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Acts 8Introduction: Now begins the persecution of the church, and its chief architect is a young man, whose name we were just introduced. He was a zealot of zealots, a Pharisee of Pharisees. Later, his own description of himself would be that he was “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Philippians 3:5). Of course, we are talking about Saul of Tarsus. This is the young man who was holding the coats of the men who stoned Stephen and consented unto his death, an act that served two purposes in the life of Saul. For one, it would be the catalyst that would plant the seeds of salvation in his soul and would make him ripe for the harvest when he encountered Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. It would also be that “thing,” as many of us have before we knew the Lord, for which he would be forever ashamed. No doubt, he would not have done it had he known the Lord. Let’s now turn to Acts 8, verses 1 and 2.

Acts 8:1-40(1) 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.

I. Devout men: Some commentators have made an issue of this term, “devout men,” saying that these men were not Christians because of their reaction; that is, making great lamentation at the burial of Stephen. They take issue with the fact that they are just called “devout men,” and that the term “Christian” is not applied. One of the main issues, like I said, is that these devout men made great lamentation over Stephen. Their contention is that if these men were Christians, then this would have been a strange reaction because Christians should have known that the death of the Saints is a cause of rejoicing. While many good people believe this, I would reject this outright.

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I, personally, have no problem with the early church calling Jewish men who were now Christians “devout.” The word simply means “pious.” I also have no problem with their making great lamentation over Stephen because I find it totally consistent within Christian teaching to both rejoice with the homecoming of a fellow brother or sister in Christ, while at the same time greatly lamenting their loss. Stephen would have been such a man whose absence would have been immediately felt and certainly would have provoked such a reaction.

(3) As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.

II. Wreaking havoc: The Sanhedrin council had empowered the young man Saul to seek out all those, both men and women, who were proclaiming their faith in Jesus Christ and to have them arrested and committed to prison. Saul was good at his job, and his reputation as such would follow him for many years and would be somewhat of a stumbling block later, even after his conversion, to his being accepted into the church.

(4) Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

III. Scattered abroad: I want to draw your attention back to what Jesus had said in Chapter 1.

Acts 1:8(8) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

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Now, here in Chapter 8, verse 4, we are seeing the prophetic Word of the Lord being fulfilled. It is always good to remember that wherever there is great opposition (in this case, persecution), there will always be great opportunity. Persecution has always been the fuel that propels evangelism.

(5) Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.

IV. Philip—Number two of the seven: We are now introduced to Philip, also one of the “deacons” or one of the seven that had been picked to wait tables in the early church as they oversaw the widows’ welfare program. One thing that I want to remind you of is that when the apostles told the church to choose out from among them seven men who were full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, the church had evidently done a great job. Stephen has been martyred, so now God begins to raise up Philip, who will be one of the greatest evangelists of his time. Years later, we will see Philip living in Caesarea, and there he is called “Philip the evangelist” (Acts 21:8). By that time, he will have four daughters, who are prophetesses. Philip’s ministry started off waiting tables but ended as a great evangelist in the city of Caesarea and for the church, in general. It is important for all of us to remember what Peter would later say:

1 Peter 5:6(6) Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

a. Preaching the Messiah: So, the Lord raised up Philip from waiting tables to being an evangelist. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and there preached the Messiah unto them. This is significant because the Samaritans were looking for the Messiah.

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If you remember the story of Jesus and the woman at the well, she had said to him, “. . . I know that when [Messiah] is come, he will tell us all things,” to which Jesus replied, “. . . I that speak unto thee am he” (John 4:25-26). You see, the Samaritans knew the scriptures, and they understood the passages that related to the Messiah and His coming. If you will also recall, that woman went back into town and began proclaiming that the man she had just met told her all the things she had ever done and said, “. . . Is not this the Christ?” (John 4:29). The rest of the town then went out to hear Jesus and said to the woman, “. . . Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world” (John 4:42). So, the seeds of salvation had already been planted in Samaria. When Philip went down there to proclaim the Messiah to them,

(6) And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.(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.

