Sermon – Pentecostal Power Moved God’s Church Forward
Scripture Lessons: Acts 8:4-8 “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 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. And there was great joy in that city.”
Acts 8:12-13 “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. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.”
Acts 8:18-21 “And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.”
Introduction: I have entitled this message " Pentecostal Power Moved God’s Church Forward". Acts Chapter 8 marks the beginning of the expansion of the Church beyond its Jewish roots. Christ in his final charge to his disciples commanded them to wait in Jerusalem until they were endowed with the power of the Holy Spirit. They were commissioned to carry the Gospel message to Jerusalem and all Judea, then to Samaria and finally, to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the entire world. Jesus gave them the mandate and a pattern for expansion: "you will be witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." One of the greatest blessings of the church was the understanding that as the ministry expanded, the responsibilities of the church must be shared by all believers.
Several Greek speaking Jews had been selected to serve in the capacity of deacons. These men took care of the daily administration of the food supply and perform other needed ministry responsibilities. Two of the most outstanding deacons were Stephen and Philip. As persecution increased at Jerusalem, the church was forced to scatter, spreading the message of Christ everywhere they went. The Jewish leaders rejected the preaching of Stephen and proceeded to stone him to death. Stephen became the first martyr of the Christian faith. He exemplified grace at the highest level. His prayer of forgiveness for those who falsely accused him and killed him cut against the grain of every base human passion common to man. Instead of contempt, anger and vengefulness, pouring from the heart of this dying deacon was love, compassion and hope. We stand transfixed at the death place of this lowly servant with the same awe we hold when we gaze on our dying Savior. In his death Stephen manifested a supernatural endurance and meekness that could only come from our Lord himself. The persecution designed to stop the church, fueled its growth and development. The more they persecuted the Christians, the more the church grew. The fire of the Holy Spirit could not be put out. This persecution caused the Christian faith to spread to the surrounding cities, preaching the gospel wherever they went. Most of the apostles remained at Jerusalem, but believers scattered spreading the message everywhere. The church was on the move because Ministry Responsibility was Shared.
1. Ministry Responsibilities were Shared. If the Church going to take the message of Jesus to the ends of the earth, ministry responsibilities was shared.
Acts 8 presents several individuals involved in the movement of the church. There was Saul of tarsus, a zealous persecutor; Philip of the seven deacons, a faithful preacher; Simon Mangus, a clever deceiver who desired the praise of men; and an Ethiopian eunuch, a concerned seeker, who served as the minister of Finance of Ethiopia. Acts 8 is a chapter of transition as the message of Jesus Christ goes to the mongrel Jews of Samaria, and to a gentile Ethiopian eunuch. The Church's only ambition was to be obedient to God. They were empowered by the Holy Spirit to be effective in ministry. Demonstrations of the Holy Spirit’s power was present with them, confirming the word they preached. Philip led the charge to Samaria as the Church moved forward. Read the following verses.
“Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 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. And there was great joy in that city.” Acts 8:4-8
When persecution arose after the death of Stephen, Philip went to Samaria and preached a revival like few ever seen in history. Powerful preaching followed by miracles, healing and deliverance turned the whole city upside down for Christ. Seldom in our time do we hear of “great joy” coming to a whole population because of one man’s ministry. But this is what happened when Philip went to Samaria. “Greater works than these shall you do”, were the words of Jesus and with Philip it didn’t take long to see them come to pass. Of great importance is the fact that this revival was the result of shared ministry. Salvation for the whole world can only be accomplished through shared ministry.
The apostle had set strict guidelines for the selection of these deacons, then they entrusted the ministry in their hands. Philip was the ideal person to begin the ministry expansion to Samaria. He was a Grecian Jew, with a Greek name. The Samaritans were probably more receptive to Philip than they would have been to the Hebrew speaking Jews from Jerusalem. After more than 700 years of conflict between the Jews and the Samaritans, the Holy Spirit directed Philip to venture in the region.
