Acts: The Expansion of the Church
Session 4
Estimated reading time: 27 minutes
Life Led by the Spirit
In this section of Acts, we will be discussing “Life Led by the Spirit;” it is going to be about Philip the Evangelist. We will be looking at Acts chapter 8. However, I want to open in Acts 21, because this is the record that actually calls Philip an evangelist. We are meeting him at the last time he is mentioned in the Book of Acts, in Acts chapter 21, beginning in verse 8:
Acts 21: 8 APNT
And on the next day we left and came to Caesarea. (Paul and company are going to Jerusalem and they go to Caesarea.) And we entered [and] lodged in the house of Philip the evangelist, (This is why we know he was an evangelist) who was [one] of the seven.
He was also one of the seven deacons that we spoke about in the previous chapter, “Who Are the Deacons?” He was one of the seven along with Stephen and the rest of the men who were appointed with them. We see him very early in the church and then he reemerges again at the end. Approximately 57 AD is when he is in this record in the Book of Acts. At this point in time, Paul is coming to Jerusalem. Continuing in verse 9: “And he had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.” Obviously, he got married and had daughters who were not yet unmarried; so they were young. If we backtrack to where we left off in Acts chapter 8, which takes place anywhere from 34 to 37 AD. We have a 20 year span between the time Philip is first mentioned and when he then shows up again living in Caesarea at the end of the book of Acts, which is about 20 plus years span of time. At this point in time he has four virgin daughters. We will now find out what he actually did in Acts chapter 8. We will begin in verse 1.
Acts 8:1 APNT
And Saul was consenting and participating in his murder. (Talking about Stephen) And there was in that day a great persecution of the church that was in Jerusalem. And all were scattered into the villages of Judea and also among the Samaritans, except for the apostles only.
Once Saul became really determined to persecute the believers in the church, they then spread out, and began traveling to other villages in Judea and also among the Samaritans.
Acts 8:2-4 APNT
And faithful men gathered up [and] buried Stephen and they mourned over him greatly.
And Saul was persecuting the church of God. Entering into houses and dragging away men and women and delivering them to prison.
And those who were scattered traveled around and preached the word of God.
The persecution in a way backfired, because instead of staying in their nice little houses in Jerusalem, they began going to all the nearby villages and even into Samaria. Now we meet Philip. We continue in verse 5.
Acts 8:5 APNT
Now Philip went down to a city of the Samaritans and was preaching to them about Christ.
If you look on a map you can see that Samaria is actually above Jerusalem, but it says that Philip went down. The reason it says he went down is because Jerusalem is on top of a mountain. In order to go anywhere from Jerusalem you would need to go down. Even if you go south you go down, and if you go north you go down also. He went down to a city of Samaria. It does not say which city it is. It also says the main thing he was preaching to them was regarding Christ, about the Messiah. That is what an evangelist means: “preacher, a preacher of the good news:” a preacher of the good news that Jesus Christ came and made salvation available to all. Evangelists preach about many other wonderful things, however, primarily they preach about Christ. That is really what makes the difference. We will see what happens here.
Acts 8:6-8 APNT
And when they heard his word, the men who were there listened to him and were persuaded by all that he said, because they saw the signs that he did.
For many, who were possessed with unclean spirits, cried out with a loud voice, and they came out of them, and others, paralytics and lame, were healed.
And there was great joy in that city.
When people started getting born again and witnessing miracles and being healed, there was a huge upsurge of joy in the city. It reminded me of an incident that happened to me when I was in Romania quite a long time ago. We went out street witnessing with a pastor and his family. He had several young sons. The sons were preaching, playing music, and we were mingling in the crowd. All of a sudden it became very apparent that there were a lot of children who were cross-eyed. There was at least a dozen children who were cross-eyed. Once we saw this, we started ministering. There were not even enough interpreters to interpret in Romanian. So we simply started ministering to these children in English. There was also another little baby who I was told had been crying for six weeks straight. I was inspired to pray for her and laid hands on her and started talking in English; whatever God said to say. Suddenly ALL these children started being healed; and naturally, the parents were absolutely ecstatic. They were so excited. They were jabbering in Romanian; ‘We want to know more. What are you doing? Who is this about? How did this happen?’
Then we found out there was a woman on the edge of the crowd who became extremely agitated. She was screaming and yelling. Finally some people went over to talk to her and discovered that she was a witch in this little community, and she had cast a spell on these children. That is why they were cross-eyed. She was angry, really, really angry that her power and authority was being threatened by us coming in there and preaching the good news, but the people were filled with great joy. As a result, they started participating in many different things that were in Bucharest during that time. I know the word continued there because there was such great joy. They realized the control this woman had on them was demonic.
This reminded me of what happened to Philip. He meets a man; his name is Simon. We call him Simon the Sorcerer, which means he is basically a male witch. We meet him in verse 9.
