The Blood of the Martyrs Is the Seed of the Church

August 4, 2013 · Acts

Series · Acts · Week 11 of 120

Scripture referenced 6 passages

The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.

Acts 8:1-25 the main passage being preached through the entire sermon

1 Saul was consenting to his death. A great persecution arose against the assembly which was in Jerusalem in that day. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.
2 Devout men buried Stephen, and lamented greatly over him.
3 But Saul ravaged the assembly, entering into every house, and dragged both men and women off to prison.
4 Therefore those who were scattered abroad went around preaching the word.
5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ.
6 The multitudes listened with one accord to the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard and saw the signs which he did.
7 For unclean spirits came out of many of those who had them. They came out, crying with a loud voice. Many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.
8 There was great joy in that city.
9 But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who used to practice sorcery in the city, and amazed the people of Samaria, making himself out to be some great one,
10 to whom they all listened, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is that great power of God.”
11 They listened to him, because for a long time he had amazed them with his sorceries.
12 But when they believed Philip preaching good news concerning God’s Kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 Simon himself also believed. Being baptized, he continued with Philip. Seeing signs and great miracles occurring, he was amazed.
14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,
15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit;
16 for as yet he had fallen on none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of Christ Jesus.
17 Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,
19 saying, “Give me also this power, that whomever I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart isn’t right before God.
22 Repent therefore of this, your wickedness, and ask God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.
23 For I see that you are in the poison of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
24 Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that none of the things which you have spoken happen to me.”
25 They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the Good News to many villages of the Samaritans.

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Acts 19

Paul finding a group in Ephesus baptized only with John's baptism, used to compare with the unusual Samaritan situation

1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples.

2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They said to him, “No, we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 He said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.”

4 Paul said, “John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.”

5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with other languages and prophesied.

7 They were about twelve men in all.

8 He entered into the synagogue, and spoke boldly for a period of three months, reasoning and persuading about the things concerning God’s Kingdom.

9 But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.

10 This continued for two years, so that all those who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

11 God worked special miracles by the hands of Paul,

12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out.

13 But some of the itinerant Jews, exorcists, took on themselves to invoke over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.”

14 There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did this.

15 The evil spirit answered, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?”

16 The man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

17 This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived at Ephesus. Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

18 Many also of those who had believed came, confessing, and declaring their deeds.

19 Many of those who practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. They counted their price, and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver.

20 So the word of the Lord was growing and becoming mighty.

21 Now after these things had ended, Paul determined in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”

22 Having sent into Macedonia two of those who served him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

23 About that time there arose no small stir concerning the Way.

24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen,

25 whom he gathered together, with the workmen of like occupation, and said, “Sirs, you know that by this business we have our wealth.

26 You see and hear, that not at Ephesus alone, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are no gods, that are made with hands.

27 Not only is there danger that this our trade come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be counted as nothing, and her majesty destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worships.”

28 When they heard this they were filled with anger, and cried out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

29 The whole city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel.

30 When Paul wanted to enter in to the people, the disciples didn’t allow him.

31 Certain also of the Asiarchs, being his friends, sent to him and begged him not to venture into the theater.

32 Some therefore cried one thing, and some another, for the assembly was in confusion. Most of them didn’t know why they had come together.

33 They brought Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. Alexander beckoned with his hand, and would have made a defense to the people.

34 But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice for a time of about two hours cried out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

35 When the town clerk had quieted the multitude, he said, “You men of Ephesus, what man is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great goddess Artemis, and of the image which fell down from Zeus?

36 Seeing then that these things can’t be denied, you ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rash.

37 For you have brought these men here, who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess.

38 If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a matter against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them press charges against one another.

39 But if you seek anything about other matters, it will be settled in the regular assembly.

40 For indeed we are in danger of being accused concerning today’s riot, there being no cause. Concerning it, we wouldn’t be able to give an account of this commotion.”

41 When he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.

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Deuteronomy 18

the promise of a coming prophet like Moses, used to show Samaritans had some basis for receiving the gospel

1 The priests the Levites, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion nor inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the offerings of Yahweh made by fire and his portion.

2 They shall have no inheritance among their brothers. Yahweh is their inheritance, as he has spoken to them.

3 This shall be the priests’ due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give to the priest the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the inner parts.

4 The first fruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.

5 For Yahweh your God has chosen him out of all your tribes, to stand to minister in Yahweh’s name, him and his sons for ever.

6 If a Levite comes from any of your gates out of all Israel, where he lives as a foreigner, and comes with all the desire of his soul to the place which Yahweh shall choose;

7 then he shall minister in the name of Yahweh his God, as all his brothers the Levites do, who stand there before Yahweh.