Philip preached Jesus unto them. He was not promoting politics, social justice, civil rights, current events, or any other popular subjects of his day. He preached Jesus. The church toady needs to remember, that people still need to know Jesus. Jesus the Christ still saves, heals and delivers. When we preach Jesus, God will still confirm the word we preached. The People of Samaria responded to the message of Jesus Christ, "they gave heed with one accord." God demonstrated His power among them. Miracles were done in the name of the Lord. The people who were bound by Satan were set free. Various types of sicknesses were healed by the power of God and there was great Joy in the city! The church was empowered to move forward, and the movement was enhanced because the disciples willingly shared the ministry responsibilities. The believers went sharing the gospel because they sincerely cared for lost people.
2. Selected Ministry Partners Genuinely Cared. Today, we place great emphasis on education, titles, and position. All those things are important, but if you don’t love people, if we don’t care about the mission, we fall short. Philip was not seminary trained, did not have a title or position, but Philip demonstrated his love and concern for the entire city of Samaria. He wanted them to experience the grace of God in their lives. Even though people were healed and delivered, Philip wanted them to have even more. He wanted them to be filled with the Holy Spirit. After hearing about the great revival, Peter and John came from the church in Jerusalem to pray for these converted Samaritans that they might receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. God was bridging the gap between the believers at Jerusalem and the believers at Samaria, lest the Samaritan believers think that they are a move of God independent from the saints at Jerusalem. God bridges the gap by filling these believers with the Holy Spirit in response to the ministry of Peter and John. The church can always move forward when her ministry partners demonstrate genuine love and caring for all of God’s people. The racial barrier was removed, and true fellowship was nurtured. Today, many barriers remain because many don’t love people, nor do they care about God’s mission. We need ministry partners who genuinely care.
3. The Light of God Shined Bright Enough to Expose Darkness. When there is a great manifestation of God's power, there is a temptation for some to try advance their personal ambition at the expense of God’s church. Simon Magus, the town sorcerer, who had previously deceived the people by claiming to be some great one, became a follower of Christ. Read the following verses.
“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. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.” Acts 8:12, 13
Simon believed, was baptized in the name of Jesus, followed and supported the ministry of Philip. When he saw the ministry of Peter and John, He greatly admired them. He marveled at the power of God demonstrated through the laying on of the apostle’s hands. He desired to be used by the Holy Spirit to get people filled with the Holy Spirit and to be admired in the eyes of the people. As a practicing Magi, Simon had been famous, admired and sought after. He offered to buy this gift from Peter and John at any cost. Peter confronted Simon because his motives were not right. We too must be careful about our motives. Let’s read that part of the conversation:
“And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.” Acts 8:18-21
Simon's temptation is still with us today. Many seek God's power for personal benefit and spiritual pride. Any gift or talent God may give to us is for the advancement of the kingdom of God. Never should we use the power of God for selfish gain. Some Christians who boast of their supreme spirituality have the wrong motives. Peter confronts Simon’s hypocrisy head on. Instead of Simon’s motivation being a heart of purity, benevolence, or love for the souls of men, that he desired to be enabled to confer the Holy Ghost; it was a heart of pride, seeking vain glory, and love of money that drove his request. Simon’s simple request had revealed his whole heart. Peter quickly judged him and pronounced a fearful judgment on him and his money. The Light of God Shined Bright Enough to Expose Darkness.
God always sees and judges whether our hearts are sincere and pure. No external profession is acceptable without a committed heart. Is your heart right with God? Are your motives pure--and does God see in your heart the exercise of holiness, sincerity, and benevolent affections towards Him? God knows the motives; and with absolute certainty expose darkness. One day, God will judge, with perfect justice every act and deed, then He will condemn some and reward others, according to the affections of the heart. Pentecostal Power Caused God’s Church to Move forward because the Ministry Responsibilities were Shared; Selected Ministry Partners Genuinely Cared for people and the mission, and because the Light of God Shined Bright Enough to Expose Darkness. Finally, Pentecostal Power Caused God’s Church to Move forward because the ministers were bold and daring. The disciples prayed that God would filled them with all boldness that they may speak the word with power, and they dared to believe God.
