Teach It!
Acts 8
Introduction
Sometimes people describe a relationship with God as “better felt than told” - but as we read the Scriptures we see that people were teaching the Gospel at every opportunity. This often resulted in people becoming followers of Jesus. 3,000 did in Acts 2, and in today’s text we see that as the Gospel is taught, it opens doors for people to say ‘Yes’ to Jesus!
In our look at the book of Acts we have talked about the Gospel of Jesus and what to do with it! Tell it! The Apostles were instructed to tell it in ever-widening circles. Give it! Peter and John gave what they had and changed a beggar’s life! Live it! Barnabas models the concern and care that was so obvious in the early church. Teach It! Philip is called ‘The Evangelist’ and we want to see how he teaches in Acts 8, but first we want to know a little about him.
Acts 8 begins with the distressing news that persecution against the church has broken out (Acts 8:1-3).
Acts 8:1-3
And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
Stephen has been stoned. Saul of Tarsus is the catalyst of persecution - looking for opportunities to stamp out the Jesus people. Bravely, those who were scattered went out preaching! (8:4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.).
Acts 8 follows the actions of a man named Philip. Philip was one of the seven deacons appointed to care for the Grecian widows. He is described in Acts 6:3 as one of the “men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom”. His ministry in a city in Samaria was accompanied by miraculous signs - exorcisms, healing of the lame - which resulted in much joy among the people!
Acts 8:5-8
Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city.
Luke tells us of two encounters Philip had in his ministry of teaching.
1. The Encounter With Simon The Magician (Acts 8:9-25)
Acts 9:9-11
But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.
Simon the magician was well known - people said he was somebody great. His skills of magic had them believing he was empowered by God! He had been there a long time (vs 11). Magician Jerry Andrus said, "If I don't fool you, I'm not doing my job as a magician." Simon appeared to be someone with amazing powers. Philip’s miracles made Simon’s look hokey - and they believed! Philip’s spiritual gifts and his teaching led people to the Lord.
Acts 8:12-13 - even the magician was amazed!
But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
Accounts of Philip’s teaching and the reception of it reached back to Jerusalem and Apostles Peter and John came to pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit. (14-15)
Acts 8:14-17
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
This erupts in several directions for commentators and theologians. If they were baptized, they should have received the Spirit as promised. Bruce: “In general, it seems to be assumed in NT that those who believe and are baptized have also the Spirit of God.” Yet, apparently not in this unique case. The Jews and Samaritans typically hated one another. Willimon writes, “…The Samaritans were considered by many Jews to be racially impure and religiously inferior, they did worship Israel’s God, observed Moses’ laws, and looked forward to the arrival of a messianic figure.” This episode demonstrates at least two things:
*It demonstrates to the Samaritans that they receive the same Spirit that came upon the Jews at Pentecost - a
Samaritan Pentecost!
*It demonstrates to the Jews that the Samaritans were accepted into the Kingdom and have the same Spirit.
This is the report that John and Peter will carry back to Jerusalem. It is the same report we will see in a few chapters when Peter leads Gentile Cornelius into the Kingdom!
Truly, as Jesus said in Acts 1:8 - the apostles were “…witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Another part of this event was that Simon the Magician sensed a new calling - the ability to do magic by the power of God! (Acts 8:18-25)
Acts 8:18-25
Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
On the way home, Peter and John preached to many Samaritans - something they could have never seen themselves doing just a year ago!
The second encounter Luke tells us involves Philip and ...
2. The Encounter With The Ethiopian (8:26-39)
Acts 8:26-28
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”
An angel of the Lord sends Philip to meet up with an Ethiopian. He was a eunuch. He was a court official of Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians. He was in charge of the treasury. He was a worshiper of God - probably visited during one of the great pilgrimage festivals and now on his way home. He was reading a scroll of Isaiah - the prophecy of the Suffering Servant from Isaiah 53 … in the Greek version, the Septuagint.
Acts 8:29-35
So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: 'Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.
“Philip’s persuasive exposition of the Servant’s passion found it’s way home to the Ethiopian’s heart; apparently he also told him, as Peter had told his Jerusalem audience on the day of Pentecost, that the appropriate response to such good news was repentance and baptism for the remission of sins and the reception of the Holy Spirit." (Bruce)
Acts 8:36-39
And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.
Irenaeus tells us that the Ethiopian became an evangelist among his own people.
3. Great Messages for the Church Today
KEEP TEACHING! No matter what the condition of the world around us, keep on teaching the Gospel! There are those who will listen and we need to reach them! Get the message out …Watch for openings in conversations to say something good about Jesus! Serve and love others, making opportunities to share. Live a life that honors the Lord.
WIDEN YOUR CIRCLES! Philip going to the Samaritans was out of the norm for him - but he went! Where can we go and reach out that will not be normal for us?
INITIATE CONVERSATIONS when you see someone who is contemplating a need for the Lord in their life.
MAKE EVERYTHING ABOUT JESUS. When someone wants to follow Jesus, Baptism will not be an issue - nothing will hinder them from following Christ! He was baptized! He commanded baptism! Thousands of new believers were baptized in Acts 2! Here on a lonely road an Ethiopian became a Christian and then a missionary!
DON’T GIVE UP! Philip kept on going! Acts 8:40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Conclusion
We leave Philip preaching the gospel and teaching others to follow Jesus on his journeys.
We do not encounter him again until twenty years later in Acts 21:8. By that time he had become a family man, with four daughters all old enough to be prophetesses - worthy daughters of such a father.
Acts 1-8: Tell it! Give it! Live it! Teach it! The Gospel is good News!
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Discussion Questions
1. What was the setting / background of this story? What had just happened in Acts 7 and what observations are made in the first few verses of chapter 8?
2. How significant was Philip going to Samaria, and why did he preach Christ there?
3. Was Simon a believer? What questions can be raised about his faith?
4. What does this passage indicate about baptism’s power to save people?
5. To whom did the Samaritans attribute Simon's powers? Were they right?
6. John gave five encouragements about sharing the gospel. Which one is the easiest for you? Which one is the hardest? How can we remember to keep sharing the gospel?
7. What else did you want to talk about today?
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Resources
Bruce, F. F. NICNT: Commentary on the The Book of the Acts. Eerdmans, 1980.
Willimon, William H. Interpretation: Acts. John Knox Press, 1988.