V. Great joy: As Philip begins to preach in the city of Samaria, the people gave heed to the things that he was saying. They heard and saw the miracles which he did—people delivered of unclean spirits; people stricken with palsies and those that were lame were healed—and the result was “. . . great joy in that city.”

Result of the Gospel: It is important to take note that the result of the preaching of the Gospel—the Good News of Jesus Christ—will always be great joy.

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(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:

VI. Simon the sorcerer: In the Greek, the word “sorcery,” used here in connection with Simon, is the word “mag-yoo′-o,” which simply means “to practice magic.” This is also where we get the word “magi.” So, Simon was a magician who had bewitched or amazed the people of Samaria, creating for himself quite a reputation as a powerful magician.

(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.

VII. When Simon speaks: Because Simon had created such a reputation for himself using sorcery, the people would listen to him when he gave his opinion about anything. They listened because all the tricks that he did were being credited to the power of God, but only because the people had been brainwashed to believe so during the many years that he had amazed them with all his trickery.

(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.

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VIII. Concerning the Kingdom of God: I want you to notice that Philip preached “. . . the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ . . ..” Philip not only preached the Gospel about the Messiah being fulfilled in Jesus Christ, he then followed up with teaching the people the things concerning the Kingdom of God or how we, as Christians, ought to operate or live our lives in God’s economy. Unfortunately, today within the church, you hear a lot about “social justice,” but this is not to be confused with the things of the Kingdom of God or God’s economy.

Social justice deals with individual rights or the relation between the individual and society. It deals with aspects of distribution of wealth, and social privileges, and such, often assigning rights and duties to institutions of society. Unfortunately, the church has allowed itself to be included in those institutions.

God’s economy, that is the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God, is the relationship between the individual and God through the Lordship of Jesus Christ and how that affects the world. The term “social justice,” as traced through theology, goes all the way back to Augustine. Therefore, it found its roots within the Catholic church and has found its proponents in the progressive American politics and is more concerned with a person’s temporal, physical needs than with his eternal, spiritual needs.

Philip, on the other hand, preached the Gospel, which brings eternal life, and then he taught the people how that eternal life is to be lived out in relationship to Jesus Christ and the world around them.

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(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.

IX. Separate and subsequent: It is interesting when you read Bible commentaries how many of them wrestle with the fact that these people had not yet received the Holy Spirit. He had not yet fallen on any of them. Although they were believers and were baptized, yet, they were not yet empowered by the Holy Spirit. This poses a problem for some commentators, which, I have to admit, I find humorous because there is really no problem at all. Many of them will even go to great lengths trying to dismiss this particular passage, saying that it was a special event. The fact is that it was not. They simply have a problem with the baptism of the Holy Spirit being separate and subsequent to salvation. Yet, that is exactly what this passage proves. The simple answer is, Yes, we do receive the Holy Spirit when we believe (when we come to Christ); yet, there is an empowering that is subsequent to salvation as Jesus actually promised back in Chapter 1.

Acts 1:8(8) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

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That is what you have here, that epi experience (that coming upon) by the Holy Spirit, which empowers us and anoints us to serve God. It is a very simple and obvious solution. Unfortunately, many Bible commentators have a problem with it. Whereas, if they would just give in to it, they could experience a whole new level of relationship with Christ, also.

(18) And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,(19) Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.

X. Simon saw: I find it interesting that Simon “. . . saw that through [the] laying on of . . . hands the Holy Ghost was given. . ..” We can reason that there must have been some physical sign (something that he observed) as a reaction to the apostles laying their hands upon people. What was it? If there wasn’t anything visible or anything audible of significance that was happening at that time, then why did he ask to buy the power? So, something was happening; there was some kind of evidence that was being exhibited as these people were being empowered by the Holy Spirit. As we continue through our study of the book of Acts, we will see that there are basically two things that happen; that is, some people speak in tongues, and some people prophesy, as we will see in Chapter 19 when Paul comes across the disciples of John at Ephesus. He lays hands on them; they receive the Holy Spirit; they speak in tongues and prophesy.

a. Simon wanted in the ministry: Simon was used to being a very important man. Granted, he had achieved it with sorcery and trickery, but it was a lifestyle to which he had grown accustomed. As Philip began preaching, Simon lost his following and, no doubt, this caused a bit of jealousy in him.