4. Dare to Believe God and Boldly Press On. The disciples seemed to understand how precious a soul is in the sight of the Lord, so they dared to follow the Holy Spirit’ lead. To bring one person to the faith, he sends an angel to Philip, and sends Philip from populous Samaria to the desert. Philip dared to go. From the midst of a great revival, Philip was sent into the desert where he met a lone sojourner on his way back home. The man was both influential and handicapped. He was a eunuch and was probably made so in order that he may climb the ladder of success. He eventually arrived at the top and became the minister of finance for the queen of Ethiopia. However, an inner emptiness of spirit that no amount of material success could fill pervaded his heart. His recent journey to Jerusalem where he went to worship likely put him in touch with events surrounding the birth and explosion of the first church and quite possibly left him wondering about many things.
On his return journey, riding on his chariot, he searched the scriptures. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Philip appeared having been supernaturally commanded by God to go where the Ethiopian was. Philip dared to obey the command of God. Then, Philip dared to listen as the Ethiopian was reading. Sometimes, we are so anxious to talk, we forget to listen. When Philip understood the Ethiopian’s struggle, he offered to explain the scriptures from Isaiah that the man was reading. He preached unto him Jesus Christ, the one about whom the passage was written. The Ethiopian’s eyes were opened to faith in Christ and he believed, received and was baptized the same day.
Philip dared to allow God to lead him in a new phase of ministry. He dared to leave the comfort of Jerusalem, and venture into Samaria. After successful ministry among the Samaritans, now he must carry the gospel to a lone gentile on the road to Gaza. God demonstrates that the gospel is for all people of all colors, races, cultures, and religious backgrounds. A new situation, but the same old message, Philip preached Jesus unto him. It is the message of Jesus that wins men to Christ. God led Philip into a still wider circle to reach an Ethiopian of a different race. The Holy Spirit leads his people into missions in and beyond the home community.
Since we are a part of that same church on the move, we must remember that the Spirit’s call is progressive and continuous. We must remain open because God sometimes has prepared plans and people of which we are not aware. God's church is still on the move. This lesson is crucial because it helps us see the importance of evangelism in the early church. There are various ways of evangelizing. The best method is still personal soul-winning. This means work: it means a willingness to go. This way may seem the hardest of all, but it is the most effective way to reach mankind with the gospel. If Christians dared to follow the example of Philip, they could and would change the world. The Church should use every available means to reach a lost world for Christ such as tracts, Christian literature, media, and mass evangelistic meeting. But never forget, Philip left a large crowd to win one soul for Jesus.
All men are sinners, and most men don't even know it. They don't know how to have their sin forgiven or how to be cleansed. There is only one way they can know about forgiveness; they must be told. If each layman does his part in witnessing, soon all will know. God could have chosen to work through angels, but he depends upon man. We are the church, when believers move into action the church moves into action. Stephen was a layman; Philip was a layman, and they shared the ministry. They cared enough to proclaim the good news of God’s saving power in Jesus Christ. Every Christian should share the ministry and care about the souls of men. We are called to be personal soul-winners. God has given us the power, now we dare to do the work of ministry wherever and whenever He gives us the opportunity. It may be in a place like Jerusalem, or Samaria or even on a desert road in Gaza. We must dare to go. This is a chapter on the expansion of the Church through evangelism. The believers scattered by persecution were not ordained clergy, but they went everywhere telling the good news.
The image is not glamorous public preaching, but one of faithful witnessing about Jesus with everyone they met. The early church members were willing to share the ministry responsibilities in order to increase effectiveness. They were believers who genuinely cared for all people and were concerned about the salvation of mankind. Their leaders were willing to confront and condemn hypocrisy and then provide directions for repentance and restoration. Finally, the early church members dared to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit as He unveiled the plan of God progressively and continuously. We are a part of that same church, the church on the move. As seen in the life of Philip, when the Spirit of God is at work amongst us, a response is demanded. The kind of response about which I speak is more than obedience to a command that is given. It is more an inner drive, an overflow of joy and life, effervescence bubbling and increasing within, all seeking some outward expression which includes sharing, caring, scaring and daring that the purpose of God might be fulfilled. It is the work of the Spirit in our life and ministry that the world may know the only true God, who is still at work amongst his people. Amen!
