This study is the first in a series of three messages about the early church. God allowed great persecution to come upon the early Christians. The result is that many believers scattered out of Judea and Galilee for fear of the persecution. But God used this scattering to proclaim his word, and the gospel message spread throughout the Roman Empire. This persecution must have been a time of great confusion and turmoil for those brand new believers. We will see God used it for his glory – to accomplish his work.

You may be going through a time of confusion or turmoil. Sometimes we have to face life changes that cause upheaval in our lives. Changes in job, family, health, or even marriage can make us feel uncertain and confused. As we study these lessons from Acts, we will learn how God used the turmoil for good. Changes in our lives can be turned into good if we learn to trust in God and his strength.

I am sure the early Christians were not happy with this turn of events. But because of the persecution many more people heard the gospel message, and God turned something that appeared bad into one of the great revivals of history. God can do the same with our life changes. They may seem difficult, but God can revive our spirit and renew our faith as we go out to face the unknown.

Our story starts with the stoning of Stephen, certainly a sad event in the history of the church. It was Saul of Tarsus who led this great persecution. He caused havoc among those early believers. Serving Christ cost something. We Americans take our faith for granted. We expect everything in our life to go along smoothly and pleasantly. Besides coming to church and giving a little of our money and sometimes our time, being a Christian doesn’t really cost us much. It is easy to become complacent in our Christian walk.

But being a Christian cost those early believers suffering, persecution, and some, their lives. If you are going through a difficult time, consider the persecution of those Christians today who are oppressed living in other nations under a government that hunts them down and tortures them or imprisons them. This is what it was like with the early church.

The result of this persecution is that people fled for their lives. They left their homes and went to areas far away. Perhaps they felt uprooted, and certainly they must have felt like strangers. But Christ had changed their lives. They were not about to lose the joy that he had given them. They did not go around in despair or self-pity bemoaning their poor state. Instead they began sharing the good news of salvation with others.

What difficulty are you facing? Are you weeping and feeling sorry for yourself? Or are you rejoicing in God and reaching out to others? God allowed this persecution to occur so that the gospel message would spread. God wanted his message to spread throughout the world and not only stay in Jerusalem. But not that many people wanted to leave.

Up until this time, the people were happy to remain in Jerusalem. That’s where things were happening. That’s where all the disciples lived who had first hand knowledge of Christ. It was the original mega-church. It must have been great worship, a comfortable church. There were healings and miracles. Why should they leave? But God knew there were other hungry souls that needed to be saved.

MacDonald comments, "The Lord had instructed His followers to begin their witness in Jerusalem, but then to branch out to Judea, Samaria, and the end of the earth. Up to this time their witness had been confined entirely to Jerusalem. Perhaps they had been timid about branching out. Now they are forced to do it by persecution."

We know that the Jews did not like to have dealings with the Samaritans. So Philip selected a perfect hiding place from the persecution. But imagine how he must have felt. These were people that the Jews considered to be beneath contempt. They maintained a form of the Jewish religion, but they mixed in pagan practices and teachings. They were considered to be dogs by the Jews.

Perhaps you’ve experienced the same thing. If you ever lost a high salaried job and had to go back to working a "common" job, or if you’ve ever had to move out of a very nice home because you could only afford a poorer domicile. So Philip could have had a very negative reaction to the bad turn of events. But instead he decided to make the best of the situation and proclaimed Christ to the people.

I am not sure Philip was expecting this kind of positive response, but he was obedient in presenting the gospel message. Many of these people were ready to receive the gospel message for a good reason. They had met Christ before when he came and ministered to them and the woman at the well as recorded in John chapter 4. Some were already believers. They simply needed to understand Christ’s sacrifice in order to be saved. Perhaps it was these very Samaritans that Christ had ministered to that God had in mind when he caused the persecution in Jerusalem. He loved them as much as he did the Jews in Jerusalem.

Here is the result of the persecution, the suffering, and even the martyrdom that some Christians had to face. It caused much joy to come to Samaria and other cities. When people commit their lives to Christ, there is a new joy that fills their lives. They cannot contain it. They suddenly experience forgiveness and are filled with God’s love and mercy. Joy is the natural outpouring of a changed life. And how joyful Philip must have felt. He came perhaps confused and distressed. He was running for his life. He had left everything behind. Now he sees these people experiencing God’s love because of his ministry.

No matter what hardship or trial you are going through, if you will reach out to others and share God’s love with them, you will rejoice with them as they discover the joy of the Lord. As long as we focus on our own problems, we will be most miserable, but once we are willing to think of others and minister to them, we will be filled with God’s joy also.

Now we hear about a false teacher in the city who had deceived many. They thought he had the words of God until they heard the true words of God. There may be people who are deceived or who are living under a delusion that you will be able to help. The people could sense the love of God and the commitment in Philip’s life. We have many false teachings and many who are deceived. If the church would be like these early believers, perhaps people would see the difference.

The early believers were willing to suffer for Christ. They were not afraid of sharing the gospel message, and they proclaimed the good news to everyone who would listen. Are we that way? Perhaps if American Christians were more dedicated to God in their commitment, we would see a great revival as we see recorded in Acts. Let us be willing to go beyond the four walls of our church – to help others, to share God’s word with them, and to love them for Christ.

Verse 12

But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Philip’s message was a simple one. He preached good news. He told them the gospel message – Christ had died for their sins. All they had to do was accept him as their Savior. He did not tell them about his Christian philosophy or the doctrines and creeds of men. He simply presented Christ.

Philip told them about the kingdom of God. Through Christ, God was inviting all to enter into his family. God’s kingdom was no longer in sacrifice and ritual, but rather it was a kingdom of the heart. Philip did not emphasize his church or his denomination. He did not explain the system of apostles, elders, and deacons. He simply presented the kingdom of God.

Philip presented to them the name of Jesus Christ. This is the name by which people are to be saved. He did not point people to goodness or good works. He pointed people to Christ. That was the focus of his message. Let Christ be our message.

How powerful is the gospel message when it’s presented by someone committed to Christ. Here it was so powerful that the main false teacher in the area was converted. He had fooled the people for so long. You would think pride would prevent him from admitting that this new religion was the correct one. But he could sense God tugging at his heart. Even though he had for years been used by Satan to deceive the people, he was set free himself of his own false teachings.

I love this verse. Philip had begun the work. Now the church was growing. The church in Jerusalem heard about it. They could have been disgusted and upset – what right did the hated Samaritans have to receive God’s blessings! But they weren’t upset at all. They were excited about it. So much that they sent their two best preachers there to encourage the new church in Samaria.

Now we see a great revival breaking out in Samaria. How did this all occur? Because of persecution. The persecution scattered Philip to Samaria who was not afraid to preach the word. The persecution brought the message of Christ to these people who may have been neglected for a long time if it weren’t for this sudden scattering of the early church. God used suffering for good.

What are you suffering today? God can use it for good. Philip must have felt far from home when he entered Samaria. He could easily have become discouraged. He was a stranger in a strange land. Yet this was God’s plan all along. And Philip was willing to allow God to use his suffering for his glory.

Are you willing to allow God to use your time of suffering for good? He will, if you will only let him. Don’t be discouraged. Reach out to others in love, and you too will experience a new joy from the Lord.

Footnotes:

This study on Acts 8:1-17 © 1998 by David Humpal. All rights reserved.

All scriptures unless otherwise noted are from the Revised Standard Version © 1971, A. J. Holman Company

MacDonald: Believer’s Bible Commentary, New Testament volume, pg. 421 © 1990, Thomas Nelson Publishers