Acts 8:9 APNT
And there was there a certain man whose name was Simon. And he had lived in that city a long time. And he was seducing the nation of the Samaritans with his sorceries, magnifying himself and saying, “I am a great [man].” (or ‘I am the great power of God.’)
He was using sorceries. We call him Simon Magus because of what the sorceries were, he was called a magician or a magi; just like the magi that brought gifts to the child Jesus. They were from Persia and were followers of a man named Zoroaster. Not all of them were evil. However, there were many who used astronomy and science; and they used their knowledge to go into some of the black arts like necromancy or raising the dead; purporting to communicate with the dead, soothsaying, and astrology and other types of sorcery or black magic. They were also using divination to control people. That is what this man, Simon, was doing. He was using his knowledge by trickery, by magic, by sleight of hand, or simply by illusion. He was controlling the people demonically, which is very similar to the incident I previously described. When the people started getting free from it, they stopped magnifying him and saying, ‘He is not really a god! Look at what was happening. These people were being healed instead of being sick.’ Eventually, Simon himself got involved with this because it was really affecting his livelihood, especially his pocket money.
Acts 8:10 APNT
And all of them were praying to him, (This is what the APNT says. They were praying to him. They were going to him.) great and small, and were saying, “This is the mighty power of God.”
The Samaritans were interesting because they were actually originally from Babylonia and Assyria, and had come to populate the area of the ten tribes when the ten tribes were taken into captivity. As a result, they brought all their gods with them from Babylon and from Assyria. However, once they got to the land of Samaria, they realized that the Lord Jehovah, God that was there was to be reckoned with. Therefore they adopted the Jewish religion, but they kept a lot of their own gods too. This is why the Judeans really hated the Samaritans, because were like a hybrid because they blended the idolatry from Babylonia and Assyria with the Jewish religion. They had a temple where they worshipped the true God, but they also worshipped all their other gods as well. Simon had come from that area and brought with him all his gods, and he mixed it in with the Jewish religion.
The Jewish religion believed that the Messiah was coming. As a result, what they were saying, about this man Simon, basically when they said, ‘You are the great power of God.’ They were thinking that perhaps he might be the Messiah. He might be the one from God, the power from God, and he was taking that on himself. That is what they were saying when they said, ‘This is the mighty power of God.’ People were praying to him like he was a god.
In King James it says, “they all gave heed to him,” instead of praying, but they were really bowing down to him, and he had a great amount of control. Verse 11 says, “And all of them were persuaded by him, because he had astonished them a long time with his sorceries.” King James says “bewitched.” It really means they were awed and astonished and amazed at all the things Simon was doing. Now here comes Philip, and he is ministering the Word of God, teaching about Christ, and healing people. When Simon sees the signs and miracles Philip is doing, he sees that these things are genuine and that Philip is truly from God.
Acts 8:12–16 APNT
But when they believed Philip, who was preaching the kingdom of God in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, they were baptized, men and women.
And even Simon believed and was baptized and was following Philip. (Even Simon himself believed and was baptized and began following Philip. Simon figured, ‘Well, I believe in my Babylonian gods. I believed in the Jewish God, and if the Jewish God said that he sent this Lord Jesus, well, then I am going to believe in him, too.’ Simon also believed.)
And when he had seen the signs and the great miracles that happened by his hand, (by Philip’s hand) he was amazed and marveled.
And when the apostles who were in Jerusalem heard that the nation of the Samaritans had received the word of God, they sent Simon Peter and John to them.
And they went down and prayed for them, so that they would receive the Holy Spirit.
For it was not yet on any of them, but they were only baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus.
At this point, Philip is still a rather young believer. In addition, he was a deacon and he was serving. He was also very zealous, and was preaching about the Lord Jesus. As a result, this is what the people believed. However, this time when they believed, unlike at all the other times, they did not immediately speak in tongues. They did not receive the Holy Spirit into manifestation. They got born again, but they did not immediately speak in tongues and nobody understood why. It was because of the control Simon had on the entire area, and was influencing and demonically controlling them. When Peter and John come down and pray for them, then verse 16, “For it was not yet on any of them, but they were only baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus. Then they placed a hand on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:16-17 APNT) It does not specifically say they spoke in tongues, but that is what it means. They received the holy spirit into manifestation. They knew they were born again.
Acts 8:18–19 APNT
“And when Simon saw that by the placing of a hand of the apostles the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,
saying, “Give me also this authority that on whom I place a hand, he will receive the Holy Spirit.”
Simon, in his need for control, perhaps thought, ‘I want to be able to do this miracle. This is awesome. I really need to have this kind of authority.’ What he really wants to have the authority of Simon and John, who were apostles. In fact, he thought that he should be the great apostle, because after all, he saw himself as the great one and the Samaritan. ‘Why not make me the great apostle? Give me also this authority so I can do these miracles.’
