Acts 8:1-13 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Acts 8:1-13. As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
Acts 8:1 (NIV)
1 And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
On verse 1: Starting here in Acts 8 we will see how, through persecution and the scattering of God’s church, the gospel begins to go out from Jerusalem to the surrounding regions of Judea and Samaria. Here God takes what Satan meant for evil – the persecution of Christians – and uses it to fulfill His own good purposes and advance His own agenda.
Acts 8:2 (NIV)
2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.
On verse 2: Just because as believers we have hope of heaven doesn’t mean that we don’t feel incredible pain when someone we love dies and goes to heaven before we do. It is godly to mourn deeply for those we miss.
Acts 8:3 (NIV)
3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
On verse 3: As a high ranking Pharisee, Saul spent much of his life studying the Scriptures and doing his best to live what he believed was a moral and upright life. Yet because Saul had yet to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and did not yet have the Holy Spirit, his life was heading in the opposite direction of where God wanted him to go. Until Saul personally met Jesus and received the Holy Spirit, Saul would be used by the enemy as an instrument to destroy the church. Saul thought that he was doing God’s work when he went out to persecute and destroy the church.
What can we learn from this? You can have great intelligence, education and status in the eyes of people. You can work hard at the things you believe God wants you to do. But if you don’t acknowledge Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, if you’re not depending on the Holy Spirit to guide your steps, your life can very well be headed in an opposite direction to where God intended you to go. If you don’t have the Spirit of God guiding your steps, it doesn’t matter how talented, experienced, or successful you are in the eyes of people, and it doesn’t matter how much of God’s Word you think you know. True life and lasting fruit are in Jesus Christ, knowing Jesus as your Saviour, following Him as your Lord, and depending on His Holy Spirit to lead the way.
Acts 8:4 (NIV)
4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
On verse 4: Persecution meant that the church could no longer gather within the city of Jerusalem the way they used to, but the church turned that problem into an opportunity, seeing this time as an opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with people in every place where they had been scattered. Like God, see every problem as an opportunity.
Acts 8:5-8 (NIV)
5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there.
6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said.
7 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed.
8 So there was great joy in that city.
On verses 5-8: In John 4, when Jesus passes through Samaria and reaches out to a Samaritan woman, John describes how during that time Jews did not normally associate with Samaritans (John 4:19). Now here we see Philip reaching across cultural and racial prejudices and serving the people in Samaria. He proclaims the hope of Jesus to them, heals the paralyzed, delivers those struggling with evil spirits, and brings great joy to that Samaritan city. That’s the love of God at work: when God’s love is at work in a person, He inspires that person to reach people that no one else is reaching, racial barriers and prejudices are broken down, and God’s joy and power are evident.
Also, most scholars believe that the Philip mentioned here is the Philip who was chosen as one of the seven in Acts 6:5. If that is the case, it goes to show that when you have a heart to serve and to “wait on tables” (Acts 6:2) (i.e. serve people even if it is not the most high profile ministry), there is no limit to what God can do in and through you. It all begins with having a humble and willing heart to serve others.
Acts 8:9-13 (NIV)
9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great,
10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.”
11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic.
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
On verses 9-13: Simon was a magician who became a Christian. Philip was a humble Christian whom God enabled to do not magic but even more incredible signs and wonders. Simon boasted about how great he was (v9). Philip boasted about how great Jesus is (v12).
All of us are like Simon, full of ourselves, living for our own fame and glory. And all of us need someone like Philip to leads us to the true “Great Power” who is Jesus Christ.
Finally, notice once again the connection between belief and baptism. Not maturity and baptism, but belief and baptism. As soon as a person believed in Jesus, they were baptized (v12-13). Baptism is not you saying “Look how spiritually mature and committed I am to Jesus”. Rather baptism is you saying “I need a Saviour and His name is Jesus. Thank You Jesus for being so committed to me even when I wasn’t committed to you.” If you believe Jesus to be your Saviour, the way to express that faith is through baptism. Don’t wait to become “spiritually mature” before you get baptized, for baptism is not a graduation but a beginning.
Lord Jesus, thank You for showing me over and over in this passage how much I need You. I need You to be my Saviour who saves me from my sins, and I need You to be my Lord who leads the way for me. Thank You that every problem I face today is an opportunity in disguise. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
Copyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
