THE BOOK OF ACTS – Chapter 8, Saul Persecutes the Church, Philip in Samaria, An Ethiopian Receives Christ

 

THE BOOK OF ACTS – Chapter 8

Saul Persecutes the Church, Philip in Samaria, An Ethiopian Receives Christ

Acts 8:1, Now Saul approved of putting Stephen to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.

(Commentary Break): Verse 1 says, “And on that day a great persecution began against the Church”. This is a key verse when determining the breaking of the Fifth Tribulation Seal as described by Jesus (see Matthew 24:7-13), when He says “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains (of the tribulation).

 “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.  And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another.  And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people.  And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold. But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved”.

And again in Revelation 6:9-11, John says, “And when He (Jesus) had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled”.

From this we can know that the signs of the tribulation period known as the Birth Pains of the tribulation, began at the time of Jesus ministry on earth. (We have seen seals one through five opened, overlapping and intensifying to this day. This would mean that we are now on the verge of the 6^th Tribulation Seal which marks the beginning of the final 7 years of the Great Tribulation, also known as the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord and the Wrath of the Lamb. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 2. Some devout men buried Stephen, and mourned loudly for him. Verse 3. But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and he would drag away men and women and put them in prison.

(Commentary Break): It may be hard for us, in America, to fully appreciate the severity of the persecution of the worldwide Church. The Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) says 900,000 Christians have been ‘martyred’ in the last decade, equating to 90,000 a year and one every six minutes.

This may be the most dangerous time in history to be Christian

At least 327 million Christians face persecution, according to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), which released its biannual report on Religious Freedom in the World in November 2018. That is 7 percent of the world’s 2.3 billion Christians, estimated by Pew Research Center in 2015.

245 million Christians in the top 50 countries on Open Doors USA’s 2019 World Watch List experience high levels of persecution (i.e.: torture, rape, sex-slavery, for conversion to Christianity, murder and genocide), an increase of 14 percent from 2018. Sixty percent of those enduring persecution are children; women and girls are most violated. Release International, a UK-based human rights watchdog in operation for the past 50 years who partner with U.S.-based “Voice of the Martyrs” said they expect global anti-Christian persecution is set to rise ‘sharply’ in 2019. – (Read the report here). (End Commentary Break).

Philip in Samaria

Verse 4. Therefore, those who had been scattered went through places preaching the word. Verse 5. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming the Christ to them. Verse 6. The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what was being said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. Verse 7. For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed or limped on crutches were healed. Verse 8. So there was much rejoicing in that city.

Verse 9. Now a man named Simon had previously been practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; verse 10, and all the people, from small to great, were paying attention to him, saying, “This man is the Power of God that is called Great.” Verse 11. And they were paying attention to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his magic arts. Verse 12. But when they believed Philip as he was preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were being baptized. Verse 13. Now even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was repeatedly amazed.

Verse 14. Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, verse 15, who came down and prayed for them that they would receive the Holy Spirit. Verse 16. (For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Verse 17. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.

(Commentary Break): “For He (The Holy Spirit) had not fallen upon those in Samaria, but they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus”. It is with great reluctance that I ask if these verses 14 through 17 are saying that there is a baptism by water which is a confession and a personal identifying with Jesus in His death burial and resurrection, (an outward sign of an ‘inward’ decision), but a separate event from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit? And is “the laying on of hands” some sort of smind, soul and spirit transference” or is this just a ritual?

Do I dare suggest that the evidence of the indwelling and embodiment of the Holy Spirit is commensurate with the deep seated faith and resultant commitment to “doing the works of Jesus and even Greater Works, because He has gone to the Father”, or was this and these works granted only to the Apostles?

The name “Apostle” was first used in about A.D. 49 by the Apostle Paul. The word is defined as a messenger, envoy, delegate, one commissioned by another to represent him in some way, especially a man sent out by Jesus Christ Himself to preach the Gospel; an apostle.