8 They shall have like portions to eat, in addition to that which comes from the sale of his family possessions.

9 When you have come into the land which Yahweh your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the abominations of those nations.

10 There shall not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices sorcery, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,

11 or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

12 For whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh. Because of these abominations, Yahweh your God drives them out from before you.

13 You shall be perfect with Yahweh your God.

14 For these nations that you shall dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery and to diviners; but as for you, Yahweh your God has not allowed you so to do.

15 Yahweh your God will raise up to you a prophet from among you, of your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him.

16 This is according to all that you desired of Yahweh your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, “Let me not hear again Yahweh my God’s voice, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I not die.”

17 Yahweh said to me, “They have well said that which they have spoken.

18 I will raise them up a prophet from among their brothers, like you. I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him.

19 It shall happen, that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

20 But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.”

21 You may say in your heart, “How shall we know the word which Yahweh has not spoken?”

22 When a prophet speaks in Yahweh’s name, if the thing doesn’t follow, nor happen, that is the thing which Yahweh has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You shall not be afraid of him.

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Acts 5

God gave the Holy Spirit to all who were obedient to him, cited when discussing what receiving the Spirit looked like

1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira, his wife, sold a possession,

2 and kept back part of the price, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

4 While you kept it, didn’t it remain your own? After it was sold, wasn’t it in your power? How is it that you have conceived this thing in your heart? You haven’t lied to men, but to God.”

5 Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and died. Great fear came on all who heard these things.

6 The young men arose and wrapped him up, and they carried him out and buried him.

7 About three hours later, his wife, not knowing what had happened, came in.

8 Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” She said, “Yes, for so much.”

9 But Peter asked her, “How is it that you have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

10 She fell down immediately at his feet, and died. The young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her by her husband.

11 Great fear came on the whole assembly, and on all who heard these things.

12 By the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. They were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch.

13 None of the rest dared to join them, however the people honored them.

14 More believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.

15 They even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mattresses, so that as Peter came by, at the least his shadow might overshadow some of them.

16 The multitude also came together from the cities around Jerusalem, bringing sick people, and those who were tormented by unclean spirits: and they were all healed.

17 But the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy,

18 and laid hands on the apostles, and put them in public custody.

19 But an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors by night, and brought them out, and said,

20 “Go stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.”

21 When they heard this, they entered into the temple about daybreak, and taught. But the high priest came, and those who were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

22 But the officers who came didn’t find them in the prison. They returned and reported,

23 “We found the prison shut and locked, and the guards standing before the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside!”

24 Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these words, they were very perplexed about them and what might become of this.

25 One came and told them, “Behold, the men whom you put in prison are in the temple, standing and teaching the people.”

26 Then the captain went with the officers, and brought them without violence, for they were afraid that the people might stone them.

27 When they had brought them, they set them before the council. The high priest questioned them,

28 saying, “Didn’t we strictly command you not to teach in this name? Behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man’s blood on us.”

29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed, hanging him on a tree.

31 God exalted him with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins.

32 We are His witnesses of these things; and so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

33 But they, when they heard this, were cut to the heart, and were determined to kill them.

34 But one stood up in the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, honored by all the people, and commanded to put the apostles out for a little while.

35 He said to them, “You men of Israel, be careful concerning these men, what you are about to do.

36 For before these days Theudas rose up, making himself out to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were dispersed, and came to nothing.

37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the enrollment, and drew away some people after him. He also perished, and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered abroad.

38 Now I tell you, withdraw from these men, and leave them alone. For if this counsel or this work is of men, it will be overthrown.

39 But if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow it, and you would be found even to be fighting against God!”

40 They agreed with him. Summoning the apostles, they beat them and commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

41 They therefore departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for Jesus’ name.

42 Every day, in the temple and at home, they never stopped teaching and preaching Jesus, the Christ.

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Acts 15

Peter and John reporting back to the Jerusalem Council about the Holy Spirit coming on the Samaritans

1 Some men came down from Judea and taught the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised after the custom of Moses, you can’t be saved.”

2 Therefore when Paul and Barnabas had no small discord and discussion with them, they appointed Paul and Barnabas, and some others of them, to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question.

3 They, being sent on their way by the assembly, passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles. They caused great joy to all the brothers.

4 When they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the assembly and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all things that God had done with them.

5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to see about this matter.

7 When there had been much discussion, Peter rose up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that a good while ago God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the nations should hear the word of the Good News, and believe.

8 God, who knows the heart, testified about them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just like he did to us.

