Written ~ 06-12-2024
Read Acts Chapter Eight
Acts 8
The first few verses of chapter eight we are told a little about who Saul was, we were introduced to him briefly in Acts 7:58. What we know of Saul, at this point, is that he greatly approved of Stephen’s martyrdom. And as we see in Acts 8:1-3 he seemed to lead the way in persecuting the believers by dragging them from their homes and imprisoning them.
Acts 8:1-3…
1 “Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen.
A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. 2 (Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning.) 3 But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.”
Doesn’t it seem like Saul’s idea of persecuting the believers would rid Jerusalem of them all together? Well… as we will see, his plan backfires!
Acts 8:4…
4 “But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.”
One of the believers who scattered was Philip. Philip was one of the men (along with Stephen) chosen in chapter six to help with the distribution of food and other menial tasks (Acts 6:5). Chapter eight tells us about some of Philip’s experiences as he went out and preached the Gospel message to the people in the city of Samaria.
Acts 8:5-8…
5 “Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah. 6 Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did. 7 Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.”
His anointed message was well received and the Holy Spirit used him to bring the people of Samaria to Salvation – “…they were eager to hear his message…”
As a bit of a sidebar we are told about a man named Simon. Simon was not a believer, he was not a godly man, he was a well-known sorcerer and astounded people with his magic. And I am inclined to say he claimed that his works were from God – why do I say that? Because of the nickname he was given by the people… “the Great One – the Power of God.”
Acts 8:9-11…
9 “A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, amazing the people of Samaria and claiming to be someone great. 10 Everyone, from the least to the greatest, often spoke of him as “the Great One—the Power of God.” 11 They listened closely to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his magic.”
It says in verse 8:9 that Simon had been performing his sorcery for many years… he would be a very established character in the city of Samaria. Then look who comes on the scene, Philip. Philip’s message is different and it’s received with great excitement.
Acts 8:12…
12 “But now the people believed Philip’s message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized.”
So what happened to Simon? Well, he joined in on this new movement. Was his heart pure? I don’t think so, but he went along with what the crowd was doing.
Acts 8:13…
13 “Then Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed.”
Eventually the news of Philip’s activity in Samaria reached the Apostles in Jerusalem, so Peter and John made their way to Samaria.
Acts 8:15-17…
15 “As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. 16 The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.”
When this happened look whose attention they got… Simon. He was watching everything the Apostles were doing and decided he wanted to do their “magic” too. This is the evidence of Simon’s “conversion” that makes it very clear he really did not become a believer through Philip’s Good News message. Simon wanted to buy the power of laying on of hands so he could give people the Holy Spirit. What was Peter’s reaction to Simon’s request?
Acts 8:20-23…
20 But Peter replied, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought! 21 You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God. 22 Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts, 23 for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.”
Simon’s conversion was not real, he may have been going through the motions, but nothing in his character showed a renewal of his spirit.
Acts 8:25…
25 “After testifying and preaching the word of the Lord in Samaria, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem. And they stopped in many Samaritan villages along the way to preach the Good News.”
The Spirit of the Lord spread the message of Jesus through the Apostles and the scattering of the believers. With great persecution… what Saul thought would end this crusade actually pushed it further, the message was reaching more people than ever before.
The rest of chapter eight tells us about an encounter Philip has with a eunuch on a desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.
Acts 8:27-29…
27 “So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.”
29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”
Have you ever felt the prompting by the Holy Spirit to go and speak to someone? Maybe you notice their distress or something about them has caught your attention. When you “hear” the voice of the Holy Spirit, do you immediately spring into action? Or do you hesitate? In this case Philip sprang into action.
Acts 8:30…
30 Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
Did you notice that all Philip did was take notice of what the eunuch was doing and asked him a simple question. This one action opened a dialogue that eventually led to this man’s Salvation. Do you think we sometimes put too much pressure on ourselves when we’re fearful of approaching someone when the Holy Spirit is prompting? Philip noticed the Eunuch was reading from Isaiah and asked if he understood what he was reading. That’s it!
Acts 8:31-34…
31 The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.
32 The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter.
And as a lamb is silent before the shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
33 He was humiliated and received no justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.” (Isaiah 53:7-8)
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?”
When we are fearful that we won’t have all the answers to the questions posed to us, we need to remember that the Holy Spirit is right there inside of us, He is our source of help and guidance. I honestly don’t believe God would put you or me in a situation where we feel the need to have the entire Bible memorized in order to answer questions from someone who is genuinely seeking the Lord. Even as a brand new believer, we have more than enough knowledge by our own Salvation experience to help answer questions from an eager, searching heart.
Look at what Philip does…
Acts 8:35…
35 “So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.”
Philip doesn’t go off into a theological commentary about how the Scriptures came to be… no… he began with the few verses the eunuch was reading and told him all about Jesus from the very Scripture the eunuch had questions about. There wasn’t any reason to over complicate an explanation. Philip had the Holy Spirit do all the work!
Acts 8:36-38…
36 As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” 37 “You can,” Philip answered, “if you believe with all your heart.” And the eunuch replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38 He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
Telling someone about Jesus is a simple message. When a heart is ready, the message is well received and the Holy Spirit takes over the rest. Our responsibility is to respond when the Holy Spirit prompts.
After the eunuch was baptized, miraculous things happened in two ways…
Acts 8:39…
39 “When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.”
First miraculous thing ~ Philip was snatched up by the Spirit of the Lord and brought to a completely different location!
Second miraculous thing ~ The eunuch was saved! He believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and he went along his way – REJOICING!
Acts 8:40…
40 “Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.”
Not too much more is said about Philip, though we will hear about him later in Acts chapter twenty one. But what we should take away from Acts chapter eight is the willingness to spread the Gospel message even after great persecution struck the heart of the believers. When the believers scattered they took the Good News of Jesus Christ with them. As should we. No matter where we are, what we are doing, the Good News of Jesus Christ should be on our tongues at all times.
~AMEN~