Bible Study: Acts, Chapter Eight

Posted by Dion Todd May 13th, 2018 4,052 Views 0 Comments

RHM Bible Study, Acts, Chapter Eight from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

Transcript: Today we are going to study Acts chapter 8 in depth. You can follow along in your own Bible if you like. I will be reading from the World English Bible because it is the only modern English translation that is copyright free, and I can read the entire Bible on video without any legal drama or breaking anyone’s rules. After the meeting today, or sometime this week, please take the matching quiz that I have prepared for you on the website. Thanks to everyone that has participated so far. Let’s get started:

First let’s set our location and do a brief catchup. In Acts chapter 7, Stephen was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin, where he gave an inspired speech from the Holy Spirit. The high priests and those listening were cut to the heart. They became so furious that they stopped up there ears and dragged Stephen out of the city, threw him down a cliff, and stoned him to death.

All of this happened right outside the eastern wall of Jerusalem in a place called the Kedron valley. Stoning a strong young man to death with rocks was often a long, hot, task, so the mob stripped down to the waist and laid their clothes at the feet of a young pharisee named Saul to watch over them. Then they stoned Stephen to death. While they did, he saw heaven opened and Jesus standing beside the Father, and he prayed for the Lord to not hold this sin against those that were killing him. Stephen was the first martyr of the newly formed Christian church. That is where we begin.

Acts Chapter 8 beginning in verse 1, reading from the World English Bible:

Saul was consenting to his death. A great persecution arose against the assembly which was in Jerusalem in that day. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.

Here we learn of a young man named Saul, a pharisee of pharisees. He was at the execution of Stephen and watched over the clothes of those who were stoning him. He was consenting, in agreement, with them about Stephen’s execution. “To approve” here means “to be pleased with.” Some people are reluctant persecutors, but Saul wasn’t one of these; he took pleasure in attacking Christians. This Saul of Tarsus was later converted to Christianity and became known by his Roman name, the Apostle Paul. We will read a lot about him as we study Acts.

Jesus had told the Apostles in Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”

Up to this point, the new church had been meeting at the temple of Herod in Jerusalem. They were content to continue meeting there, but after the death of Stephen, a great persecution broke out against the church causing them to scatter and become a church on the run. Stephen was proof that teaching about Jesus could cost you your life. All but the twelve Apostles scattered, several thousand church members at that point. God can and will use pressing circumstances to guide us into His will. Sometimes we have to be shaken out of our comfortable state before we do what God wants us to do.

2 Devout men buried Stephen and lamented greatly over him. 3 But Saul ravaged the assembly, entering into every house and dragged both men and women off to prison. 4 Therefore those who were scattered abroad went around preaching the word.

Not all Jewish people were against Christianity, and some of them buried Stephen. Saul, however, became an anti-Christian and searched actively from house to house, seeking those that he could arrest. He worked under the authority of the high priest to weed out those they thought to be heretics. The word behind Paul’s “ravaging” in verse 3 suggests sadistic cruelty, like a wild boar tearing a victim’s body apart. He viciously attacked Christians, including women.

Saul later described himself as having been a graceless, vindictive man. In Acts 22:4 he wrote:  I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women” and in Galatians 1:3 he wrote: “For you have heard of my way of living in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the assembly of God and ravaged it.”

Saul, the relentless Christian hunter, brought death and misery to the church wherever he found them. But in spite of the horrors and waves of persecution against Christ’s followers, the gospel invaded Samaria with amazing spiritual power, just as Jesus had promised, and a revival began.

5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 The multitudes listened with one accord to the things that were spoken by Philip when they heard and saw the signs which he did.

The revival began with Philip, the newly appointed Greek speaking deacon that was serving tables for the widows in Jerusalem, along with Stephen. After the execution of Stephen, Philip traveled to the city of Samaria. Judaism did not care for Samaritans, and considered them lower than dogs. The Samaritans disliked the Jews just as much, so it was a big risk for Philip, who was a Hellenistic Jew, to preach about Jesus to them.