9 He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.

10 Now therefore why do you tempt God, that you should put a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

11 But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are.”

12 All the multitude kept silence, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul reporting what signs and wonders God had done among the nations through them.

13 After they were silent, James answered, “Brothers, listen to me.

14 Simeon has reported how God first visited the nations, to take out of them a people for his name.

15 This agrees with the words of the prophets. As it is written,

16 ‘After these things I will return. I will again build the tabernacle of David, which has fallen. I will again build its ruins. I will set it up,

17 That the rest of men may seek after the Lord; all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who does all these things.

18 All of God’s works are known to him from eternity.’

19 “Therefore my judgment is that we don’t trouble those from among the Gentiles who turn to God,

20 but that we write to them that they abstain from the pollution of idols, from sexual immorality, from what is strangled, and from blood.

21 For Moses from generations of old has in every city those who preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole assembly, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brothers.

23 They wrote these things by their hand: “The apostles, the elders, and the brothers, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: greetings.

24 Because we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, ‘You must be circumcised and keep the law,’ to whom we gave no commandment;

25 it seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves will also tell you the same things by word of mouth.

28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay no greater burden on you than these necessary things:

29 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality, from which if you keep yourselves, it will be well with you. Farewell.”

30 So, when they were sent off, they came to Antioch. Having gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter.

31 When they had read it, they rejoiced over the encouragement.

32 Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged the brothers with many words, and strengthened them.

33 After they had spent some time there, they were sent back with greetings from the brothers to the apostles.

35 But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

36 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s return now and visit our brothers in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, to see how they are doing.”

37 Barnabas planned to take John, who was called Mark, with them also.

38 But Paul didn’t think that it was a good idea to take with them someone who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia, and didn’t go with them to do the work.

39 Then the contention grew so sharp that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him, and sailed away to Cyprus,

40 but Paul chose Silas, and went out, being commended by the brothers to the grace of God.

41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the assemblies.

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1 John 1:9

if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us, cited before the Lord's Supper

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

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Recap

The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.

Acts 8 brought the story of the gospel crossing into Samaria, a region with centuries of tension with the Jews. Pastor James worked through the passage in full before drawing out three things happening at once: a genuine awakening, an unusual visit from Peter and John, and the exposure of a man whose heart was never in the right place.

What was said

The chapter opens with Saul's approval of Stephen's death and the persecution that followed. Rather than destroying the church, that persecution scattered believers the way a farmer scatters seed, planting them in new soil. The Greek word Luke chose is the word for purposeful sowing, not random dispersal. God had already been preparing that soil, particularly in Samaria, where people had held to the books of Moses for over a thousand years and were watching for a coming prophet.

Philip went to Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah. The crowds leaned in and listened, and miraculous signs followed. Those signs, Pastor James noted, were not the point in themselves. A sign points to something beyond itself, the way a parent points at a hummingbird for a child. The child who stares at the finger misses the bird entirely. The signs were authenticating Philip's message about Jesus Christ.

Simon had been the famous wonder-worker in that city for years. People called him the great one, the power of God. When the gospel came, many believed and were baptized, and Simon believed and was baptized too. But his attention stayed fixed on the signs. He followed Philip around the way a puppy follows someone, not out of faith in Christ but out of fascination with what Philip could do.

When Peter and John arrived from Jerusalem and the Samaritan believers received the Holy Spirit, Simon offered money to buy the ability to pass the Spirit on through his hands. Peter's answer was sharp. The JB Phillips translation, Pastor James said, renders it plainly: "To hell with you," because the gift of God cannot be purchased. Peter told Simon to repent and pray, but could not promise forgiveness on God's behalf. That, he said, belongs to God alone.

The visit of Peter and John was the unusual center of the passage. Nowhere else in Acts does Jerusalem dispatch apostles to verify a report of people receiving the gospel. Pastor James read this as an exceptional moment tied to a specific danger: that a Hebrew Jewish church in Jerusalem and a Samaritan church could grow apart and become two divided bodies, given the long hostility between those peoples. God, he argued, was guarding the unity of His church. Peter and John had seen the Holy Spirit come at Pentecost and they knew what it looked like. Seeing it happen the same way in Samaria was the evidence that there was one church, not two.

The passage closes with Peter and John stopping in Samaritan villages on their way back to Jerusalem to preach. For Hebraic Jews to do that, after what they had just witnessed, said something. The word goes with the people who carry it. God's word either drives a person toward obedience or exposes what is in their heart, and in Simon Magus it exposed bitterness, jealousy, and a desire to use God's power for his own greatness. The same awakening that brought genuine faith to Samaria brought Simon's heart into the light.

Doing a Bible study?

Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.

