Welcome to this podcast from Harvest Community Church of Huntersville, North Carolina, where our vision is to make disciples who make disciples. I'm your host, Liz Stefanini. Surprise, surprise, surprise. And some of you are old enough to remember the old Andy Griffith show. And Gomer used to say that, right? Surprise, surprise, surprise. And that sets up where we are today in the Bible. We're teaching through the book of Acts and in Acts chapter six and seven, Stephen has just been stoned. And you would think that that was it. You would think, man, the church is just gonna just fold up. I mean, Think about if it happened today. If we were executed for sharing the gospel, what would people do? Well, you would think that, but it had, in Acts 8, a very surprising effect on the church, and specifically through a man named Philip. And that's what we're gonna do today. We're gonna look at Acts chapter 8 and show us, or which shows us three things God's power and so I'm gonna I'm gonna read each section as we do it I'll read and talk about the section and then I'll I'll tell you what that section shows us about power So let's just dive right in at Acts chapter 8 verse 1 and Saul approved of their killing him now the him there is Stephen and Saul was there and he was watching it and he was approving it. On that day, a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. going from house to house. He dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered, preach the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. Now let me just stop there for a second before I read a few more verses. Samaria. Hmm. That's going to become very, very important in this story. Why it's Samaria, who are the Samaritans? And if you will think back to the beginning part of acts, if you were here for that sermon, or you've read that Jesus. had left his disciples before he went back to heaven, he said, you're gonna receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you're gonna be my witnesses where? In Jerusalem, that's right where you are. But then it's gonna expand to the regions out in all Judea and then Samaria and then the far reaches of the earth. So now, Acts 8, 1 is beginning to be the fulfillment of Acts 1, 8. Verse 6, when the crowds heard Philip, saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said, for with shrieks Impure spirits came out of many and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city. Saul was a very angry man and a dangerous one. He's dragging off both men and women to prison. He is doing everything in his power to stop this new movement, to stop the spread of the gospel of Jesus. What's going to happen? Is he going to be able to stop it? Now think about it. Satan has tried to stop this church in many ways, through persecution, through In internal moral corruption with Ananias and Sapphira through bickering against each other He's it's like he's throwing everything at this church. And now here it gets worse What is going to happen? Yet God is sovereign When the church is persecuted all the people get scattered all of them except for the Apostles the Apostles remain in Jerusalem and And all the day-by-day ordinary believers get scattered, and it says they preached the word everywhere they went. So a couple of good things came about as a result of this persecution. Number one, the church was forced out of Judea and Samaria, or forced into Judea and Samaria, right? Jesus had said, you're gonna be my witnesses there, but they were still in Jerusalem. And it's like, I don't know how long they would have stayed in Jerusalem, maybe forever. It's easy to be comfortable at home, isn't it? It's easy to be comfortable in our little environment. But man, if I'm a Jewish person, to go out through Judea and definitely to go out into Samaria, no way. To go to the ends of the earth? That's the first thing. And then, secondly, ordinary believers are doing the work. Ordinary believers are doing it. It says, verse four, those who had been scattered preach the word. Now, you shouldn't interpret preach the word as if they're doing what I'm doing, standing behind a pulpit today in a church building. They shared the gospel is what that means. They shared the message. Early in Acts, who is sharing the gospel? Early in Acts, it's the apostles. Peter stands up on the day, Pentecost. Peter and John go to the temple and they're preaching. So that's who we see sharing the gospel. And, you know, it reminds me so much of the contemporary church scene. People think missionaries and pastors and evangelists, official evangelists, those are the people who share the gospel. And me, as an average, ordinary church member, I'm going to come in and be a good church member. I'll pay my tithe. I'll pray. I'll serve in a ministry of the church. And it's not anything wrong with paying tithes and serving in a ministry of the church. But that's not God's plan for evangelism. God's plan for evangelism is for all of us, all of us, to share the gospel. And that's a good thing that happens because of persecution. So that is the first thing that God's power, or Acts 8 says about God's power. It can turn persecution into opportunities to spread the gospel. Only God can do that. Humanly, persecution is going to stop things. But with God, persecution becomes opportunities. Tertullian, the North African Christian writer and apologist, lived in the second and early third century, said to the rulers of the Roman Empire, kill us, torture us, condemn us, grind us to the dust, The more you mow us down, the more we grow. The seed is the blood of Christians. In 1949, the national government of China was defeated by the communists. And so many things happened related to Christianity there, so many things that I don't know that anybody even knows, any of us even know how much happened, but just one little snippet from one mission's organization The China Inland Mission had 637 missionaries that had to leave China because of that. 637. It seemed terrible at the time. You would think, well, there goes the work. Here's these missionaries been there working. But what happened is the house church in China went underground and it just, people started getting saved and it exploded. with millions and millions of believers. And 200, within four years, 286 of those missionaries were redeployed throughout Southeast Asia and Japan and the gospel spread in those places. This is the power of God. God can turn persecution into opportunities to spread the gospel. Well, let's continue in the passage and we'll see what else happens here. 