Two Small Fish
December 5,
2005
Introduction:
Acts chapter eight records Philip’s ministry, Simon’s misconception, and the eunuch’s mission. God dealt with each of these men on their level and in doing so He shows us His desire to actively work out His plan for our lives.
I.
Philip’s ministry.
Philip the Evangelist and Philip the Apostle are two different people. Obviously, Philip the Apostle was one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. Philip the Evangelist was one of the seven men chosen to oversee the needs of the growing Christian community in Jerusalem (Acts 6:1-6). Philip the Evangelist is the object of our discussion in chapter eight.
After Stephen’s death, a great persecution of the Christians broke out scattering the believers throughout Judea and Samaria. Philip went to a Samaritan city and began preaching Christ and doing miracles. As with Stephen, Philip was not an apostle, yet, the Holy Spirit enabled him to perform miracles. Philip surrendered completely to the work of the Holy Spirit. Total submission enables the Holy Spirit to accomplish amazing acts of healing, which includes casting out demons. May people were converted through Philip’s ministry. He preached the good news of God’s kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ.
Preaching the name of Jesus Christ is important. We must believe in the Jesus Christ of the Bible to be saved. He is totally God and totally man. This is only possible through the virgin birth. One of the prophecies that only the Messiah could fulfill, which was predicted more than 400 years before His birth.
Today, Christianity is on trial. We are accused of being narrow minded, intolerant, and evil. Many professing Christians claim to be tolerant of other religions. That is logically impossible. If we believe in Jesus Christ of Nazareth who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6 KJV),” we cannot believe that all religions are equally relevant. Two opposing views can both be wrong, but they cannot both be right.
Pantheism is the belief that all beliefs are equally relevant. They preach tolerance and yet, they are intolerant to anyone who holds a different view such as Christianity, which says that there is only One Way – Jesus Christ. No one can be tolerant and intolerant at the same time. It’s like saying you are traveling east and west simultaneously.
Philip was intolerant according to the world’s definition. If he thought all religious views were equal, he would have remained silent. Instead, Philip saw the citizens of Samaria captive to Simon the sorcerer. Philip chose to obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit and preach the gospel of the kingdom of God. Many people believed, including Simon the Sorcerer, because Philip preached, healed the sick, and cast out demons.
In verse 26, God sent an angel to Philip telling him to go south to a deserted area. Because of Philip’s obedience the eunuch understood, believed, and was baptized. Immediately, the Holy Spirit transported Philip to another city where he again preached the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In Philip’s life, we can see the intimacy the Lord Jesus Christ wants with all of us. Our willingness to speak, move, and attach ourselves to others shows our faithfulness to Christ.
II. Simon the Sorcerer’s Misconception (verses 9-25)
The Greek word for sorcerer used here means pretender to magic powers, a wizard, a professor of the arts of witchcraft, an Oriental astrologer; scientist.
According to The
New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible “in sorcery
the use of drugs, whether simple or potent, was generally accompanied by
incantations and appeals to occult powers with the provisions of various charms,
amulets, etc. professedly designed to keep the applicant or patient from the
attention and power of devils, but actually to impress the applicant with the
mysterious resources and powers of the sorcerer.”
Simon practiced witchcraft to perfection. He had the entire city believing that he possessed divine power. They called him the Great Power. But, when he heard Philip preach Jesus Christ witnessed his miracles, Simon believed in the power of Jesus and was baptized.
But, Simon didn’t give up on his old ways in his heart. When he witnessed Peter and John lay hand on the new believers and they received the Holy Spirit, Simon offered Peter and John money for the power of the Holy Spirit. As stated above, sorcerers received their power from other sorcerers on a cash and carry basis.
Simon’s greed and impure motives excluded him from receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. However, God loved Simon enough to point out his heart condition and offer a remedy for it. Obviously, God’s plan of salvation cannot be bought or earned. It is a gift that we receive through repentance and trust in Jesus Christ.
After Peter’s rebuke, Simon pleaded with Peter to pray for him. Peter could only pray that Simon would repent. Just like the rest of us, Simon had to pray the sinner’s prayer of repentance for himself.
We do not know for sure if Simon repented. But, we do know that God desired a relationship with Simon just as He does with each of us. God is willing to forgive and accept anyone who repents and trusts in Jesus Christ.
The eunuch encountered by Philip was the treasurer for Candace queen of Ethiopia. Worshipping God became the eunuch’s mission and was the reason he had been to Jerusalem. Perhaps, while studying the book of Isaiah, he prayed for deeper understanding. Since he was in Jerusalem, he probably heard of all the events concerning Jesus Christ, the miracles performed by the apostles, and the persecution of the believers.
Whether the eunuch prayed or not, God knew the desires of his heart. In His infinite love and mercy, God sent Philip to reveal Jesus Christ to the eunuch. His social status, his race, nor his nationality mattered. God accepted the eunuch on the same terms that He accepted the apostles, the Jews, and the Samaritans – they desired to know the Truth, they believed the message of the gospel, and they placed their trust in Jesus Christ.
Conclusion and Challenge
Our occupation, social status, nationality, nor race matters to God. He desires to have us come to Him through Jesus Christ. If we earnestly seek Him, Jesus reveals Himself through Scripture and through the testimony of His servants as He did with the eunuch. When we falter, the Lord sends someone to show us our need of repentance as He did with Simon. As we mature in our faith, God enables us to witness effectively as He did in Philip’s ministry.
Prayer Requests:
Tammy, Melinda & Barry and family, Jenn, Jordan, Joey, Phyllis and husband, Barb, Aaron, J.J., Joyce, Donna, Jackie, Nora, Karen and Raph, Anna, Trinity, Roger, Ayden, Nick, Anita, Cassi our Monday Bible Study, special unspoken needs, and remember me, Brenda Hendricks.
Next Weeks Study: Read Acts 9:1-31. We will discuss Paul’s (alias Saul of Tarsus) conversion.
Invitation:
If you’d like to participate in our Monday Bible Study, please contact us with your comments, questions, and prayer requests or at twosmallfish@twosmallfish.org.
A
special reminder: to find out what other readers have to say check out the
comment page.
Special interests:
I have linked to a website called the Josh link. It focuses on Jewish Christians. It is a fabulous site. http://www.thejoshlink.com
Trinity has been on our prayer list for a while. She’s a beautiful three-year
with a rare blood disease. If you’d like more information about her, you can find a
link to her website on my link page. www.trinityewert.faithweb.com
May God grant you safety, reassurance of His love, and the revelation of Jesus Christ,
Brenda Hendricks.