The cultural and historical background in the Greco-Roman world for the term apostle (Apostolos in the Greek language), was used to describe a messenger or envoy sent with authority to represent someone else. In the context of the New Testament, apostles were seen as authoritative representatives of Jesus Christ, entrusted with spreading His teachings and establishing His Church. The role of an apostle was foundational in the early Church, as they were responsible for teaching, guiding, and maintaining the doctrinal purity of the Christian faith.

Jesus commissioned His original disciples (minus Judas Iscariot) to “Go and make disciples”. If this commandment had been exclusive only to those original eleven, then the commissioning and command to make and send disciples would have ended with those eleven men. The evangelization of the world would have also ended there. But that is not the case.

 PLEASE NOTE: These words of Jesus were spoken specifically in the Aorist tense. The Aorist tense represents the concept in which a verb is considered without regard for past, present, or future time. It is a continuous action. The past, present and future are considered as one-and-the-same. In other words, “what was, what is, and what forevermore shall be” , until Jesus consummates this age.

 So, at risk of ‘flying in the face of tradition’ the definition, the meaning, and the historical Biblical use of this word Apostle, tells us that Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples, whom, by the very definition are also to be considered as messengers or envoys sent with authority to represent Jesus.

Additionally, Jesus has clearly said that He has “prepared (these) good works ahead of time so that we would walk in them”. And there is ample scriptural evidence that Jesus meant for every believer or disciple to “do the works that He has done, and even greater works for He has gone to the Father”.

So, even though some false teachers or false prophets have claimed and misused that name, it is no excuse for the true disciple of Jesus to shy from the word, the function, the duties or the responsibilities of the name of Apostle – a messenger or an envoy sent with authority to represent someone else –  and in this case, to represent Jesus.

To wit: “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  (End Commentary Break).

Verse 18. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, verse 19, saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” Verse 20. But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could acquire the gift of God with money! Verse 21. You have no part or share in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Verse 22. Therefore, repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart will be forgiven you. Verse 23. For I see that you are provoked by bitterness and in the bondage of sin.” Verse 24. But Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

(Commentary Break): Little more needs to be said in comparing this man, Simon, to the modern-day so-called evangelists and “miracle workers” who do their magic and ask their audience for money? Cannot they and should they not be compared to the Simon the magician, in the same way Peter dealt with Simon?

Secondly, the word “authority” appears here, once again. Simon asks the Apostles for the authority to perform miracles, but clearly the authority granted to an Apostle was not for just the authority to perform miracles, but was for making disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that Jesus commanded.

Dear fellow Christians, please, be diligent. Be discerning. Be wise. (End Commentary Break).

An Ethiopian Receives Christ

Verse 25. So, when they had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

Verse 26. But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Get ready and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) Verse 27. So he got ready and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, verse 28, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading Isaiah the prophet. Verse 29. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” Verse 30. Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” Verse 31. And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Verse 32. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:

“HE WAS LED LIKE A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER;

AND LIKE A LAMB THAT IS SILENT BEFORE ITS SHEARER,

SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH.

Verse 33. “IN HUMILIATION HIS JUSTICE WAS TAKEN AWAY;

WHO WILL DESCRIBE HIS GENERATION?

FOR HIS LIFE IS TAKEN AWAY FROM THE EARTH.” Verse 34. The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself, or of someone else?” Verse 35. Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. Verse 36. As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch *said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” Verse 38. And he ordered that the chariot stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. Verse 39. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. Verse 40. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea. (End Chapter 8 text).

Please read these scriptures from Jesus’ perspective and through His eyes. Stand there in your mind’s eye, watch and hear these events as if you are present and first hand. Meditate on them. Learn from them. Pray fervently about them. Then go and do the Acts of the Apostles.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young.

PREVIOUSLY: THE BOOK OF ACTS – Chapter 7, Stephen’s Defense, Stephen’s Death.

NEXT:  THE BOOK OF ACTS – Chapter 9, The Conversion of Saul, Paul Preaches Christ, Peter’s Ministry.

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