43 - Bible Commentary | Karuna Sadan

“Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time, a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” (Acts 8:1)

Stephen, one of the deacons of the early church, had just been stoned to death, and Saul was very happy about it. At that time in Jerusalem, the church faced serious persecution, which made the believers to be scattered around different places in search of safety.

In the world system, the Christian practice is alien. And so, violence is one of the means the people of the world use in preventing believers from spreading the gospel. What wrong did the early church do to deserve persecution and even death? All they ever did was preach the gospel, give hope to the hopeless and break bread from house to house. Was it worth persecuting them? Two systems cannot survive on one planet without conflict. Religious practice and the Christian lifestyle cannot go together. This explains why the early church was persecuted by religious leaders.

They were scattered throughout the regions:

In Acts 1:8, Lord Jesus had explicitly instructed His disciples to preach the gospel beyond Jerusalem. They were also to take the gospel to Judea, Samaria, and the whole world. But, until this moment, the disciples of Jesus were comfortable staying in Jerusalem.

Now the Christians were compelled to do something that they had been hesitant to do – spread the gospel of Jesus to the surrounding regions. Sometimes, we all need to be moved out of our comfort zones so that we can do all that we have been called to do.

2 Corinthians 4:6 says, “Out of darkness God called light” The Lord specializes in making the best out of the worst. God uses the persecution and suffering of his people to spread the truth of Christ and to bless the world.

Up until now, in the book of Acts, all the ministry has taken place in Jerusalem. No one had moved out to Judea and Samaria.

To confirm this missionary purpose of the persecution, look at Acts 11:19. "Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to none except Jews." But in Antioch, some spoke to Greeks also. In other words, the persecution not only sent the church to Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1) but also beyond to the Gentiles (Acts 11:19).

“And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.” (Acts 8:2)

After Stephen’s death, believers buried him and mourned over his death. Unlike the twelve disciples, Stephen had not always been with Jesus, or let’s just say that the bible never mentioned his name until Acts chapter 6, where deacons were selected to take on the duty of serving tables.

Stephen was described as “a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit”. When a dispute arose between him and some religious men; “they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke” (Acts 6:10). As a result, they framed him up for blasphemy and took him to the council. But then, even before the high priest, Stephen was still able to defend the gospel. Even while he spoke, the people were “cut to the heart”.

Believing in what you lack courage to defend will not end well when you are called upon to defend it. Stephen still had the courage to defend his belief even when he was faced with death. To Stephen, Christianity was beyond a practice; it was worth dying for. Is it the same for you? Can you die for what you claim to believe?

Another thing worthy of note in this verse is the fact that “devout men” buried Stephen and “made great lamentation over him”. This shows that Stephen was a devout man himself. He was faithful to his duties and to the church.

Your impact in a place will truly be known when you are no longer in that place. If Stephen had been like Judas Iscariot no one would have mourned over his death. So live your life in faithfulness and sincerity, not just so that you would have people to mourn over you when you are gone, but so that even your life can preach the gospel.

As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. (Acts 8:3-4)

Saul, who obviously was applauding the killers of Stephen, continued with his duty in persecuting the church and imprisoning believers. Saul was a Jew who believed in the existence of God and the coming Messiah. His teacher Gamaliel was one of the elders of the Pharisees.

Now, Saul did not persecute the believers because he was wicked, he did it primarily because of his proposed passion for God; a misdirected passion for God resulting in persecution. In his statement in Acts 22:3, he mentions that he was “zealous toward God”. So, to Saul, persecution was only a way to punish offenders of the law.

Persecuting the Christians was not the problem; the problem was that Saul’s beliefs were faulty. This young man was just passionate about what he had believed, and he acted out his passion. Maybe if his beliefs were right then, his pursuit would have been right as well. What we believe in controls what we do. To act right, your belief system must be right; otherwise, you will spend all your energy pursuing the wrong things.

Those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word:

The end result turned out for the glory of God; the persecution simply served to spread the gospel message.

Witnessing is not location-based, it should be anywhere and everywhere.

“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.” (Acts 8:5-6)

Philip: like Stephen, was one of the deacons who was chosen to serve the church in practical ways when the dispute regarding Hellenist widows arose (Acts 6:5). He travelled to Samaria during this time of persecution.