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 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, this man is rightly called the great power of God. They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. But when they believed Philip, as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. Now, we'll come back in a few minutes to Simon and talk about him and this whole thing about magic and sorcery and all of that. But I want us to hone in on the larger picture in this middle section of the passage and the message. And that is what God is doing in relationship to the Samaritans. Now, who were the Samaritans? Nearly 800 years before the time of Christ There was this nation Assyria that marched in to what was the northern capital of Israel Samaria and they They defeated them and they deported them they took people back with them to live with them in Assyria it and the people that were left in in that area. They basically took the best, most educated people away. And the ones that were left intermarried with the foreign people that lived around them. And so, a couple centuries later when the Jews came back into their land, There was more intermarriage and there was more mixing of religions. And those who were Jewish looked at the Samaritans as rebels and as half-breeds. They looked down their noses at the Samaritans. And there was this tension between Jews and Samaritans from that point forward. Now, the Samaritans were Jewish people themselves. But as their generations went on and they started marrying Gentiles, they became less and less Jewish. And in fact, the Old Testament was the Jewish scripture. They stopped believing in most of the Old Testament. They only believed in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. That's all they would accept. They wouldn't accept the rest of it, and they built a rival temple. There was the temple in Jerusalem. They built their own temple on Mount Gerizim. Some of you have heard, you remember maybe the story of Jesus with the woman at the well who is a Samaritan. And he's talking to her and she's stunned. Like, why are you talking to me? Number one, she's a woman. He's a man that didn't happen in public in the first century. And she's a Samaritan. He's a Jew. And John explains it. John make John four nine makes this little statement. Jews do not associate with Samaritans. In fact, if you are a Jewish person, if you were one of the so-called pure Jews, And you lived on this side of Samaria. Samaria is here and you wanted to go somewhere. You would not go through Samaria. You didn't even want to walk on the Samaritan soil. You would go all the way around it. And it's not like today they could get on an airplane and this was hatred. This was, this was division between these two groups. In fact, Jesus told a story. One of his most famous parables is the parable of the good Samaritan, which is such a oxymoron because for the Jews, there was no such thing as a good Samaritan. I mean, if a guy gets beat up and the priest goes by, oh yeah, the Jewish priest, he's going to be the one that saves him. Or the Levite who dealt with the law, he's going to save him. Those two guys just passed on by and it was a Samaritan. And so Jesus is just like trying to totally change their attitude and their outlook towards people. It's about love. And the Samaritan loved when the Jewish people didn't. Now, imagine how it would feel if you were a Samaritan. And you were ostracized from your own people, the Jewish people, because of maybe who your great great grandfather married. And you were ostracized from them because of that. That's where this is happening. Okay. So when we read this, don't just say, Oh, okay. He's telling us he went to Samaria. No, this, this is the culture. This is what's happening. Verse 14, when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John. to Samaria. They were apostles, of course. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them. They had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now, think about how, this is unusual. This only happens two or three times in the Bible. The standard everyday practice is when a person prays to receive Christ as Lord and Savior, at that moment, the Holy Spirit comes in them. That's Romans chapter eight. It tells you that. It's very clear. But here, the very first people that were Christian were Jewish. but now it's not only Jewish people trusting in Jesus, now the gospel is going to this hated place, Samaria, with the people who have tainted religion, people that the Jewish people don't want anything to do with, people they look down their noses on, and those people are saying they received the word of God, what's the church gonna do? And why would God not have the Samaritans receive the Holy Spirit right at the moment they get saved? Now, some people, unfortunately, theologically have said, oh, well, see, you get saved, and then later there's this second experience with the Holy Spirit. There are many things that are described in Acts that aren't prescribed for it to be that way all the time, and this is one of them. This happened to teach us something very, very important about God's heart and about the church. One commentator, William Larkin, I think hits the nail on the head when he says this, in order to preserve the unity of the church and the integrity of the