offered them money. It almost makes you laugh to consider it. Here is a man who all of his life  had used witchcraft and sorcery, and you have to conclude that his purpose in doing the thing was money. He was a charlatan.  And now when he sees this power the first thing he thinks of is to offer them money. We have to presume then that his motivation, what drove him to want the gifts was money. He figured he could make a lot of money with these gifts.

{19} Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. {20} But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. {21} Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. {22} Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. {23} For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. {24} Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. {25} And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

In the beginning, I think, God gave the early disciples plenty of room for self determination. After all, God wants us to participate in the spreading of the Gospel and the decisions we make are part of the pleasure of doing it. But it is obvious that every so often, God "dips in an oar" to change direction, or direct some result he wants to obtain. The story following seems to be one of those occasions.

{26} And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. {27} And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, {28} Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. {29} Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. {30} And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? {31} And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. {32} The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: {33} In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.{34} And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? {35} Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

Mind you, there was no New Testament that Philip could use to preach Jesus to this man. Not one word of the New Testament had been written at this point. Philip had to do this whole thing from memory.

 {36} And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? {37} And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. {38} And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

Obviously baptism by immersion. They went down into the water and came up out of it. And the Ethiopian did not baptize himself. Philip baptized (immersed) him.

{39} And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. {40} But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea."

And the Ethiopian went home alone, the only Christian in Ethiopia. Out of this one man may have grown the Ethiopian church.






 

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