Simon Peter then said to him,
Acts 8:20 APNT
Your money will go with you to destruction, because you thought that the gift of God could be obtained with the wealth of this world.
Peter is very harsh with him. The English word, “simony” is derived from this man’s name, Simon. “Simony” is “the buying and selling of ecclesiastical offices.” Unfortunately, that is exactly what they did later on in the church, the bought and sold apostleships or bishoprics. He wanted to be an apostle. Peter said to him you and your ill-gotten money are going to perish together. They are going to go into destruction with you. Peter goes on to say in verse 21:
Acts 8:21-22 APNT
You have no part or portion in this faith, because your heart is not straight (it is not right) before God.
But repent from this, your evil, and implore God that somehow the treachery of your heart will be forgiven you.
In many translations, it sounds as though “perhaps” God will forgive you. It is not that God would not forgive him if he repented. Peter is saying that if he did not repent, the deceit of his heart would take over. Peter is telling Simon to repent and pray to God so that the treachery or deceit of your heart will be forgiven; so that you will be able to turn from it. Verse 23, “For I see that you are in bitter anger and in the bonds of wickedness.” (Or in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of wickedness.)Let’s briefly look at Deuteronomy chapter 29, where it talks about what this gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity is.
Deuteronomy 29:18 ESV
Beware lest there be among you a man or a woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.
This is about idolatry; if Israel had followed into idolatry, it was saying there would be a root of bitterness and a bondage that would happen because of idolatry. That is exactly what Peter is saying to this man Simon. ‘If you go in this direction, not only are you going to end up with bitter anger and a bond of wickedness and in bondage, but you will also cause it also. You will cause other people to be poisoned and have this gall and wormwood; the bitterness and poison of idolatry. Actually, that is exactly what happened.
Initially, I thought, ‘This story is over. We move away from Simon and continue to see what else Philip did.’ However, when looking through records and history, we find out that Simon did not repent and he went to Rome. He is eventually called “the father of heresy,” because he is the one who mingled Christianity, which he did believe, but he mingled it with idolatry. He set himself up as what we would call a “pope,” where he was the great one and people honored him and bowed down to him. He brought many other gods into Judaism. One of them is from Babylon, named Semiramis. It is the mother goddess who bears a son who is the “chief one.” She is worshipped as the mother. Sound familiar? There are many records in the Church Fathers about this man named Simon. He is also the one who makes it seem that Simon Peter is in Rome because the names of Simon are confused. As a result, Simon Peter is adopted to be the first pope, although he really was not. Simon the Sorcerer’s goal was to make one universal religion.
Acts 8:24 APNT
Simon answered and said, “implore God on my behalf that none of these things you have said will come on me.”
It seems as though he repented and wanted to repent. In reality he is actually saying, ‘I do not want to the consequences of what you are saying. I do not want to be in bitterness.’ He did, however, want the money. He wanted the power. He wanted to control. That is also the reason he went this way. That is also why this record is in here. Because later, as we had seen from the beginning when, Luke is writing to Theophilus to tell him and show him, this is why you believe what you believe. He is pointing to this man showing him that the heresy which had already crept into the church 20 years later was caused by this man; and it moved had out from Samaria.
Acts 8:25
And Simon and John, when they had witnessed and taught the word of God, returned to Jerusalem and preached in many villages of the Samaritans.
Simon and John went on to preach many other villages of the Samaritans. Also, they move on; they do not attempt to change the man. They do not argue with him. They do not beg him, to please repent. Nothing! They simply move on. In many cases, dealing with someone who has or wants that kind of power, there is nothing you would be able to change with them. Only God could change their hearts.
You can follow Philip’s travels on the map from where he is up in Samaria.
Having dealt with the believers not receiving the holy spirit into manifestation and the situation with Simon the Sorcerer, now God shows Philip and tells him to do some really interesting things.
Acts 8:26 APNT
And an angel of the LORD spoke with Philip and said to him, “Rise up [and] go to the south on the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (An angel of the Lord came and spoke to him.)
After everything Philip dealt with, he is now in the middle of a revival in Samaria. It would only be right to think he should stay. Should he not rather stay and spearhead the whole revival. He should be the Bishop of Samaria: the leader. Is that not only logical? No! God tells him, “No, you need to go.” He also told Peter and John to go, leaving all those people that had just gotten born again, were basically on their own to work with each other.
As we examine this whole section now, we will discover how to walk by the spirit and how Philip was a great example of someone who just went. When God told him to go, he went. God said, go down to Gaza, which is approximately seventy-five miles and a four-day journey. The phrase “to the south,” could also be translated “at noon.” The angel is telling him at noon, which is not the time you start on a journey in Israel. In heat of the day is not when you start on a journey. “It is middle of the day. You need to go.” He gets up and he goes at exactly that time; right at noon. I think I would be saying, ‘Really, Lord? Really? You want me to go right now? You think we can wait until it is a little bit cooler?’