The pastor said the word translated 'scattered' in this passage carries the picture of a farmer scattering seed, not simply dispersing a crowd. How does that image change the way you think about hard or disruptive seasons in your own life or in the life of a church?
Simon had watched Philip long enough to say he believed and be baptized, yet Peter could see that his heart was still full of bitter jealousy. What does this passage suggest about the difference between being drawn to the power or results of the gospel and actually trusting in Jesus himself?

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0:05 We're up to Acts eight. Acts eight one through 25 in our study of Acts and I've heard a lot of different ministries in the time This is a very, very rich book. There's a lot here. There's a lot in every verse it seems. So we've been going and plotting through but if you will think back to where we were the last time that we were in this study two weeks ago we had Kelly and Charice Smith here last week we were at the very close of Act seven and that's where Stephen is murdered.

0:56 One of the, it's a phrase that comes up again and again in study, I think it's Eurenais, I'm not positive, could have been fulfilling, think it's Eurenais. He said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. We'll see that today in this passage how that goes. The I wanna clear something up though.

1:24 The blood of the martyrs being the seed of the church. Jesus did not die as a martyr. Jesus died as a savior, as their When we go in to Acts one through eight one through 25 verse one introduces us to a guy that we'll start to see very often in this book but it's just our introduction. Acts one says Saul first word Solace Saul later to become Paul, Saul was one of the witnesses and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. When I said that about Henry senior, he was a rough character, but he did see a light.

2:24 Praise God. It's the same light Saul would see to become Paul. He's still active. He's still at work. God still does this.

2:33 Saul was one of the witnesses and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem, and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. Now some devout man came and buried Stephen with great mourning. This verse, I say every verse has something in it. That we would just go over.

3:01 Oh, they have a funeral procedure. Big deal. No. Stephen was killed. He was killed for believing what he believed, for proclaiming what he did to mourn the death of blasphemer.

3:28 Stephen was not a blasphemer. Stephen knew the truth. Luke recounts it that some devout man, those godfears, didn't follow the law on that point because they knew he was not a blasphemer. He was proclaiming the very truth of God as he would do up to the very instant of his death when he saw Jesus standing up welcoming him. Amen.

3:51 So, something about me and him buried Steven with great mourning. I'm just getting through the introduction before I get to the actual sermon, but Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison. So this is just setting the scene. What it does, it introduces us to Saul who will later become Paul and features so heavily in the book of Acts toward him especially on his missionary journeys.

4:17 So we're introduced to Saul. Next thing is we know what Saul is about the business of doing. Now he will repeat his conversion story two other times, the time beside the time that Luke held it. Paul will repeat it a couple other times in the book of Acts. So we're gonna hear this a few times.

4:33 Saul is about what? The business of destroying the church. The the action verb there is a present tense verb in Greek which means this is a continual action. He lives for this. That's what he's always doing, to destroy the church.

4:49 But Jesus said, I will build my church. Now who's gonna destroy that? Right. We also see in this that persecution scatters the believers. Now the scattering that came up in that last verse is gonna come up again in the next verse.

5:05 But the believers who were scattered preach the good news about Jesus wherever they went. Scattered. There are two different words in Greek for it. One of them is to scatter, like we would say, scatter someone's ashes. We do not expect goes out all over the whole house.

5:36 Scatter that. It's not to be recollected. Scattering just dispersed. That's not the term here. The term here is scattering just as someone would scatter seed and a solar went forth to scatter family.

5:51 To scatter the seed. Now that's important because they were being planted to places they were being scattered. That make sense? God had been cultivating the soil. Think about Jesus and a woman who left.

6:03 Where were they? Samaria. Who was Samaritan? He was covering some ground there. He was setting in motion the plow, if you will, cultivation.

6:15 He was starting the process. Now the process had been going back for Samaritan in a long, long time. Thousand over a thousand years as a matter of fact. They believed in the Pentateuch, they believed in the first five books of the Bible. The prophets and everybody else were the ones who really got into mixing racism and mixed worship and all that sort of stuff, but they held to Samaritan held to a version of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible is Moses.

6:44 So they had some basis. They're kind of an intermediary step though between the Jews of Jerusalem and the Gentiles of the the pagan Gentiles out of the world. They had some hint about the gospel because they did have the word of Moses. They did have Deuteronomy 18 that says, to be looking for one like me, a prophet that would come like me, to have the Hebrew word. The prophet, deliverer, redeemer, the one who would come, who will be raised up from among all people like me and that's what Jesus and the woman of oil was talking about when she said, I sense that you are a prophet.