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I think it is clear in the scriptures that Simon had become downright bitter about it. So, he goes through the “rituals” of becoming a believer. He confessed (believed) and even submitted to the ritual of baptism. Yet, what he really wanted was what Philip had. I think it is telling that Simon followed Philip about and “. . . wondered, beholding the miracles and signs that were done” by Philip. I think this is a danger in the church today. I think there are many Simons in the pulpits, who were not really called to the ministry. They “aspired” to it and usually for the wrong reason. Some people do it because they think they are garnering respect or a position of authority. However, they are never really blessed in it, even though they may do it for years. Those that are unfortunate enough to sit under them never really grow. But the Apostle Peter, exercising the gift of discernment, sees right through Simon’s facade.

(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.

XI. The condition of Simon’s heart: Simon had slipped back into his magician mode by offering Peter money for the ability to impart the Holy Spirit. Some people may read this and think that it was something extraordinary when, in fact, it was not. What Simon did was not only common for the day, but it is common even today amongst magicians. If one magician sees another perform a trick that he does not possess, it is a very common practice for them to offer money to buy it. This also tells you where Simon’s heart was.

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Simon had been able to buffalo the people around him (he had made the profession of faith, and he had submitted to baptism), but in the end, he couldn’t fool the Holy Spirit working through the Apostle Peter. So, Peter tells him,

(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.

XII. The gall of bitterness: We are not told what the bitterness was in Simon’s heart; suffice it to say, it could have been a plethora of things. He could have been bitter against Philip, having lost his following and prestige to him, or he may have been in the grip of bitterness prior to that. Either way, it had eaten him alive, and his heart was not right. When you harbor bitterness in your heart, it only harms you, and it also witnesses against you. When a person has truly come into a loving relationship with Jesus Christ, based solely and squarely upon all that Jesus has done for them, unforgiveness and bitterness are the first things that are eradicated from the life of this person who has truly been born again. Alas, so many people make excuses for it. They find reasons why they are still in the gall of bitterness, not realizing the entire time that God sees that their hearts are not right. Even though they may be connected to a ministry or trying to do ministry; yet, they are not happy because their hearts are not happy. So, Peter answers Simon.

(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.

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Simon does ask for prayer; thus, I personally believe that this is a sign of genuine repentance. It sure seems like he was sincere.

(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.

XIII. One step at a time: You’ve often heard me say that if you are totally committed to doing the Will of God, then you are doing it. What I do not often say is that His Will will be brought to you one piece at a time or one step at a time. We see this with Philip. The Lord tells him to simply go south on the road “. . . down from Jerusalem unto Gaza. . ..” That’s all He told him. Too often when we want to know the Will of God for our lives, we are looking for the one-, five-, and ten-year plans. We want God to spell it all out for us, but it just doesn’t happen that way. As we will see not only in Philip’s life, and in Paul’s, and your own, God reveals His Will one step at a time. You will also notice that the Lord doesn’t say anything again to Philip until he had taken the first step.

a. All that way for nothing: It is absolutely noteworthy that this Ethiopian man was a proselyte of Judaism. We don’t know how he had been converted; we only know that he was. I want to point out something. One, this man had the scroll of Isaiah. Lest you should read this like it’s no big deal, it absolutely was a big deal. A scroll of that text would have been extremely expensive. Two, his search for God had taken him all the way to the city of Jerusalem. Now, he is returning to Ethiopia, obviously no more enlightened than

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when he came, which is why God sends Philip to him.

(29) Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.

XIV. Step two: Notice that the Lord tells Philip to “. . . join himself to this chariot,” but He hadn’t said anything until Philip had totally been obedient to the first step. Then, the Lord continues in His instruction, giving Philip the next step of joining himself to the 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.