He attracted the crowd with what he said and the signs he performed. The church at Jerusalem was in turmoil while the gospel of Christ continued to bear fruit in the hearts of men.

One of the things that Jesus assured his followers before He left was the ability to perform signs and wonders. He urged them to preach the gospel but not without the demonstration of power. So, while preaching the gospel, you should also desire to manifest the gifts of the Spirit; it makes our testimony more tangible and practical.

Sad to say, today, many are content with only preaching the word of God, but have no expectation of supernatural gifts of the Spirit to confirm the word preached.

This type of word-only ministry would have been completely foreign to the apostle Paul, who wrote: "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost..." (1 Thessalonians 1:5). The manifestation of the Holy Spirit power is absolutely essential to effective ministry as Jesus intended it.

“For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city.” (Acts 8:7-8)

In verse 7, we see the various signs performed by Philip. Now, he was able to win the attention of the people by doing the unusual. The gospel should go beyond just what we say to what we do. Telling a sick man that Jesus can heal him is not enough except he experiences the healing himself. The signs Jesus promised His disciples were not just for them alone, it was for anyone who believed. The Lord confirms His word with signs and wonders if you truly believe. Actually, witnessing will be a lot easier if it is accompanied by the demonstration of power.

Without a doubt, one of the reasons for the abundance of fruit was that Jesus had sowed the seed in Samaria during His mission (John 4:1-26). Philip was now reaping the benefits of His labour.

“But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, ‘this man is the great power of God.’” (Acts 8:9-10)

You see how the people are won over by signs and wonders, even to the extent of being deceived. Simon boasted that he was a great man because of the magic, he could perform before the people. He was deceiving the people and still boasting in this deceit. Taking advantage of people’s ignorance is very wrong. The fact that someone desperately needs something does not give you the right to deceive that person. The people needed miracles, and Simon was performing them with sorcery. Deceit is a virtue of the devil and should not be even heard among believers.

“And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time.” (Acts 8:11)

Simon was able to easily deceive these people because they were interested in what he was doing. Obviously, the people in Samaria were ignorant and unwise. Scripture clearly commands us to “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1)

The devil has powers to perform signs too. “When that Man of Evil comes, it will be the work of Satan. He will come with great power, and he will do all kinds of false miracles, signs, and wonders.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9 ERV) We must be wise.

“But when they believed in Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.” (Acts 8:12)

After Philip came, the people saw the real signs. Now, what exactly was different between what Simon performed and what Philip performed? I mean, they both performed signs, but one ended in excitement and the other in repentance. One way to know genuine miracles is that they are accompanied by repentance. People cannot see something real and not pursue it.

When Lord Jesus was still about His earthly ministry, each time He performed signs, the people were not just excited; they were struck at the heart and cried for repentance. Thus, the workings of the Spirit are not to make a man full of himself; they are to show the mightiness of God in bringing solutions to the human problems, thus, advancing God’s kingdom.

God does not give a man the ability to perform signs for the man’s sake. He gives him the ability for His name’s sake. Simon did not understand this fact because he was never a Christian in the first place. But then, Philip had better results because he came in the name of the Lord.

“Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.” (Acts 8:13)

When Simon saw the mightiness and sovereignty of God, he believed also. Simon followed Philip and was surprised about the signs that were performed. Some people do not know what is right, except they see other people do what is right. Simon would have continued in his deceit if he had not seen Philip perform real and tangible signs.

“Now when the apostles were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.” (Acts 8:14)

One fascinating thing about the early church was their unity in spreading the gospel. Philip brought the gospel to Samaria, but the apostles at Jerusalem sent Peter and John to help him out. This does not only depict unity but also good leadership among the early church leaders. Philip was a deacon who was appointed by the apostles, meaning that he was answerable to them as the church leaders. The apostles appointed deacons in Acts chapter 6 because they could not do everything all by themselves; they needed support.

After Philip had preached in Samaria, he probably sent a report on the outcome down to the disciples at Jerusalem. It shows first that Philip had regard for higher authorities and then that the apostles did not just send people out to preach; they were concerned about the outcome as well.