7:21 Okay? So they have some basis, some background. The believers who were scattered preached the good news about Jesus everywhere they went and I bring that all up about Samaria because Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and he told the people there about the Messiah. This is it's nonspecific in this I mean, it's specific in this version right here, went to the city of Samaria, probably the capital city of Samaria, although Samaria is a general term that didn't have real strict boundaries. It's probably the city of Samaria and he told the people there about the Messiah.

7:58 Proud to listen intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message. It tweaked their interest. Philip and Stephen served together on the speaking board. We've been talking about that. They served together in ministering to the needs of the poor and then when they're scattered, Philip, I'm sure had absorbed a lot from Stephen, from the apostles and he was proclaiming the message of the Christ, the Messiah.

8:23 It was peaking their interest. He had their ear. They were leaning forward listening to what he had to say, and we'll see why that is in a few minutes. They were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs that he did. I have that in orange.

8:36 Signs Signs is very particular. We'll see it several times here. Many evil spirits were cast out screaming as they left their victims, and many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city. What was happening here?

8:57 What do you think was happening here? It was a great lame. I recall it a revival, but it's hard to call something a revival if they've never had the Holy Spirit in the first place, if they never had the Gospel in the first place but they didn't have something to look forward to. I mentioned that part about what they had, the prophet that they're looking for and they were eagerly expecting it and they didn't like the division that they had between the Jews and Samaritans. The Samaritans and the Jews American deal were considered to be inferior because they had set up a different temple.

9:29 Not the one in Jerusalem. They set up a different temple, a place to worship God, the God they considered to be the same God. That's God on Mount Gerizim. That was what the woman at the well meant when she was speaking to Jesus and he he said he asked her about her personal life and she said, so which one is God? The temple at Gerizim and the temple in Jerusalem.

9:51 She wanted to switch to a religious conversation. This great awakening, they were looking forward to something, and it was happening. It was happening when Philip started proclaiming the gospel of Jesus' life, sacrificial death, and freedom from sin and the consequences. And it was happening in Samaria. So revival happens.

10:18 That sounds great. Let's read on. Let's keep on going on. But revival is happening in Samaria. People are taking to the word, and we'll see that in a couple more verses, but we read on.

10:28 A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years. So he had been a sorcerer in the city of Samaria for many years. It says sorcerer. It doesn't say magician. It doesn't say charlatan.

10:40 It doesn't say huckster. Trickster. It says a sorcerer. He was dealing in the dark arts. He was dealing in other spirits.

10:50 He had been a sorcerer there for many years, and he amazing the people of Samaria and claiming to be someone great. Everyone from the least to the greatest often spoke with him as the great one, the power of God. In fact, this guy in church history has often and almost always referred to Simon Magus. Simon Magus, m a g u s, meaning Simon the great. It's kind of like, most of magnificent or Chris Angel Mindfreak.

11:20 You know what I mean? It's one of those kind of a known it's a it's a name that magicians give themselves to appear to be greater than they are. He was amazing the people, the great one, the power of God. They listen closely to him. This is the people of Samaria before and listen closely to him because for a long time he had astounded, it's the same word for amazed that I aren't there.

11:46 Astounded and amazed him with his magic. But now the people believe Philip's message and what was Philip's message he tells us? Of good news concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. He was specific about it. It.

12:02 It was not just some general good news. It was not universal that all Jews and Samaritans would be free and they would all get to spend time sky high and sky It wasn't that. It was specific. It was news concerning the kingdom of God and how that kingdom was advanced and and the name of Jesus Christ. And as a result, many men and women were baptized.

12:22 So what was happening? Like I said a minute ago, Samaria was experiencing a great awakening or you might call it a revival. Then Simon himself believed, it's a tricky verse. Simon himself believed and was sabotaged, but if you keep looking at what he's believing in, I think we can find the key to this tricky verse. He began following Philip wherever he went and the bird there is kind of like a puppy would follow somebody around him.

12:48 Hey, Spike. You know that that convert that cartoon, the way that I have a little kid, the little puppy that's jumping around. Hi. Hi. I'll do it.

12:54 Hi. Let me do this. He began following Philip around wherever he went. He recognized the power that Philip had was greater than the power that he had been using and accessing and because of that he wanted that that Philip had and he was amazed. So the guy who was amazing and astounding people was himself amazed by what?

13:16 By the signs and great miracles that Philip performed. Just a word on the sign. This is this illustration I've heard from a couple of different places but this is a great one for me it clears things up. If you have like a one year old baby sitting on your lap and you see a hummingbird outside and you think oh, I want this baby. That'd be thrilling for a one year old.

