PHILIP THE EVANGELIST
Acts 8:1-25
Intro.:
What is evangelism? What is an evangelist? (Wait for answers)
Jesus said in His final words, “Go, be my witnesses here and everywhere,” “Go and make disciples of all nations.”
To evangelize is to tell the good news of Jesus. “Gospel” = “evangel” = “good news.” Go and gossip the Gospel everywhere you go!
The first Christians did that; it is also our primary assignment.
Each of us is called to be a witness. Last week I suggested you could tell the story with about 6 verses as an outline:
John 10:10 – Jesus came that we might have full life. Begin with the positive truth (like John 3:16)
Romans 3:23 – All fall short of God’s glory
Romans 6:23 – Wages of sin is death (what we earn), but God’s free gift is eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Roman 8:1 – In Christ, there is no condemnation
Romans 10:9-10 – Declare publicly Christ is my Lord and truly believe Jesus is alive and you are saved = in Christ
Romans 12:1-2 – Grow in Christ by presenting life to Him to be used by Him and transform mind by Bible study, prayer, etc. to live life His way, and KNOW His will.
A. Persecution Sends Them Out of Their Comfort Zones
AC 8:1 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. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.8:4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
Jesus had told the disciples that they would be His witnesses – where? In Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
Where were they still in Acts 8? Jerusalem! They hadn’t even got out of home base to speak of. There were those Jews who came from distant lands for Passover and Pentecost that had been converted, and now gone home; but the Apostles were not reaching out!
God used persecution to get them to move out and do His will. He wasn’t the author of the persecution, but He used it, evil as it was, for His good and the ultimate good of His people and others. Cf. Rom 8:28. God does that with us all the time.
“…all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.”
This doesn’t necessarily mean “all” as in “everyone”—anymore than we might say, “the whole town turned out for the football game.” Acts says there was a “mother” church left in Jerusalem (where Peter and John come from, where the Jerusalem conference was held and where relief aid was sent that Paul collected.) But a lot of Christians, and maybe most of the Greek-speaking Jewish-Christians like Stephan and Philip the martyr, were scattered.
B. Signs and Wonders and the Gospel
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.
Signs and wonders got people’s attention and opened their hearts and minds to the Gospel. Healings and deliverances occurred by the Holy Spirit’s power and direction. It was noisy, messy and wonderful.
And things like this still occur today, especially overseas.
(I gave one example from overseas. And I told of the woman in our last Praise & Healing service [I said “recently” and did not use her name] who believed she had a demonic presence who was wanting her to commit suicide, which we cast out of her; she, as well as her husband the next day, confirmed this.)
C. Simon, and the Reception of The Holy Spirit
AC 8:9 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.
AC 8:14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
AC 8:18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
AC 8:20 Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."
AC 8:24 Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me."
Points here:
1. Something occurred that got Simon’s attention. The Holy Spirit’s reception came with some manifestation. It was probably Tongues, though it doesn’t say so.
2. Why the delay between water baptism and Spirit baptism? Some (Pentecostals) say this is the norm, then and now. Others (including myself) say Pentecost is one historical event in 3 phases: Jerusalem Jews, Samaritans and Gentiles. The church leaders needed the evidence especially, to know that these radical moves were of God. Samaritans and Gentiles did not have to become good Jews first in order to become Christians. God showed that by the reception of the Spirit.
3. From then till now, as Paul says in 1 Cor. 12:3 & 13, we cannot be a Christian without the Spirit. The experience of many today that they refer to as “the baptism of the Spirit,” I would say is a wonderful first infilling of the Spirit (cf. Eph. 5:18) that releases spiritual gift(ing)s for power. Often one of the first gifts is tongues.
4. Ultimately, the debate about what happens when and what to call it is beside the real point. The point is to move in the Holy Spirit’s anointing and giftedness, for the sake of the Gospel and the transformation of human lives for Christ’s sake and God’s glory. And remember, that the fullest signs of being filled with the Spirit are more than manifesting any one gift: it includes the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 6:22-23) and a true love of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12-14).
5. Simon was “full of bitterness and captive to sin”, even though he believed and was baptized. Being saved doesn’t usually change us completely overnight. God continues to work on our character all our life to make us more Christ-like. Simon wanted the power and glory for himself, not God. Somewhere in his early life he was deeply wounded and bitterness took over. We don’t know if he truly repented and changed or not; but in early Christian literature the "sorcerer" (Simon Magus) is described as the arch-heretic of the church and the "father" of Gnostic teaching.
AC 8:25 When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages….
It seems likely that the apostles established a church in the area of Sychar (see John 4:5, 39) and other villages that had been influenced by the disciples of Jesus there. Peter and John then returned to Jerusalem, where the Jewish speaking Christians were not being persecuted. There they spent time in prayer and teaching (6:4) in preparation for their world-wide work, which began with missions along the coast within a distance of a hundred miles (see 9:32, and 10:1, 44-48).
8:26-40 (don’t read, but summarize quickly) The chapter ends with the Spirit sending Philip to evangelize one person, who has the potential for influencing a whole nation, Ethiopia.
Luke has sketched out the rapid establishment of churches of the Spirit in Judea, Samaria, Galilee, and up north into Damascus and Antioch. But now he is quick to point out that the Holy Spirit is interested in taking the good news much further afield, even to the ends of the earth!
40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
The account leaves Philip in Caesarea at this time (v. 40); his next appearance is 20 years later, and he is still located in the same place (21:8); where he gives Paul and company hospitality, and is mentioned as having four unmarried daughters who prophecied.
Conclusion:
Jesus still calls us to be His witnesses. It is our primary calling. He gives us all the power and ability we need, if we will submit to His Spirit’s direction and be filled with the Spirit. Signs and wonders; healings and miracles still occur today, even here. Expect them; they help open peoples hearts and minds to salvation in Christ.
He will push us to fulfill our calling, too, because He is serious about evangelizing the world. Because He loves the world so very much! One person in the Spirit’s sway can make such a huge difference. What can a whole church in the power of the Spirit do? It can change the world.
The gifts of the Spirit are not for ourselves (that was Simon’s problem). They are to be used freely for God’s glory. May we be about the Spirit’s business of witnessing about Jesus Christ, with signs and wonders and words about Jesus. Amen