The believers were also able to cover a large part of the earth with the gospel because they worked in unity. Things get done faster and better when everyone involved has a common goal at heart. For the early believers, it was not about making a name; it was about preaching the gospel. So, there was little or no concern about who performed the signs or preached the most, as long as God’s kingdom was being advanced.

who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:15)

The apostles came to pray for these new believers, to baptize them with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the seal of our salvation. (Ephesians 1:13). The moment we accept Christ, He (God) deposits His Spirit in us to mark us out as His own. Having established this, the prayer made upon these people was actually for the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

“For as yet he had fallen upon none of them. Only they had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 8:16)

The people were only baptized in the name of Jesus, which means they were already saved but lacked the tangible evidence of the Holy Spirit.

Although speaking in tongues is evidence of having the Holy Spirit, it is still possible for someone to have the Holy Spirit and not speak in tongues. It comes as you desire it and as God wills to grant it to you. But then, you must understand that the promise is also available to you and that you can manifest in this dimension of the Spirit.

“Then they laid they hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:17)

Often, the empowering and infilling of the Holy Spirit is received as hands are laid on a person and prayer is made for them (Acts 9:17, 1 Timothy 4:14, 2 Timothy 1:6). We should always be prepared to receive whatever special graces and gifts God has in store for us via the laying on of hands.

When they received the Holy Spirit, we don’t exactly know how this was recognized. It could be that certain gifts of the Holy Spirit were manifested (1 Corinthians 12:7-10).

“And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, ‘give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands, may receive the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 8:18-19)

Another proof that what was being prayed for was the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues was when Simon saw the result and was overwhelmed, even to the extent of offering money to get the same ability. He saw the result of the prayers. People can only see what is visible. The people were obviously manifesting in tongues, and it caught Simon’s attention.

Moving forward, Simon, who performed magic, began to offer money to receive this power because he had never seen a thing like this before. He could perform signs through sorcery, but he definitely could not baptize people in the Holy Spirit. Simon probably had the intention of adding this power to one of his existing sorcery skills. The motive behind Simon’s request was wrong. Unbelievers cannot offer what the Spirit gives. The Spirit works through those who have Him living inside them.

Even while we desire to acquire good things, we should ensure that our motives towards those desires are right. (Read James 4:3). Our heart desires can make us sinners if we are not careful enough to control them. It is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45)

“But Peter said to him, ‘Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!’” (Acts 8:20)

Peter understood that God’s gifting can never be purchased with money. God does not bless or gift a man because the man paid for it. He does according to His perfect will and purpose. The gifts of God are not for sale, He cannot be bribed. Apostle Peter also portrayed an excellent example on how to respond to people who feel that the gospel is so cheap that they can purchase it. He also portrayed sincerity and the fear of God. I mean, he could have been driven by the love for money and just accepted it since he knew that Simon would still not get it, thus deceiving Simon and also falling out of line with God.

Simon exhibited a harmful perspective of God by believing he could buy God's gift from Peter. Trying to work for good things will have you constantly wondering if you have done enough to earn God’s approval. God wants us to know He paid it all for us to have our sins forgiven and have a right relationship with Him.

“You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.” (Acts 8:21)

In this verse, Peter was able to discern Simon’s intentions. He was able to discern that Simon neither knew God nor His ways. Being able to discern the Spirit behind people’s statements or actions towards the things of the kingdom is a very vital virtue every believer needs to possess. The days are indeed evil and one way to survive these evil days is to have the right Spirit and the right discernment.

“Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” (Acts 8:22-23)

Peter did not condemn Simon; his statement to him was a call to repentance. When people go astray, especially people who don’t know better than they have acted, what we do as believers is not to declare them condemned but to call them to repentance. Peter perceived that Simon was held in the bond of iniquity, and he was not going to leave him to continue and die in iniquity, so he offered him a chance to repent. God is merciful, and He is willing to forgive everyone who turns to Him in repentance.

Simon wanted the "power" (Acts 8:19) that he saw. Wanting the power of God or anything else "of God" but not God Himself is "wickedness" (Acts 8:22).

This is from where we get the English word "Simony," which means the buying or selling of church office or privileges.