13:39 I've never seen a hummingbird before. What do you do? You point to the hummingbird outside the window and what does the baby do? They look at your hand and then they start trying to figure out how you're doing that or they look back at your hand they try to touch it or they try to slap, they look at the sign, they're amazed by it, they're astounded by it and they're like wow they can bend their fingers at will and it looks like that. I wonder if I can do that.

14:06 That's what they're looking for, it's a sign, but they miss the hummingbird. They miss what you're pointing to because a sign points to something. Her construction sign, real time for the people pay attention to overnight. They they do point to something. Right?

14:22 There's a reason they're there. Well, Philip's sign were pointing towards Jesus Christ. They were authenticating the miracles. The miracles were authenticating the message. So that's the word about signs.

14:36 When apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted God's message, apparently, they had sent a runner back to say, hey, they accepted the message. They sent Peter and John there. Now, this is unusual and we'll come back to multiple times, but it's not every day that somebody sends to Jerusalem says, hey, send a couple of guys out here and check this. You can't do that with the gospel. We don't have, you know, fact checkers that run around and say, oh, yes, this person has been saved and and they seal that deal.

15:07 No. That's not the way that the gospel advances. It's not the way that we'll see it advance and act. It's not the way that we have seen it advance and act. But this is an unusual situation.

15:17 As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon them in any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Again, this is very unusual. This is the only time in scripture that we see this happening this way. Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers and they received the Holy Spirit.

15:42 Now, I'll I'll stop right right here here and and mention mention this. This. I I wanna wanna read the whole passage and then come back and do a quick synopsis with some application at the end. But they're receiving the gospel but not yet having received the Holy Spirit is unusual. This is the only place in the book of acts that we see it.

15:59 We do see later in the book of acts in acts 19 I think is Paul finds a group of people in Ephesus who had been baptized with John the Baptist's baptism. And when they're baptized with John the Baptist's baptism, they just were baptized for the repentance of sins. They didn't know anything about Jesus or the Holy Spirit necessarily. They were kind of far flung from the action of Jesus's life. So Paul prays that they would be baptized in the name of Jesus and they receive the Holy Spirit at that point.

16:30 So, there is one other thing where people might say that but that's not that's not normally the case. They did not know about Jesus. When Paul brought that on, they received Jesus and the Holy Spirit at the same time. So anyway because it's here it's been taken in two various ways. Some people take this two stage reception as normative and those people typically fall on the the Pentecostal side or Catholic even some of the physical side.

16:59 We'll take it as a two stage blessing where you can receive the truth about Christ but not yet receive the spirit and then the Pentecostals would say you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and a lot of them would say as evidenced by student income, not all but some would say that. And then others would say, the Catholic church would say we are authenticating the fact that you believe the gospel and we are inferring upon you the Holy Spirit. I don't try to misrepresent either side but that's the basic way that that goes. So two stages is normative typically is a Pentecostal or charismatic position or a Catholic position which don't often agree on much. So that's two stages.

17:42 The other is they take these two stages as exceptional. I actually take it as an exceptional thing with an humble stance before God on this because he can do whatever he wants to. I'm not gonna twist his arm into doing it the way I want him to do it. I believe though that it's exceptional. I think there's a cultural reason for that and we'll come back to that at the end or later.

18:02 So when Simon saw that the spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, offered them money to buy this power. You know, in the Catholic church and in the sense, anybody who seeks to buy ecclesiastical favor, whether it be office in the church or whether they seek to buy themselves into heaven. You know what that sin is called? Simon. Simon.

18:29 It's named after this guy because when Simon saw that the spirit was given when the apostles laid their hand on people, he offered them money to buy this power. That's the sin of Simon. Named after you. Wouldn't you hate to have a sin named after you? That's just awful.

18:44 Let me have this power too. He explained so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit. He wanted it on his terms. But Peter replied, may your money be destroyed with you for thinking God's gift can be bought. If you'll excuse me one moment on this point, the JB Phillips version translates this verse pretty accurately actually as to hell with you, Andrew.

19:12 That's that's JB Phillips version of this because he said, the gift of God cannot be bought and shame on you for thinking so. You can't have no part in this or you have no part whatsoever in this for your heart is not right of God. Repent of this wickedness your wisdom and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts. Peter would not even presume to say whether God would or would not because he knew it's up to God to forgive sins and unless God forgives sins, they are not forgiven.

19:41 Does that make sense? Peter could not forgive that man's sin. He knew it was up to God alone. For I can see that you're full of bitter jealousy and that you are held captive by sin. He might not have been able to see much, but he could see that.

19:56 Pray to the Lord for me, Simon explained, that these terrible things you said won't happen to me. Alright. And then the closing verse, this one's the one in your bulletin. I love this verse. It's one of those summary statements.