History records intense animosity between the Samaritans and Jews that had lasted hundreds of years. The conflict between these two groups started around 721 B.C.  The land of Israel was divided into two parts, the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. The Assyrians took the inhabitants of the northern kingdom off to Assyria, where the Jews there intermarried with the Assyrians and Cuthites. Their intermixed descendants are the Samaritans.

In 587 B.C. the people of the southern kingdom, Judah, were taken captive into Babylon. Unlike Assyria, there was no intermarriage in Babylon, so when those Jews came back to their homes, they were of unadulterated Jewish blood.

To the pureblood Jews, the Samaritans were a mongrel nation of half-breeds. The Jewish rabbis said, “Let no man eat the bread of the Samaritans, for he who eats their bread is as he who eats swine’s flesh.” A popular prayer in those days said, “… and, Lord, do not remember the Samaritans in the resurrection.” You can be sure the Samaritans felt the same way about the Jews.

Jews of the day would not stay in a Samaritan city or eat in their houses, so for the church on the run, that was a safe place to go. In doing so, they carried the good news about Jesus with them into those villages. When Philip began to preach, the Holy Spirit began to show up in great power and signs and wonders followed him. The Holy Spirit is the great equalizer among men and welcomes us all the same. He is not a respecter of persons, and there is neither jew nor gentile to Him.

Philip was not an apostle. He was not a big shot. He was a refugee in a hostile environment, on the run from persecution, and not in Samaria by choice. He probably would have liked to have stayed in Jerusalem, but once in Samaria, he was so full of love for Christ that he could not stop telling others about Jesus. He “shared” Jesus with them, and before he knew it, he had a revival on his hands.

7 For unclean spirits came out of many of those who had them. They came out, crying with a loud voice. Many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 There was great joy in that city.

It was as if Jesus had visited the city, for the same Holy Spirit that was on Jesus was now on Philip. Evil spirits fled before him, people who were paralyzed were healed, and there was great joy.

9 But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who used to practice sorcery in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, making himself out to be some great one, 10 to whom they all listened, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is that great power of God.” 11 They listened to him, because for a long time he had amazed them with his sorceries.

Simon the sorcerer was probably a known expert in the occult. Some believe that he was a renegade Jew who had turned into a profit-motivated enchanter and held power over the people. In many parts of the world, there are witch doctors like Simon, feared because of the curses they would place on people. Simon apparently had some power, as he had amazed the people with his sorceries for a long time, but the power of God was greater. This we need to understand.

The kingdom of satan is not a fairy tale, but an actual spiritual kingdom. Like the kingdom of God, there are many levels of spiritual beings with varying degrees of power within it. We will see clashes with the kingdom of darkness again and again as we study Acts. The theme and what we have to remember is that the power of God is stronger.

For example: in Luke 9:39 there was a young boy who had an evil spirit that threw him to the ground, gave him seizures, and caused him to foam at the mouth. The spirit had the power to affect the boy’s body, until they came into the presence of Jesus. Then Jesus told it to leave, healed the child, and he was fine. The kingdom of darkness thrives when when the kingdom of God is absent, and is driven back when the kingdom of God advances. That is what happened here in Samaria. Simon was in power until Philip showed up carrying the Holy Spirit.

12 But when they believed Philip preaching good news concerning God’s Kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself also believed. Being baptized, he continued with Philip. Seeing signs and great miracles occurring, he was amazed.

Simon was a man of power, but Philip’s power was far greater. As a result, Simon lost his followers. The people turned to God and were baptized. Simon then got a brilliant idea: “If you can’t beat `em, join `em.!”, and started following Philip everywhere.

Simon could not get over what he was seeing. Fascinated, he made a public profession of faith and was publicly baptized, but it was not a genuine conversion of the heart. Subsequent history and legend portray Simon as the arch-villain of the early church. Irenaeus (A.D. 180) speaks of him as the father of Gnosticism, which was a mixed bag of Christianity and the occult. What we have here is the devil joining the church.

