The Blood of the Martyrs Is the Seed of the Church

In one paragraph

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. The chapter opens with Saul's approval of Stephen's death and...

Read together

1. Acts 8:1-25 the main passage being preached through the entire sermon
2. Acts 19 Paul finding a group in Ephesus baptized only with John's baptism, used to compare with the unusual Samaritan situation
3. Deuteronomy 18 the promise of a coming prophet like Moses, used to show Samaritans had some basis for receiving the gospel
4. Acts 5 God gave the Holy Spirit to all who were obedient to him, cited when discussing what receiving the Spirit looked like
5. Acts 15 Peter and John reporting back to the Jerusalem Council about the Holy Spirit coming on the Samaritans
6. 1 John 1:9 if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us, cited before the Lord's Supper

Talk about it

1. 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?
2. 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?
3. Peter told Simon to pray to God directly for forgiveness and would not even promise on God's behalf that He would forgive, saying only 'perhaps He will.' What does that tell us about Peter's view of God's authority over forgiveness, and how does that sit with you?
4. The pastor described the visit of Peter and John to Samaria as exceptional, tied to centuries of hostility between Jews and Samaritans, suggesting God was protecting the unity of His church from the very start. Where do you see similar cultural or historical walls threatening the unity of the church today, and what would it look like to cross them the way Peter and John did?
5. The sermon closed by connecting what happened in Samaria to our own examination before taking the Lord's Supper. Paul says we should examine ourselves before eating and drinking. What does honest self-examination before communion actually look like for you in practice?