God
works despite problems! Do you believe
that? And things fall into His plans
even when they look like they cannot.
Acts
8:1-8, 12-17, 25-31, 35-40.
Saul
was there when Stephen was stoned.
Persecution, due partly to Saul made the followers, except for the
apostles, scatter from Jerusalem. They
scattered to Judea and Samaria. (See
Acts 1:8—fulfillment of Jesus’ saying).
1. Notice who it was that
scattered—not the Apostles, but their followers—other believers—those who
learned from them—ordinary people we might say.
2. Problems may lead to
God’s plan and purpose being accomplished.
Both good reminders for us.
Story
of Philip—remember who was Philip—called to wait on tables—but “full of Holy
Spirit and spiritual wisdom.”
What
was Philip doing here? Waiting on
tables? No. Scattered by persecution to Samaria and other
areas and sharing Christ as he went.
Just as Stephen—doing more than we saw him called to do.
Because
of his witness in Samaria, people were accepting Christ. Peter and John, apostles in Jerusalem, came
to check it out. Could Samaritans accept
Jesus? Was their conversion
genuine? Early church being sure to
watch over new conversions as the gospel message spread.
Interesting
that these Samaritans had accepted Christ and were baptized in water, but Holy
Spirit had not come into them yet. When
one accepts Christ, we believe at that point the Holy Spirit of God comes to
reside in the person. Probably this did
not happen yet, until Peter and John came, just so the early apostolic leaders
and church in Jerusalem would accept these Samaritan conversions and believe
what happened was genuine as they came and confirmed it.
Peter
and John pray for them—lay hands on them—and Holy Spirit comes to live in them.
v.
25 Peter and John really believed
Samaritans could accept Christ, because we see as they returned to Jerusalem,
they shared Christ on their way.
Story
of Philip and Ethiopian eunuch—Philip obedient to leading of Holy Spirit—leads
this important man in government of a North African country to Christ. More Acts 1:8 fulfillment—“Jerusalem, Judea
and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.” Fulfillment through apostles—no—through man
called to wait on tables in early church.
After
baptizing the eunuch, Holy Spirit moves Philip away quickly, and he continues
sharing Christ on his way, until he reached Caesarea. Contagious enthusiasm to share Christ with
others.
Several
things for us to compare to our lives from this passage.
1. How anxious are we, His
church, to share the gospel message with others. A man who was not an apostle was seeing
conversions through his life and witness.
2. Do we look at problems
in life as God’s plan—and possibly as God’s plan to use us effectively in the
lives of others for His sake? Persecution
led to the spread of the gospel message into new parts of the world.
3. How often do we believe
that His Holy Spirit has us where we are for God’s purposes? Could it be that we are in places we
are—school, work, shopping, sports events—to reflect Christ to others and
minister to people?
4. When people seek God,
we need to be ready to sincerely listen to them and then share the truth about
God with them. Eunuch asked some good
questions—Philip used an Old Testament passage (Isaiah) to lead the man to Jesus
the Messiah.
5. We should always be
listening to the Holy Spirit’s voice in our lives, and then obey Him.