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 WEB “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as Christ’s apostles. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is no great thing therefore if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”

As we have seen in Acts, it is hard to destroy the church from the outside, it was like trying to put out a fire by throwing gasoline on it; it just made it spread. So satan infiltrates the church and works from the inside to stir up strife, disagreements, gossip, whatever he can to tip the scale and distract the people.

14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit; 16 for as yet he had fallen on none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of Christ Jesus.

Word of the revival in Samaria spread back to Jerusalem and they sent Peter and John to check it out. When they arrived, they prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit for they had only been baptized in water. There are two baptisms listed here: the Samaritans had been baptized in water, in the name of Jesus. Now the Apostles prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit, “for He had fallen on none of them.” They Apostles prayed for them to have the Pentecost, upper room experience: the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

There is much confusion over this simple issue and I believe that satan would like it covered over completely, but there are multiple baptisms in the Kingdom of God that we can experience. I know that Paul said in Ephesians 4:4 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism”  but that is for salvation, to be saved, as I understand it.

Hebrews 6:1 tells us “Therefore leaving the teaching of the first principles of Christ, let’s press on to perfection—not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God, of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.”

The word “baptisms” used here is plural, meaning more than one baptism. There are many places in the New Testament where there were multiple baptisms, like Cornelius’s household was baptized in the Holy Spirit, then baptized in water. The Samaritans here were baptized in water, then the Holy Spirit. I was baptized in water in 1987, and in the Holy Spirit in 1989. My wife Sylvia was baptized in the Holy Spirit first, and then baptized in water about six months later.

17 Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

If you do not have the baptism of the Holy Spirit, you can get it. The Holy Spirit was transferred to the Samaritans when the Apostles laid hands on them and prayed. This is still the way it happens today, imparted from one believer that has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to another, though He can descend on you anywhere, anytime for He is God the Almighty.

A good friend of mine went into her room and prayed for it about 15 minutes before the Holy Spirit descended on her and she began praying in tongues. Her husband prayed and fasted eight days before it descended on him. I have no idea why it is more difficult for some than others, but it is available to all of us. If you try at home and fail, visit a local Pentecostal or Charismatic church and tell them you want to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and they will be glad to lay hands on you and pray. You don’t have to join their church to receive the baptism.

18 Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me also this power, that whomever I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.”

The text does not go into details on what happened, but when the Apostles laid hands on the people, they must have began praying in tongues or exercising spiritual gifts for “when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given” he offered them money. Simon would not have given them money for uttering words over someone. He saw a change come over them.

To Simon the sorcerer, this was an irresistible display of power. Remember, power had been this man’s consuming narcotic, life’s magic elixir. He had spent long nights dreaming and scheming his way to the top and he had to have this new power at any price, so he offered to buy it from the Apostles, and undoubtedly planned to sell the gift of the Holy Spirit to others. Instead of asking for the Holy Spirit, Simon asked for the power to bestow the Spirit on others. We may laugh at Simon for being so ignorant, but many Christians have believed exactly this. In church history the act of selling spiritual gifts or offices is called “simony,” named after this very man, Simon the sorcerer. Pastor and author W. A. Criswell said it this way:

“The church became a part of the state at the time of Constantine’s conversion. Simony was already practiced but it increased in the buying of ecclesiastical office and benefits. A bishop’s office could be bought for so much money. The same was true of an archbishop’s office, a cardinal’s hat, an ecclesiastical living in parishes and in monasteries. Simony finally gave rise to the Reformation when all over Europe indulgences were sold in order to get money to build St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome.”

Buying and selling offices, and “tickets of forgiveness” called indulgences within the Catholic church, eventually led to the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s. An example of Simony was about 1045 when Pope Benedict IX decided to marry, and sold the office of the Pope to his godfather for a healthy sum.

20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!

Peter strongly rebuked him and basically said “To hell with you and your money.” 

