Acts 8 : Just Do It

At the end of the previous chapter (Acts 7 if you weren’t following along), Stephen had just been stoned to death for declaring to the people that they had rejected the prophets and essentially murdered Jesus. So in Acts chapter 8, the church and all of the followers of Christ have pretty much backed off and stopped talking about Jesus because of the threats and the stoning of Stephen. The early church was in so much fear of having the same ridicule and persecution done to them as Stephen that they all but whimpered away and never mentioned to anyone anything about Christ ever again.

Obviously, this is not the way that the early church behaved. However, it does seem eerily similar to how the church thinks today. We do not face nearly the same level of persecution as they did, but yet we find ourselves backing down from any sort of conversations about Jesus. We so desperately want to be liked and to fit in with everyone around us that we compromise our testimony and our witness by not living the Gospel and not proclaiming the Truth.

Praise the Lord that we have a perfect example of how to live a victorious Christian life in Acts 8. Let’s recap, Stephen has just been murdered. A great time of persecution rocks Jerusalem. Believers scatter out all over Judea and Samaria. Saul is on the loose hunting down any Believers he can find and throwing them into prison. Chaos is reigning. But guess what? What you ask. Those that have been scattered were not just running for their lives -- they proclaimed the Gospel everywhere that they went. Here in Acts 8, one man named Philip traveled to Samaria preaching the Gospel of Christ.

The crowds flocked to Philip as he preached -- miraculous signs followed him that made the crowds pay close attention to what he said. For a long time, a certain sorcerer named Simon had been amazing all of the people in Samaria as he practiced his wizardry. But after hearing Philip proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God, Simon himself believed and was baptized.

After sending word to Peter and John that Samaria had believed the Gospel, they came to Samaria and prayed for everyone to receive the Holy Spirit because they had only been baptized in the name of Jesus. Peter and John laid hands on them, and they immediately received the Holy Spirit. (As a side note here, it is completely obvious now that the receiving of the gift of the Holy Spirit is a separate occurrence altogether than from salvation and being baptized in the name of Jesus).

Remember that Simon guy I was telling you about -- the one who was a wizard but now was saved and baptized. Ya! that guy. Well he is the shining example of how we can be saved but still have that old flesh still attacking. Right after Peter and John laid hands on the people, Simon was amazed and wanted the ability himself -- so he tried to bribe Peter and John with money so that he too might have the power. Peter made a very striking comment, (MSG Bible) “... I can see this is an old habit still with you; you reek with money-lust.” Oh my, oh my! Just three paragraphs earlier we read that Simon had been following Philip around everywhere he went because he was so intrigued and amazed at the Gospel of Jesus Christ and at all the Philip had said and done. Now, he is already back to old ways! How we need to renew our minds from the flesh and die to our self everyday!

So now Philip and the apostles went on their own ways preaching the Gospel. An angel told Philip to take the desert road towards Gaza (WAIT! How cool is that that an angel tells you where to go??!!). Anyway, he met an Ethiopian eunuch who was “chief treasurer” for the queen of the Ethiopians. He was on his way home from Jerusalem where he was worshipping and was stopped in his chariot on the road reading the book of Isaiah. Philip was prompted to go near the chariot and heard the eunuch reading from Isaiah. The eunuch needed help understanding what was going on and Philip began a conversation starting with that passage of Scripture in Isaiah and gradually worked in the good news of Jesus. They came upon a stream and the eunuch wanted to be baptized and so Philip baptized him and then the Spirit of God took Philip away but the eunuch still rejoiced because he got what he had been desiring.

What if Philip did not obey the voice of the Lord? What if Philip had said that the road was too long and he did not want to walk out in the desert? What if Philip said that he didn’t really like the Ethiopians and didn’t want to strike up a conversation with him. Philip would have been just like us -- coming up with any excuse possible to avoid confrontation and potential ridicule. But guess what? The eunuch was so desperate and hungry for God that all Philip had to do was obey God. All Philip had to do was go talk to the eunuch. Philip simply was doing what he was designed to do. Every chance that Philip received to tell someone about the love of Jesus -- he took.

In our everyday lives, we hear the still small voice of God urging us to talk to this person at the lunch table or that person in our class. If we just obey as Philip did, the Holy Spirit will go before us and be our guide giving us the right words to say. We are all called to be proclaimers of the good news of Jesus Christ. Just as Philip did, everywhere we go, whatever we do, may it promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 10:31 sums up exactly what Philip was all about:
“Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

- Ryan F.