Then Simon answered and said, ‘Pray to the Lord for me, that none of these things which you have spoken may come upon me.’” (Acts 8:24)

Simon had nothing in defence for himself. He admitted that he was wrong and pleaded to be prayed for. Repentance involves two personalities; God and the sinner. Even if God is willing to forgive, the sinner must own up to his sins and accept forgiveness. God’s forgiveness is not forced upon a man; the man has to ask for it and receive it. Simon was scared of the consequences of his action; at least, he was able to understand that he was wrong. Whenever you do something wrong, and someone calls you to order, accept you are wrong and even apologize for it, that’s the way to become better.

Peter asked Simon to get into prayer with a repentant heart, but instead, Simon asked Peter to pray for him; all that Simon was a quick fix. He was not at all interested in the process.

Was Simon a believer?

Acts 8:13 says, he "believed" and that he was even baptized, but scripture again reveals some hidden issues about his faith.

Apostle Peter told Simon to "perish" (Acts 8:20), that Simon had "wickedness" (Acts 8:22) and "neither part nor portion" (Acts 8:21) with them.

Apostle Peter also told him that his heart was "not right" with God (Acts 8:21) and was "poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity" (Acts 8:23). This most certainly is not a description of someone who has been born again by the Holy Spirit. Someone who is bound by "iniquity," which means "sin," isn't someone whose sins have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus. From this, we may conclude that Simon was not a believer. According to historians, Simon subsequently became and died as a church adversary.

“So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.” (Acts 8:25)

After Peter and John had finished what they came to do, they returned to Jerusalem. Now, this knowledge is essential; Jerusalem was where the gospel began. So, it was more like a headquarters to the early church. Peter and some other disciples were in charge of the church at Jerusalem, but that did not stop them from travelling to different places to preach the gospel. Even if churches have headquarters, the gospel does not. It can begin from anywhere and end anywhere.

“Now the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying; “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, which is desert.” (Acts 8:26)

Even if the early believers preached the gospel everywhere, they still went to specific places as directed by the Holy Spirit. The gospel should spread out, but it should spread as God wants it to and from where He wants it to. That is why we should be sensitive to God’s leading, because many times, the way God wants to get things done is not the same way it is in our heart and so He communicates His will to us through His Spirit or through His angels. Direct Angelic messages are often rare, but the inward witness of the Spirit always directs us to God’s will. That’s why we have the Spirit of God; to reveal to us the mind of God. No one can know the mind of a man except the Spirit of the man. (1 Corinthians 2:11)

This Scripture also reveals to us of the hidden role angels play in getting the message of salvation to individuals.

“So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.” (Acts 8:27-28)

Philip did not just receive the instruction; he obeyed it. The ability to know God’s will cannot on its own produce result except we act on His will. If Philip had just heard God and not obeyed him, God’s purpose for that time would not have been achieved. God’s agenda can be tampered with if men refuse to follow His ways. God’s will at that time was for Philip to meet the Ethiopian eunuch; anything other than that would have been contrary to God’s plan.

When the angel of the Lord asked Philip to go down that road, he did not specifically tell him who he was going to meet or what he was going to do; the instruction was just to go. Sometimes, we cannot totally understand God’s instructions, and that can leave us in a really tight end. But then, God’s instructions are not meant to be understood, they are meant to be followed. Waiting to understand first before obeying is an act of distrust and disobedience.

Who was Candace?

"Candace" wasn't a person's name but the title given to the Nubian king's mother, not unlike the "Pharaoh" for the Egyptian ruler. In Nubia (ancient Ethiopia), the duty of governing the nation was entrusted to the king's mother, as it was regarded too low a task for the monarch, who was thought to be the son of the sun.

“Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘go near and overtake this chariot.’” (Acts 8:29)

After Philip harkened to God’s instruction and took the path, he did not leave the Spirit aside on this assignment. He went without understanding what he was going to do, and for him to completely carry out this instruction; he needed to be continually led by the Spirit. God does not reveal all His plans to us because He wants us to fall back to Him for help. Perhaps, if God had told him everything he needed to do, he would have become so full of himself. But then, he would be foolish to have gone there insensitive to the leading of the Spirit; he would have been in the dark about the next step to take. We might not be able to see the big picture, but if we follow God diligently, we will definitely arrive at the big picture.

