Acts 8
COMMENTARY:
: 4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word. (1289 “scattered” [diaspeiro] means disperse, to sow throughout, to spread about, or distribute in foreign lands.
DEVOTION: The church was seeing a lot of growth in Jerusalem. The people were working with the apostles to reach people throughout the city. They were organizing the church to have leaders who would make sure the widows were cared for and none were neglected. The people were selling their possessions to help each other out with money and food. There was a unity of service.
However, God had assigned the disciples to reach the world not just the city of Jerusalem. So what happened?
The Jewish leaders gave Saul who would become Paul after his conversion to arrest all those who were followers of Jesus Christ. Saul when about the city of Jerusalem persecuting believers. He was causing havoc in the people. He would go into individual houses and arrest them.
So we find that the LORD used this persecution to cause the church to move out into other areas and cause people to hear the gospel. Many of those who heard the gospel became believers.
Notice that everyone when out preaching the word of God. They knew the basics of the faith and shared those basics with everyone they met. It caused the church to grow.
In many countries in our world those who are believers in Jesus Christ are persecuted for their belief. Many are put in prison. Many are killed. Many lose all of their possessions. Churches are being burned.
So we find that there is what is called the underground church meeting in many of these nations. What would happen if it became illegal to spread the gospel in this country?
What would we do? It is getting to the point where some people in our government consider Christians to be terrorists because they don’t agree with what the government is trying to do regarding what the Bible calls sin.
They think that Christians are radical in their beliefs regarding other religions. They are radical regarding sexual issues. They are radical regarding freedom of speech. They are radical in their witness for the LORD. They will go to other religious festivals and tell others about the truth of the Word of God.
The world we live in thinks that Christians are not tolerant. It seems they have it backwards. Christian allow others to state their beliefs but when they do it they think it is wrong to think that there is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ.
CHALLENGE: What are we to do? We are to continue spreading the good news of the Gospel to everyone who will listen. We are not to be silent.
: 20 But Peter said to him, Your money perish with you, because you have thought that the gift of God may be purchase with money. (3543 “thought” [nomizo] means own as a custom or usage, suppose, to think or believe (something) without being fully settled in mind or opinion, consider, or presume.)
DEVOTION: Simon was a new convert to Christianity. He had been a sorcerer. He had fooled the people into thinking he had power from God. He was very popular before the people became followers of Jesus Christ.
He made a decision to become a follower of Christ. He watched the apostles come from Jerusalem and lay hands on people who then received the Holy Spirit. He wanted to have the power of the apostles.
He offered them money to give him the gift. He didn’t realize that the gift was only given to the apostles to start the church. Once the Holy Spirit came on those who were believers they didn’t need anything else to help them live the Christian life.
Peter confronted Simon for his sinful behavior. He wanted power more than he wanted to yield to the LORD. He thought he could still be a powerful man in the eyes of the people if he could do what the apostles did.
Peter told him to repent of his actions. His motives were wrong. It was a sin. He was thinking wrong. He was thinking he could become famous. He didn’t want to just be a common Christian. He wanted to skip the growth process that all believers went through to become good followers of Jesus.
Too often we want to skip steps of growth to become mature believer who can lead instead of follow other leaders. Growth in the LORD is a process.
We move from being a baby in the LORD to becoming a young person in the LORD and then finally we become mature believers in the LORD.
CHALLENGE: It takes a lifetime of learning to mature to Christ-likeness. That should be our goal.
: 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. (3594 “guide” [hodegeo] means to show the way, teach, lead, explain, or guide in learning.)
DEVOTION: This chapter tells of the persecution of the church that caused the people to scatter from Jerusalem. The only ones who didn’t leave Jerusalem were the apostles.
One of those who were scattered was the deacon Philip. He went into Samaria. Remember that this was a group of people who were a mix of Jews and Gentiles, that the Jews didn’t have dealing with because of their mixed marriages.
Philip preached and they believe. They believed in the kingdom of God. They believed on the name of Jesus Christ. They were baptized. Along came Peter and John from Jerusalem to pray for this group of believers to receive the Holy Ghost. Peter and John laid hands on the people and they received the Holy Ghost.
Then Philip was led of the Holy Spirit into the desert. He was lead by a messenger of the LORD. The eunuch was reading the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked if he understood what he was reading. This comment was his reply. He knew that he needed more instruction in what this passage meant. He was willing to learn more. Many people would have just read it and gone on. They would have been satisfied in their ignorance. This man wanted to learn more. The Holy Spirit knew that he needed an instructor and Philip was that man.
Today we need to realize that many people are reading the Bible but they don’t understand what they are reading. They need someone to show them the way to understand. Yes, the Holy Spirit can teach them but HE uses human beings to teach the truth of the Word of God. Most of us depend on our pastor to help us understand the Word of God. Some look to books or radio preachers or television preachers but it is hard to ask questions of any of these sources.
Every Christian needs to learn. The problem is that many pastors are just feeding their people crumbs from the Word of God instead of the milk and meat of the Word. The eunuch needed the milk of the Word to understand his need for salvation. The Gospel is the milk of the Word of God.
The people in Biblical churches need both the milk and the meat, so that, they can lead people to the Lord and they can grow themselves. Are we training our people to lead individuals into the kingdom of God? Are we training our people to grow, so that, they are not murmuring and complaining but encouraging one another each day? The church is not dead, but some local churches are dying because of a lack of good Biblical teaching. Many in these church are satisfied in their ignorance of the Word of God. They want to leave all the preaching and soul winning to the pastor. That is not what the Bible teaches. Every Christian is to be preaching the Word of God to those in their world. Every Christian should be able to teach those who ask questions what the Bible means. Not their opinion but “thus says the Word of God.” Preach the Word!!!!
CHALLENGE: Don’t always look to the preacher for winning your friends and family to the LORD. Learn the Word and spread it yourself.
: 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. (726 “caught away” [harpazo] means take away, seize, snatch away, to grasp hastily or eagerly, plunder, gain control over, to carry off, or pluck.)
DEVOTION: The leading of the Holy Spirit is evident in the church at the beginning. The Holy Spirit guided Philip in his ministry. Philip was one of the first seven deacons picked by the members of the church in Jerusalem to help with the feeding of the widows.
Both Stephen and Philip were used of the LORD in a greater capacity once they were willing to be servants to others. They moved on to preaching the Word of God to others. Stephen was killed for confronting the religious leaders with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Philip was told by the LORD to go to witness to an Ethiopian eunuch after having a revival in Samaria. It must have been hard to go from a revival into the wilderness to witness to this man. But he was willing to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in his life.
Once the eunuch was a believer and baptized, the Holy Spirit led Philip away to another ministry. He was never allowed to stay in one place too long. He had the ministry of an evangelist. He was to go wherever the LORD led to win others to Christ.
The eunuch rejoiced in his new salvation. Philip continued to travel to reach others for Christ. He preached in all the cities he entered. He left behind many who loved their new life in Christ.
We have to be willing to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in our daily life. Each person who is a believer is a witness for the LORD. They are either a good witness or a poor witness. With the Holy Spirit we can be good witnesses for the LORD.
CHALLENGE: If we fail, HE will forgive us and use us again if we are willing servants. Are we being willing servants for the LORD?
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