church's cross-cultural mission to all nations, in the face of the inbred animosity between Jew and Samaritan. That's why it happened. God wanted to preserve the unity of the church. God didn't want there to be two churches, a Jewish Christian church and a Samaritan Christian church. He didn't want one race of people in this church and one race of people in this church. There's one church, there's one Lord, one faith, one baptism. And I think that's what he's doing here. Let me finish his quote. If God had not withheld his spirit until the Jerusalem apostles came, converts on both sides of the cultural barrier might have found Christ without finding each other. Neither Samaritan or Jewish Christians would have been assured that the Samaritans were truly regenerate and the spiritual equals of the regenerate Jews. So think about that. God cares about unity so much that he withheld his Holy Spirit from this group of people until the Jewish apostles, they were the only apostles, were able to go down, meet with them, bless them, lay hands on them, pray for them, and now they receive the Holy Spirit. And now all the Samaritans are like, we're accepted too. And all the Jewish Christians are like, they're accepted too. Do you see it? This is beautiful. This is a great picture. And I think it also showed the Samaritans, they need a mother church in Jerusalem. That's where the mother church is. And all the churches that grew out of it needed that mother church. So what does this show us about God's power? It shows us that God's power can break down barriers to incorporate outsiders and unify the church. Now, what divides the church today in America in 2021? Who are the Samaritans today? Race is certainly one of those things. What I'm about to say is not a political statement. It's not an attempt to be politically correct. Nor is it surrendering to the radical agenda in our country that wants to make every single thing about race. But there have been some deep hurts perpetrated on people in our country because of the color of their skin. Over 20 years ago, it's funny, I keep my notes, I keep files. And I try not to preach on the same passage. I try to go, this isn't necessarily a divine thing from God, but for me, it's like seven years. I feel like if I haven't preached on in seven years, I can preach on it again. 21 years ago, I preached on this passage and I look back at those notes and I noted the words of a white pastor then in the sermon who said, and I said this 21 years ago, this is before all of this is current right now, right? He said, for many African-Americans, the sting of experiences like having to ride in the back of the bus or white-only drinking fountains, watching their fathers drug out of the house in the middle of the night, being called names, not to speak of lynchings and tar and feather humiliation, has caused deep, deep pain, and it's still true today. And I would just say to you and us, if that's not your experience, Remember that it is others experience. And let's welcome everybody. And let's. Let's be a place, let's be a church. Where there's no outsiders. Where nobody's viewed based on the color of their skin, that that's what happens in our culture. And our culture is so tense. It's more tense now, it seems like than it's been in a long, long time. And I think, I know God wants his house to be different. And what about people who feel like Samaritans? Samaritans, modern day Samaritans can also be people maybe who've messed up, who've sinned. Maybe you were ostracized in your own family. Maybe you got away from the Lord. Maybe you were in trouble with the law or you were divorced or had an abortion. I'm not justifying any sinful behavior, but I do know that the church, as someone has said very well, the church is designed to be a hospital for the sick, not a museum for the saints. I think a great guideline is, hate the sin, love the sinner. Hate the sin, love the sinner. Biblical, Christ-like Christians and churches We'll embrace what the Bible teaches about cultural relativism, homosexuality, God given gender, the right to life for all human beings, sexual purity within marriage between a man and a woman. They will teach that and embrace that. And we want to teach and embrace that and fully embrace people who may have messed up in their life. Amen. One pastor received a letter from his congregation, a member of his congregation. Well, no, I don't, maybe it was a visitor. So he said to the pastor, I'm a Democrat. I don't need to hate homosexuals, pro-choice advocates or Republicans. I'm tired of the rhetoric of so-called conservative Christians who seem to spew nothing but hatred for those who disagree with them. This is so unlike the Jesus I know. Is there room for me at such and such church? So again, what can God's power do? God's power can purify us and make us holy and we're going to hold up God's standards high. But we also want to love everybody and embrace people. Well, let's move to the final section of the passage to learn one more thing that God's power can do. Verse 18, when Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money. Said give me also this ability so that everyone whom I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit So here he sees the Apostles come they lay their hands on and all of a sudden they've got the Holy Spirit And Simon's like he's a magician. He's a sorcerer. He's like I want that. I want to be able to do that one But what did Peter do Peter answered I May your money perish with you because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money. You have no part or share in this ministry because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you're full of bitterness and captive to sin. Then Simon answered, pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me after they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages. Now there's been a lot of discussion about whether Simon was a true believer in