Back in 1 Kings 18:46, Prophet Elijah overtook the chariot of Ahab because the Hand of God was upon him. Here in this scripture, too, Philip was able to overtake the chariot of the eunuch because of the Spirit of the Lord. The same Spirit who caused Philip to overtake the chariot shall cause you to overtake those on chariots today.

“So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’” (Acts 8:30)

The Jews (even till today) have the practice to read scripture aloud, even when alone. This was how Philip was able to hear what the eunuch was reading.

“Do you understand what you are reading?” This tells us the great need for mentoring. There are many who read the bible but do not understand it. Bible training is so much needed. This is where this Bible commentary fills the gap.

Think about Philip’s reaction; he was asked to meet the man, and he just ran without a fore-knowledge of what he was supposed to do with the man. That is exactly what it means to be completely sold out to God’s service. He met the eunuch reading the scripture, the book of Isaiah. Philip did not just go to him to tell him that he was sent by God and then probably begin to preach the gospel to him. He met this man reading God’s word and took advantage of that. Definitely, this eunuch would need someone to help him understand what he was reading, and Philip was available for God’s use to carry out this purpose.

“And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ and he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.” (Acts 8:31)

Reading the scriptures cannot bring transformation except there’s an understanding of the scriptures. If Philip had not helped him understand, there would have been no transformation. This eunuch allowed Philip to sit with him because Philip showed concern in what he was doing. So when you want to win an unbeliever, don’t be too quick to remind them of their sins; if you listen attentively, the Holy Spirit will prompt your heart on how to present the gospel to different people at different times.

Even today, hundreds of individuals around us are quietly asking the same question: “How can I, unless someone helps me?” These are people who are genuinely interested in learning the truth.

“The place in the scripture which he read was this: “he was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb, before its shearer is silent, so he opened not his mouth. In his humiliation, his justice was taken away, and who will declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth.” (Acts 8:32-33)

This eunuch was reading the book of Isaiah (53:7-8), where there was a prophecy about the death of Jesus. That passage was not a very clear one, so there was a need for explanation.

One very amazing virtue in humans is a thirst to know. Humans like to know about a lot of things; if you tell a man not to sit down, he would want to know why you said so. That’s why at some point, everyone needs to be guided aright, and otherwise, our thirst to know might just lead us to the wrong things. This, exactly, is what brings about false doctrines; faulty understanding. Every unbeliever around you has a question at heart, but if you are not careful to be led, you might just miss the opportunity to save a soul.

“So the eunuch answered Philip and said, ‘I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?’ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this scripture, preached Jesus to him.” (Acts 8:34-35)

By the leading of the Spirit, Philip was able to get the eunuch curious and attentive to all he had to say. Philip was able to explain that verse of the scripture because he had a fore-knowledge of it. We cannot defend or talk about what we do not know. As believers, we should always be prepared so that situations will not catch us unprepared. If Philip were not a biblically sound believer, he would not have had any explanation to give to the eunuch.

Apostle Paul while mentoring his protégé Timothy wrote to him saying, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season.” (2 Timothy 4:2)

Apostle Peter too wrote saying, “But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defence to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully.” (1 Peter 3:15 AMPC)

“Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?’” (Acts 8:36)

The early church believed so much in the water baptism. Baptism is a physical representation of what happens inwardly. It is evident that somewhere during Philip’s discussion with the eunuch, he had introduced the topic of water baptism. Philip must have probably explained how Lord Jesus Himself commanded that those who believe in Him should demonstrate their faith through the water baptism.

After Philip’s explanation of the scripture, the eunuch was convinced and even asked to be baptized. When we preach, we should expect results and also prepare for the results. We can be so used to mechanical preaching that we forget to prepare for the results that might follow. Witnessing can be effective if we are prepared for its effects.

The eunuch seeing water, asks if he can be baptized. Considering they were in the middle of the desert, the odds of finding a pool of water were astronomically rare; it could only be God providing the opportunity. The eunuch recognizing this fact, asks to be baptized.

Chapter 8