21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart isn’t right before God.

When Peter had objected to Jesus washing his feet in the Upper Room. Jesus said, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me’ (John 13:8). Simon had apparently not been washed and he had no part in the ministry.

22 Repent therefore of this, your wickedness, and ask God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the poison of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”

Peter saw that Simon was poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity: this accurately described Simon’s heart. Yet Peter didn’t attempt to cast a demon of bitterness or iniquity out of him. Instead, Peter told him to pray and repent.

24 Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that none of the things which you have spoken happen to me.”

Unfortunately, Simon may have never repented for his reply was lame: “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me” means that he was only slightly moved by Peter’s stern rebuke. He did not pray for forgiveness, but instead asked Peter to do it for him. Simon did not repent as he was told to do, and now his name lives in infamy.

25 They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the Good News to many villages of the Samaritans.

Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, ministering in the villages as they traveled.

26 But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise, and go toward the south to the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert.” 27 He arose and went; and behold, there was a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship. 28 He was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.

Philip was so in touch with the Spirit and he remained flexible and teachable. God had led him to Samaria by persecution, now an angel spoke to him and told him to go to the desert, and he did. God Almighty has ordained that He would do His work through us. Our seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance and obeying what He wants us to do and say is the way that He works to bless the world. When Philip listened and obeyed, the rest fell into place.

Put yourself in Philip’s place. You are not one of the Big Three Apostles, or even one of the Twelve, but God is really using you in this Samaritan revival. Simon the magician has been defeated. The entire town thinks your message is God’s truth and knows you are from God. It is a happy time, a marvelous revival, and suddenly the Lord tells you to take a hike to, the desert! Philip went from an exciting city and a growing congregation to a lonely desert road and a congregation of one. It would have been so easy to be discouraged and ask, “Lord, do you really want me to go to the desert? There is nothing there but lizards. Have I not proved myself worthy of a broader ministry? I have been faithful in the small things, and even waited on the widows. Now the desert? Lord…what is going on?” But Philip went.

Philip was a true evangelist. He preached the word in an area, and then moved on. He traveled a lot, here is a map of some of his recorded journeys.

At point 7, Philip met an Ethiopian eunuch who had traveled to Jerusalem. Ethiopia was located on the continent of Africa, a region today called Nubia. The eunuch was a black man and therefore a Gentile.  Philip had waited on tables for Jews in Jerusalem, he had baptized Samaritans, now he moved to gentiles. Philip did not discriminate or leave anyone out. Anyone that he met, he shared Jesus with.

It must have been an impressive caravan that Philip met in the desert because the man was the secretary of the treasury for the Candace Dynasty, and was over all the queen’s treasure. He was educated, for he was reading the scroll of Isaiah. Evidently while in Ethiopia, he had heard about Judaism and had gone to Jerusalem to learn more. He had just completed a thousand-mile religious pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but was still searching. Scriptures were on huge scrolls and hard to get, yet he had obtained a copy of Isaiah. In any event, he was a noble man on a noble search.

29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go near, and join yourself to this chariot.” 30 Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 He said, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” He begged Philip to come up and sit with him.

It was the custom then to read scriptures out loud. The eunuch was reading Isaiah 53:7-8, so Philip ran to the chariot and struck up a conversation. It was a divine encounter created by the Holy Spirit.

32 Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. As a lamb before his shearer is silent, so he doesn’t open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away. Who will declare His generation? For his life is taken from the earth.” 34 The eunuch answered Philip, “Who is the prophet talking about? About himself, or about someone else?” 35 Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached to him about Jesus.

The eunuch was reading about Jesus, the door was open, so Philip began to tell him about Jesus. This is how divine encounters work. Once I was playing music in a bar, I felt the Holy Spirit descend on me, and scriptures started coming to me. The guitar player seemed to light up. I knew the scriptures were for him. I told the Holy Spirit that break time was coming up, I would go out and sit in my car, and if He wanted me to witness to this guy, send him out there. Break time came and I went out to my car and opened my Bible to the scripture He had given me. Soon there was a tap on the window. It was the man, and he began asking me questions about being saved, and I was already on the right page. When I read the scriptures to him, he began to tremble all over and he soon gave his heart to God.

