'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.... Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.... And there was great joy in that city.' (Acts 8.1-8, KJV.)
The Acts of the Apostles, with its challenges and miracles, demonstrates to us the work of the Believing Church, to prepare for and bring about the Kingdom of God on earth by sharing the Good News – the Gospel – in Power. Deliverance from sin and miracles of healing were the tools Jesus used. These, and the power of prayer, supported by our faith in God’s infallibility, the Holy Spirit working in and through us, are the Mission of the Church and you as part of God’s Mission!
I was recently evangelising in Poland to Ukrainian refugees. In the Saturday evangelistic meeting, we had 100 orphan children aged 14-18, bussed in by their Christian carers; over 150 refugees repented, we saw miracles of healing – testimonies were given on the platform, and others were shared on the buses as they went home. The pastors and missionaries who took part in this event shared their powerful memories of my ministry in Ukraine, Crimea, Belarus and Russia. They told of miracles which I didn’t know: that after my meetings in Gomel, Belarus, in 1994, they opened 50 new churches; in Evpatoria, Crimea, among the many outstanding healings, they brought one man on crutches, unable to walk unaided – he threw away his crutches, gloriously healed, and walked 12 miles home! These men and women from my past are so on fire, they are already missionaries and, as a result of the war in Ukraine, are evangelising Europe! What I want to show you is this, from the terrible persecution and hardship caused by the war, can come great blessing: God is using the displacement of the Ukrainian people for the furtherance of the Gospel, just as He did in Acts 8.
Acts 8 is the expansion of Christianity beyond Jerusalem. After Stephen's martyrdom, a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, scattering believers throughout Judea and Samaria. Philip, one of the seven deacons, preaches in Samaria, performing miracles and baptising many. Simon the Sorcerer is amazed by Philip's works and becomes a believer, though his motives are questioned. Meanwhile, Peter and John visit Samaria, laying hands on the new converts to receive the Holy Spirit. Philip is then led by an angel to encounter an Ethiopian eunuch, whom he baptises after explaining Isaiah's prophecy about Jesus. This chapter highlights the spread of the Gospel beyond ethnic and cultural boundaries through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word; verses 3-4: Persecution can be an opportunity to spread the Gospel. Philip went to Samaria; the people listen to him and see the miracles which are the proof of the Truth of the message. God has given each of us a testimony to share; in my own case, God has twice healed me of cancer, He released me from a communist prison, and through many other miracles, I have seen His saving power: this is the Jesus I preach, and this is the Jesus I want to share with the world.
There was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God”; verses 9-10: Simon was deceiving the people who listened and followed him, he preached himself, but Philip preached Christ! We need to be so careful who we listen to, are they preaching Christ or are they seeking to make themselves great? When Philip preached, even Simon was converted and baptised, but at this point in the story, the people of Samaria had yet to receive the Holy Spirit.
When Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit”; verses 18-19: The Apostles Peter and John arrived from Jerusalem, laid hands on the people, and they received the Holy Spirit. Simon wanted to buy this power, but Peter says, ‘Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.’ It seems that Simon did repent following this rebuke (v24).
So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans; verse 25: Where is your testimony? Can people see the change in your life? Would people offer money so they can have what you say you have in Christ?
Once, in 1994, I was preaching in a prison in Siberia and the officer in charge challenged me, ‘Why are you here? You cannot change these men. I do not believe in your God. Do you understand who these men are?’ In front of me were 1,400 criminals – 400 serial murderers, 200 rapists and sex offenders and 800 men even worse. I preached Christ, the Son of God that I know who loves the sinner, and a miracle happened. 1,400 men repented. How do I know? Because some of the greatest evangelists in Siberia today were converted on that day, in that prison. There is one, Sasha, whom I call my son. On his release he began what has become the largest prison ministry in all Russia – he has 115 ministers working under him! But it was only ten years afterwards, in 2004, that Sasha told me the real results of that one meeting in the prison in Siberia that day – twenty of those convicts are now full-time pastors! Now that is revival! So today the Gospel is going all over Siberia because those criminals are the evangelists and the preachers. God says to the sinner, ‘I have heard your cry, I have a better life for you, I've got a better way for you – if you will repent and be converted.’
Acts 8:26-40 recounts the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch: The Holy Spirit tells Philp to go to Gaza where he meets with the Ethiopian eunuch, a high official of the Queen of Ethiopia. He’s reading Isaiah, but does not understand the passage where it describes Jesus as a lamb led to the slaughter. Starting with this Scripture, Philip preaches Christ. The man believes and asks to be baptised. Philip is then transported by the Spirit to another place.
This encounter demonstrates God's salvation plan for mankind and the role of individuals like Philip in sharing the Gospel with others, regardless of their background or status; the final instruction of Jesus was to go into all the world and preach the Gospel, baptising them in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, (Matthew 28:19).