XV. Isaiah 53: It is interesting to me that the eunuch was reading Isaiah 53, which is the forbidden chapter to the Jews. It is not preached; it’s not taught; and people are advised to stay away from it. Why? For the very same reason you will see with the eunuch.

(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.

XVI. Philip started: I always thought it was very cool that Philip has only been in this man’s company for only a few seconds—minutes at best—and he dives headlong into explaining Isaiah 53 and how it pertains to all that Jesus Christ has done.

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I also don’t think it’s a stretch to say that no matter where the eunuch had been reading, Philip would have started from that point and would have preached unto him Jesus, for no matter where you cut the Old Testament, it will bleed with the blood of Christ. Philip really wasn’t doing anything that any well-taught disciple of Christ should be able to do. It would be the Apostle Peter who would later give us the exhortation:

1 Peter 3:15(15) But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

(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.

XVII. What’s stopping me? The eunuch is obviously accepting of Philip’s expository teaching of Isaiah 53, and, as we will see, he comes to the conclusion that Jesus is the Messiah based on Philip’s teaching. As they come to this body of water, notice it is the eunuch who asks, “What’s stopping me from being baptized?” The word “baptized” here is a transliteration of the Greek word “baptizo,” which means “to be fully immersed.” Notice Philip’s response is, “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” If that is the prerequisite, it brings up a question. If believing is a prerequisite (which obviously it is, and it is consistent with every other place in the New Testament), where do some churches come up with the unscriptural practice of infant baptism? You can no more make a case for infant baptism than you can make a case for salvation by works. Philip said, “If thou believest. . ., thou mayest.”

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Show me an infant who is capable of understanding the Gospel, and I will be the first to plunge that little one under the water if he asks me to do so. Seeing how babies or infants can’t speak, and thus have no capacity to understand the Gospel, or confess it, or express it, it only stands to reason that they are not to be the subjects of baptism. So, why do some churches do it? It is a holdover from Catholicism. Can you do that? Yes. If being unbiblical in your church practice is what you want to do, then by all means, do it. Later in the book of I Corinthians, Paul the apostle will say:

1 Corinthians 1:13-17(13) Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?(14) I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;(15) Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.(16) And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.(17) For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

Therefore, I would argue (and I believe the scriptures bear it out) that the practice of infant baptism creates more of a problem than it solves. There are too many people who think they are going to heaven because mom and dad had them baptized—or sprinkled—when they were an infant. Let’s not confuse this with baby dedication. We are not talking about baby dedications. Baptism, in and of itself, while not necessary for salvation, is to at least be practiced according to the scriptures as outlined in the New Testament.

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a. The purpose of baptism: While the ritual of baptism is not really found as a practice in the Old Testament, other than a type (the crossing of the Red Sea), by the time John the Baptist shows up, it had become quite common. It has been suggested that baptism had become a ritual for someone illustrating that he had “changed his mind” about something of which he had previously been convinced.

(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.(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.

XVIII. The Philip translation: Notice that at the baptism of the eunuch, there’s made no mention of any external sign (speaking in tongues and such), but there is one amazing thing that happens. Philip is caught away. This word in the Greek is the word “harpazo,” which means “to be snatched away violently.” It is also used in I Thessalonians 4:17, which is not unlike Hebrews 11:5.

1 Thessalonians 4:17(17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Hebrews 11:5(5) By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

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What we are witnessing here is a case of divine teleportation, which I find absolutely amazing. Many Bible commentators believe that Philip’s encounter with the eunuch happened somewhere around Gaza, but Azotus is 34 miles from there. So, God spares Philip the walk and simply translates him.

a. Some commentators: Some commentators totally disregard this passage as being miraculous because they simply cannot handle the truth. Some say, “We don’t hear any more from Philip until he reaches Azotus,” totally ignoring the word “harpazo,” which means “to be snatched away violently.” The fact is that the eunuch “. . . saw him no more,” which is the same phrasing used in relation to Enoch in his translation. With that being said, they simply miss one of the great, extraordinary miracles of the New Testament.

(40) But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.