20:09 Luke goes along and he makes summary statements from time to time. And after testifying the preaching word of the Lord Samaritan, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem and they stopped in many Samaritan villages along the way to preach good news. This is what these people did. That's what they did wherever they went. The gospel goes forth with you.

20:28 If you're a Christian and you are open to God, he will give you opportunity to spread, to scatter that city. He'll do it wherever you are. I love that. They stopped in many Samaritan villages because think about them. They weren't Greek speaking Hellenistic Jews like Philip.

20:45 They were Hebraic Jews. Hebrews stopping in Samaria because why? Because they had just seen the Holy Spirit given to Samaritans. That's a great thing and that's the cultural crux that I think that this falls on. So there are three simultaneous spiritual plot points that are happening in this story.

21:04 I wanted to read the whole thing with a little introduction here and there so that you'd be thinking about these things. All of these are happening at the same time. It's hard to preach this sequentially because you run into Simon and then it goes to people believing and you run into Simon again. So it's hard to preach it in sequence. But these three are all happening at the same time.

21:22 There is a great awakening of Samaria. I've already said that. Philip proclaims the good news. Every great wakening and every revival is about the gospel. Period.

21:33 It's not about where you set up at the tent, how you invite the people, it's about the gospel. It is the good news that Jesus Christ came, lived a perfect life, died a perfect death, and was raised again. And he offers that freely to those who will believe and trust in him. Philip proclaims the good news of the gospel. Good news, gospel, same thing.

21:56 The crowds listen intently. It doesn't matter how hard you're preaching if nobody's listening. When people are listening and the word is being preached, God will work. Period. He always does.

22:08 That's the way that he does it. So the crowd listening intently to the good news reading proclaimed, this is what we can give credit for to God for the great awakening Samaria. I mentioned in the first service that I'm from Georgia and I mentioned it again before I started singing. In Georgia, we schedule revivals. We schedule usually every August.

22:28 It's normal. We schedule a revival. It's a normal thing to do this and at different points in the century we've seen revivalism come up. There are in fact revivals going on in the world that are true revivals and then there are others that are tent meetings that are still going. They just keep going.

22:44 I don't wanna thank God there either. He can work in that as long as his word is being proclaimed and the crowd is listening. God can and does revive. Miraculous signs authenticated this message and I think if we look at this culturally, we'll get into that in in just a minute. But the miraculous signs authenticated the message.

23:04 What had they been looking to before that? They had been looking to sign up. He was the famous one around there. He was the one that had been doing miraculous wonders and he was taking all the credit for himself and making himself great. But when Philip came along and was doing these, he was doing them in the name of Jesus.

23:22 There's a difference there. So the people believed and they were baptized. So the second thing. So the first one is there is revival going on. Second is the unusual visit of Peter and John.

23:37 I've already kind of alluded to it but I won't go through it. It is unusual. We don't see this anywhere else. Now I've I've got notes about half an inch pickup here on different places where we do see things happening in the book of Acts. It is always experiential.

23:52 There's always a way that when the Holy Spirit comes it is an experiential thing. It manifests itself when Paul later on would ask in '19, did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed with those guys I was mentioning a little while ago that had John's baptism, they were baptized for the repentance of sins? He asked and flat out, did you receive the spirit? It's something that you will know. We don't see this type of visit anywhere else.

24:19 It is unusual. Was it prompted by the unusual circumstances? I believe that it was. I I take it as an exceptional instance, not a something we should see as normative. And considering the history between the Jews and Samaritans, there was a great possibility at this point of having a bred Jewish Christian church that's growing in Jerusalem and wherever they spread the gospel, but also having a Hellenistic Samaritan Christian church that looks to Jesus for their salvation but won't have anything to do with those Hebrewic Jews because of their past history.

24:55 So a divided church. What does Paul say later after he's not Saul anymore? He says there's one that doesn't one spirit, one church. And so it's worth it. God is overcoming cultural boundaries and he's bringing us together.

25:10 So considering the history, I think that God was protecting his church. You will be my witnesses, Jesus said. In Jerusalem, Judea, Jerusalem's in Judea by the way, Samaria and the uttermost parts. You will be, Jesus has said. So they knew what receiving the Holy Spirit looked like.

25:28 Peter and John both knew what it would look like. A noticeable change would take place. Sometimes in the book of Acts we see it with the speed of tongues, not every time. Sometimes we see it as great let me look at this notes for just a second. Sometimes there's a speaking in tongues like in chapter one and two.