36 As they went on the way, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Behold, here is water. What is keeping me from being baptized?” 37  38 He commanded the chariot to stand still, and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the eunuch didn’t see him any more, for he went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip was found at Azotus. Passing through, he preached the Good News to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.

They stopped the chariot and had a baptismal service right there and then Philip was supernaturally transported to another location instantly. Philip suddenly “found himself” in the city of Azotus. He pulled himself together,  and then began preaching to them as he made his way to Caesarea. An evangelist’s work is never done.

The Ethiopian “went on his way rejoicing” for the touch of God produces real joy. Philip disappeared, but he was not missed, for the man now had Jesus Christ. Historical accounts record this man as the first missionary to the Ethiopians, and are probably right. The Ethiopian Eunuch would not have been able to keep the joy to himself and he most certainly told others about Jesus. That was probably the reason for the divine appointment.

As for Philip, he loved Jews, Samaritans, Gentiles, whites, blacks; it made no difference. He was in touch with people and he genuinely cared about them. Philip was a true evangelist and the result of his ministry was “great joy” wherever he went. Some twenty years later, Paul and Luke stayed at the house of “Philip the Evangelist”:

Acts 21:8-9 ESV “On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied.”

Here, Philip is named “the Evangelist” and that was certainly his spiritual office and lifestyle. From what we can gather, Philip married and had four daughters who were also baptized in the Holy Spirit and prophesied. Philip is called “one of the seven” meaning that this man was one of the seven deacons they had appointed in Jerusalem to oversee the food program early on. As the shadows lengthened with the years, Philip the deacon remained in touch with the Spirit, in touch with the Word, and in touch with people and so continued to be the touch of God to others. Paul and Luke found rest and restoration under his favored roof.

That concludes our Bible study on Acts Chapter 8. Thank you for watching and being a part of Refreshing Hope!

Click here to take the Acts 8 quiz, or scroll down for the text version!  

Quiz Questions on Acts Chapter 8:

1. As Stephen was stoned, _____ was consenting to his death.
2. A great persecution arose against the assembly which was in Jerusalem in that day. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and _____, except for the apostles.
3. _____ went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ. The multitudes listened with one accord to the things that were spoken by Philip when they heard and saw the signs which he did.
4. For unclean spirits came out of many of those who had them. They came out, crying with a loud voice. Many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. There was great _____ in that city.
5. But there was a certain man, _____ by name, who used to practice sorcery in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, making himself out to be some great one, to whom they all listened, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is that great power of God.”
6. They listened to Simon, because for a long time he had amazed them with his _____.
7. Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent _____ and _____ to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for as yet he had fallen on none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of Christ Jesus.
8. The Apostles ____________, and they received the Holy Spirit.
9. Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them _____, saying, “Give me also this power, that whomever I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.”
10. But Peter said to Simon, “May your ____________, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
11. Peter continued: “Repent therefore of this, your wickedness, and ask God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the poison of _____ and in the bondage of iniquity.”
12. Simon answered, “____________, that none of the things which you have spoken happen to me.”
13. Peter and John, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the Good News to many villages of the _____.
14. But ___________ spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise, and go toward the south to the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert.”
15. Philip arose and went; and behold, there was a man of _____, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of _____, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship.
16. The Ethiopian Eunuch was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet _____.
17. _______ said to Philip, “Go near, and join yourself to this chariot.” Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
18. Now the passage of the Scripture which the eunuch was reading was this, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. As a _____ before his shearer is silent, so he doesn’t open his mouth.
19. The eunuch answered Philip, “Who is the prophet talking about? About himself, or about someone else?” Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached to him about _____.
20. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the eunuch didn’t see him any more, for he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at _____.