Christ. I mean, earlier in the passage, it said he believed and was baptized. So automatically people think, oh, well, he must have been a Christian and then he got messed up afterwards. I've gone back and forth with this and that is possible. I personally Do not think he was a true believer and I'll tell you why Just having belief in Jesus is not enough for salvation. I Mean James says even the demons believe and tremble, right? Just being baptized externally does not make a person a Christian. So Simon had those two things, but what does it take for somebody to be a Christian? If you go all the way through the book of Acts, it takes repentance and faith. And as an evidence that you have repented and trusted Jesus, then you're baptized. And the Bible, the apostles use shorthand language. Sometimes they'll only say repent. but they mean repent and believe. Sometimes they'll only say believe, but they mean repent and believe. And they always mean repent and believe and then the next thing that happens, the outward sign of what's happening inwardly is be baptized to show public profession. Philip said to Simon, here's another reason. I don't think Philip would have said this to Simon if he were a true believer, a true believer, a saved believer. See, there's faith that just believes something and there's saving faith that totally trusts Jesus. I don't think he had saving faith. Philip said to Simon, you have no part or share in this ministry because your heart is not right before God. In other words, you don't share in the blessings of the gospel. Now in verse 20 to 23, it seems like Simon is not taking personal responsibility. He's only interested in avoiding the penalties like, oh, no, no, Peter, pray that that won't happen to me. That could be a true change of heart, or it could be somebody who's scared of the consequences. Parents, teachers, have you ever seen that with your children? And you catch them in the wrong deed? There's a difference when they're truly repentant and when they just, uh-oh, I got caught, and I don't want the punishment that's coming. Philip had God's power to serve people. Simon coveted God's power to serve himself. So it seems to me that though Simon had some of the right outward words and deeds, it never got to him inwardly. According to tradition, this Simon may have become an opponent of the church later. There certainly was a Simon that was an opponent of the church, and it may have been this one. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11, 14, and 15, Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. So here's what this section shows us about God's power. It is reserved for those whose hearts are right before him. Simon's heart wasn't right. He wasn't going to have the power of God. What does Acts 8 show us about God's power? It can turn persecution into opportunities to spread the gospel. Two, it can break down barriers to incorporate outsiders and unify the church. And three, it is reserved for those whose hearts are right before him. So I would summarize God's word today by saying when God builds his church, it draws on God's power to reach people far from him. That's what's happening in Acts 8. God's power is coming in, spreading the church out. They're all speaking and preaching, not just the apostles, it's all the believers. And Samaritans, the outsiders, the ones that were far and felt far, are now becoming a part of the church. Let me give you four quick ways to apply the word today. Number one, pray for persecuted believers. I mean, we read about this and this is kind of hard for us to imagine because in America we don't experience this, but all over the world today, believers in Jesus are being persecuted in the same way. Some of them are losing their jobs, their families, they're being ostracized. Some of them are jailed and some of them are being martyred even today. Let's pray for them. Number two, spread the gospel. That's what it's about. It's about you and me all spreading the gospel. Number three, let's make our church a place where dividing walls fall. Our culture is aching for it, and people in the culture are aching for it. And number four, examine your own heart. Is my heart right before God? On July 15, 1986, Roger Clemens, who was a sizzling fastball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, started in his first All-Star game. And he was playing in the American League Baseball, the National League, American League. I don't know what they do now. I don't follow baseball much. But the American League, the pitchers didn't bat. They had what was called the designated hitter. So they'd, you know, everybody else would bat and then somebody else would bat in place of the pitcher. But in the All-Star game, the pitchers were batting. So Roger Clemens, this guy who throws the ball, you know, gets up to bat. And on the mound is Dwight Gooden from the New York Mets. And the first pitch, Gooden just like, like a 95 mile hour fastball right down the plate. And Clemens steps back and he looks at the catcher and he says, is that what my fastballs look like? And of course he struck out in two more pitches, but he went on to say later that understanding the power of that fastball gave him even more confidence to pitch. And that's what my goal is today for you. That as you see God's power in Acts chapter eight, God's power to turn persecution into something good. God's power to bring diverse groups together. that it will encourage you, that God can use you and God can use us. And this can be the kind of place where people are saved, where groups come together. Because when God builds his church, it draws on God's power to reach people far from him. Thanks again for joining us today from Harvest Community Church. This podcast is also available on our website HarvestCharlotte.com. Please go there if you want to send a question or comment, learn more about our ministries, or find out how you can donate to support the podcast.