SAMARITANS AND SORCERERS                     The Acts of the Apostles---Part 7

The Teaching Ministry of Rick Trice

July 17, 2005

Acts 8:6-40

PREVIOUSLY

We continue today in the study of the birth of the church. We left off last time with what seemed like yet another disaster, from the human point of view: the fledgling church in Jerusalem, after enjoying a huge explosion of growth, was now under direct attack. Stephen, after preaching the longest recorded sermon directly to the Sanhedrin, the Jewish court, was dragged out and stoned to death. People suspected of being Christians were being literally dragged out of their homes to face judgment. (One of these arresting officers was Saul of Tarsus, later to become “the apostle Paul.”) To save themselves, Christians had to either go into hiding, or flee Jerusalem.

Sounds like the end for the church, doesn’t it?

But as is always the case, God takes what seems to be a disaster, and turns it into a miracle. What the Sanhedrin tried to squelch turned into another explosion of growth. By allowing the scattering of the Christians, God begins spreads his salvation gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

And the next servant we get introduced to in this plan is Philip, the deacon and evangelist. (Please note that this is not the apostle Philip. We know this, because earlier the church appointed deacons so that the apostles could devote themselves to study)

Philip the evangelist fled Jerusalem, and was led by god on an amazing journey which, if traced on a map, takes in a large circuitous route. First, he is led north of Jerusalem about 60 miles to Samaria, where he preached Christ to the multitudes. Here he also gets to preach to a powerful spiritual opponent, who shows us that merely professing a “belief” in Christ does not necessarily mean we are walking with him correctly. Then God led him about 120 miles southwest to Gaza, on the coast, to preach Christ to an Ethiopian eunuch, and show us how to do personal, one on one evangelism. And finally, the Lord led him to preach Christ northward again, up the coast, preaching in several gentile towns until he settles in Caesarea, marries, has kids, and exercises the gift of hospitality to other traveling Christians over the next several years. (Acts 21:8, describes Luke and Paul being guests, and mentions Philip’s unmarried daughters)

So even though Philip the evangelist is mentioned only briefly, his ministry is important because it not only shows us how god worked supernaturally to spread the gospel and salvation outside Jerusalem, but I feel it gives us, along with Stephen’s ministry, one of the first role models of howGod can work through individuals, outside the inner circle of apostles, to accomplish wondrous things.

And we’re shown this by Philip’s involvement with three different opportunities.

SAMARITANS

(V5) “…Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them, and the multitudes of one accord heeded (Him)…”

Bet you thought the apostle Paul was the first guy to preach Jesus to the gentiles!

If you remember from Jesus’ ministry to the woman by the well at Samaria, the Samaritans were the ugly step-children of the Jews. They had broken away over a disagreement of where god was to be worshiped, and were therefore considered outcasts.

So, one of the first things God is possibly saying to these scattered, converted Jews from Jerusalem (and possibly to us today) is to “get over your petty differences with these people.”

I had an interesting worship experience last Sunday. We were in Albuquerque, and went to “early church” at a local non denominational church we like to go to. Lots of contemporary praise music, with a live band and singers; lots of praising, shouting, raising of hands; energetic worship; laid back communion; good solid preaching from God’s word; laying on of hands; very open and friendly people of God.

Then afterwards, Linda and I both were led to drive over to her brother’s church, where he helps lead music for a small Episcopal congregation. More formal and structured worship style; more formal communion; shared an informal meal with them after services; very open, friendly, caring people of God.

What’s my point? God was evident at both services. There were components of the worship styles that were markedly different at each church. But God is big enough to encompass both groups! Why? Because they both professed Jesus Christ, and Him crucified for our sins and resurrected and alive today as the basis for their worship!

Got differences with other Christian churches around here? Get over it! God may not be telling you to go to a particular church, but we better start looking around and acknowledging that we don’t have a corner on God here. He’s not in our little box, or someone else’s little building.

In fact, I urge you, if you travel, to go check out a new church somewhere. Experience what God is doing in other people’s lives, outside of the denomination you might be used to. It’s not that scary. (And if it is, just sit on the back row so if they bring out the rattlesnakes, you can make a hasty exit!)

THE SORCERER

(v9ff) “but there was a certain man called Simon…”

Simon was a sorcerer, a miracle worker. But most importantly, Simon was a Greek Gnostic. The Gnostics were certain Greeks who believed in Jesus, but who believed that real salvation came from your knowledge of God.

We like to focus on the fact that Simon could do magic tricks, and mislead people with sorcery. But v13 says Simon heard Philip’s sermon, believed in Jesus, and was baptized.

So just what is Simon’s sin? Later, in v18, after he sees the power of the Holy Spirit after the apostles laid hands on people, he wanted to buy some of that power.

Simon’s sin is that, although he professed belief in Jesus, although he was baptized, he expressed no real repentance. He lusted after the power. He understood, probably more than we do, the spiritual and supernatural powers that exist in the world, and his sin was nothing less than lusting after the power of the Holy Spirit, with no real commitment to repent.

I challenge you today with the idea that sometimes we too are like Simon the sorcerer. We have witnessed great and mighty acts of the Holy Spirit, and we lust after that. Rather than laying down our sin and repenting, we want to jump right into the power side of the relationship.

Sometimes I’m glad I can’t just snap my fingers and have the power of Jesus flow like lightning from my fingertips, because there would be lot of dead people on the highway when I drive. Just little smoky greasy spots where there used to be a car that cut me off in traffic.

We want the power and the victory in our lives, but God’s is sometimes saying that we can’t handle it yet. And oftentimes it’s because of that one little problem called repentance.

THE EUNUCH

(V 26) “…a man of Ethiopia…was returning (from worship in Jerusalem)”

Here we see God using Philip a little differently. He’s used him as an evangelist to preach Christ to the multitudes in Samaria…now He’s going to use him one on one.

And as we see this foreigner, who evidently was Jewish, because he had been to Jerusalem, and was reading Isaiah, God has prepared his heart to receive Philip’s preaching.

Some of us get real scared of personal evangelism, because what will they think of me? What if I don’t know what to say?

If God is leading the situation, He’s going to do at least three things that we see illustrated here: 1) He’s going to prepare and lead you to the situation; 2) He’s going to prepare the person He’s leading you to; 3) He’s going to make it clear what to say

And the result was the eunuch professed Jesus Christ and asked to be baptized.

What’s keeping you from Jesus Christ’s great commission today? “Go into the entire world, teach, and baptize them.”

Are you a Simon the sorcerer, or a Philip the evangelist?