25:49 In Samaria, we know that Simon saw later on. He saw and was amazed by this and wanted the power to make it happen. So, it was evident to him looking from the outside. In Caesarea in the house of Cornelius in a couple of chapters, there was speaking in tongues and there was praising God. Anytime though that they're speaking in tongues, it is so that someone will understand.

26:09 God's not the author of confusion. He is doing it so that people will understand in their own language. At Paul's conversion, there's an extraordinary boldness and an empowering witness. And in Acts five, it says, God gave the Holy Spirit to all of those who were obedient to him. So there's something that is a change because as normal human beings, are not obedient to the will of God or to his direction or to his demands.

26:36 So they knew what receiving the Holy Spirit looked like, that's John and Peter, a noticeable change would take place. Now the third thing is Simon Magus' heart, it's the exposure And I think I can say this with certainty that anytime that there's a time of great revival, it's gonna be because people are hanging on the every word of God. They're hanging on his word and hanging on the proclamation of his word and it's convicting them of sin and of righteousness and of good works and they go forth. God is working because he's working through his word. His word is a two headed sword, but either it's gonna drive you into obedience or it's gonna expose your sin.

27:22 Simon Magus was looking at the hand, not at the hummingbird. He was looking at the signs and he was putting his faith in that, hey, if I can just figure out how to do that and imagine how much money, imagine how great I could be. He was looking at the signs not on the earth. He wanted the power for himself. Peter tells us that his heart, Simon's heart, was bitter and jealous Even in the face of God's glorious gospel.

27:50 And Peter tells him to repent of this wickedness. Repent of the wickedness and turn to God. And he says it directly, pray yourself to God. Repent of your sin. Pray to God that he may it's one of those subjunctive terms again, that he may forgive, perhaps he will forgive because Simon, Peter, sorry, Peter, not even wanting to take upon God to say the prerogative of God and say he will.

28:20 No. He knows your heart. I don't know your heart. I can see your ability to bitterness, jealousy, probably even rage, but we do see that Simon would not even face up to God. He says, you pray this for me.

28:37 I'm not gonna admit this to God. I can't go to him. He tries to go to Peter and say, you do this. But Peter's telling him there is no intermediary. Jesus is the only way.

28:49 The great news of the gospel, and you heard it and you know it, and you say that you believe it. If you believe in Jesus, you can pray directly to God, and he will forgive you of your sin. I think that's getting us to the Lord's supper. As we come to this time, I'll ask Scott and the man if y'all would come back up. This is kind of a it's kind of an invitation, but it's really an invitation to to experience the Lord's supper here among the body of Christ, a fellowship of believers.

29:27 I want you to look back at those points and think what was happening in Samaria? Why was there a Bible? Well, God's word was being proclaimed that people were listening and they were being obedient. That was happening. I want you to think about the how much God cares about his church and unity among believers that he would have these guys.

29:47 Later on in Acts 15 they report back to the Jerusalem Council and said no, we saw it happen, we saw God receive the Holy Spirit come down exactly like you did with us. We know that this is true and good and there's one church and then consider your own way. Paul tells us about taking the supper, the Lord's supper unworthily And when he does, he says that we should examine ourselves before eating of the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread and drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you're eating and drinking God's judgment upon yourself. So I am gonna give you a chance right now.

30:30 I'm gonna sing. God's gonna play. The band's gonna play. If y'all know the song and would like to sing along, I think it's almost last time, Cleanse Me. The first verse is about cleansing and we're gonna pray through that verse that God will cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

30:44 Whatever it is, he says that if we will confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. So we have that promise. John one nine. During the second verse we're going to distribute the bread so if I can get the front line team or the elders up front to distribute the bread and the cup during the first verse we're going to distribute the cup and when they come back up we're going to take that together. The third verse will distribute the wine and then we'll take that in between and then we'll all stand saying the last verse together.

31:15 So cleanse me. And after giving thanks to God for it, Jesus broke the pieces and said, this is my body which is given for you. Do this to remember me. Lord God, thank you for sending Jesus. Jesus, thank you for coming And thank you for endowing us with your Holy Spirit, Lord.

36:46 I pray that you would be with us as we remember you. I ask you also to bless this cup. Amen. In the same way, took the cup of wine after supper saying, this cup is a new covenant between God and his people, an agreement that's confirmed in my blood. Do this each time that you do as often as you drink of the remembrance of me.

40:56 Paul goes on to say that for every time that we eat this bread and drink this cup, we're announcing the Lord's death until he comes and that is the truth, his death but also his resurrection. Would you stand with me as we sing the fourth verse of this song? Just pay attention to these words that went so well with the sermon today.

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Church Unity Holy Spirit Baptism Persecution And Church Growth Samaria Revival Saul To Paul Simon Magus

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