No, he simply went!
Philip was told to leave Samaria two or three days before the Ethiopian eunuch, who he would meet later, on the road to Gaza. The Ethiopian eunuch had to leave like three days later. God instructed Philip to leave two or three days before. Then the Ethiopian eunuch leaves Jerusalem and they meet exactly on the road to Gaza. So it is God’s perfect timing. He knew exactly when to tell Philip to go. If he had not obeyed immediately, he would have missed the opportunity; but God had some wonderful things in store for this man that he was going to meet on the road to Gaza.
Acts 8:27 APNT
And he rose up [and] went. (I love that! He just went.) And he met a certain eunuch, who had come from Ethiopia, an official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. And he was responsible for all of her treasure and had come to worship in Jerusalem.
We learn much about this man in this verse. First of all, he was a eunuch. Now that could mean an actual physical eunuch or it could also mean he was a remarkably high official. Now we are going to see why I believe he was actually a physical eunuch, “who had come from Ethiopia, an official of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians.” “Candace” is a name like “Pharaoh” where it means “queen” or “a queen who rules.” This man was responsible for the treasury. He was in the upper echelon of this country. The country he came from, it says Ethiopia. It could also be the southern part of Sudan. It was 1500 miles from Jerusalem. This man had a desire to go to Jerusalem to worship. It was also approximately a two or three month journey for him to come to one of the feasts in Jerusalem.
What is really amazing, if he were a real eunuch, he could not be a proselyte. He was a Gentile, but he could not be a proselyte, which means he could not go into the temple. He could only go to the court of the Gentiles. He would not be able to worship the way the Judeans were worshiping. Some people say that he was not a proselyte. He was a God-fearer, similar to Cornelius. He feared or reverenced God and he had adopted many of the customs of Judaism, but never really converted. I believe he really was a eunuch, and he thought that if he came to Jerusalem, then he would understand what it was all about, and be able to really get involved with Judaism.
Unfortunately, when he went to Jerusalem, he did not get any answers. He did not find out anything, then later we are told that he was reading Isaiah. There is a promise in Isaiah I believe motivated him from the beginning to go to Jerusalem. It is in Isaiah 56, which is just a few chapters after we find him reading. Isaiah 56 has a promise that is specifically to eunuchs, beginning in verse 3,
Isaiah 56:3-5 KJV
Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. 4 For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; 5 Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
If he had read this passage in Isaiah, he would possibly have seen this promise to eunuchs. You can see that maybe his heart was so full, that he felt compelled to go to the temple to see for himself, to meet the people himself. He obtained a chariot and went on that long journey to Jerusalem, but he never got any answers. At this point he was traveling home, extremely disappointed that he did not get the answers for which he was looking.
Acts 8:28 APNT
And as he turned to go, he was sitting in a chariot and was reading in Isaiah the prophet.
He must have been exceptionally wealthy because it was extremely expensive to own a scroll of any kind. Even if this was a Septuagint scroll or a Hebrew scroll, for him to have his own personal scroll and be reading out of it was a really big deal. Nobody did that. People, at that time, simply did not have a Bible they could put in their pocket and carry it with them. He stopped at a “rest stop,” a first century rest stop. His chariot was there and he was sitting in it, reading the scroll.
Acts 8:29 APNT
And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and follow the chariot.”
Remember, this was after four days, and Philip only knew he was supposed to go on the road to Gaza. Finally, as he is approaching the road to Gaza, the Spirit said to him; ‘That chariot, that man is the one to whom I want you to draw close.’ Philip obeyed and did as the Spirit directed him. He did not get concerned because he was probably black. He also was probably very well dressed, and he was obviously wealthy: he had a chariot. Philip did not argue or question because of what he saw, he simply went, and talked to the man. He then approached the chariot,
Acts 8:30 APNT
And when he had gone near, he heard that he was reading in Isaiah the prophet and said to him, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
Basically, he is asking him the question as if the obvious answer is “no.” “Do you not understand?” God must have shown him, at least given him a glimpse of what he was reading. ‘He is reading the Bible, he is reading the scroll,’ and the section from which he was reading
Acts 8:31-36 APNT
And he said, “How am I able to understand, unless someone instructs me?” (You see the meekness of this man, and his heart, and his desire to want to learn.) And he begged Philip to come up and sit with him.
And the section of the scripture which he was reading was this, AS A LAMB HE WAS LED TO THE SLAUGHTER AND AS A SHEEP BEFORE THE SHEARER IS SILENT, EVEN SO HE DID NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH.
IN HIS HUMILITY HE WAS LED FROM PRISON AND FROM JUDGMENT AND HIS GENERATION, WHO WILL DECLARE [IT]? FOR HIS LIFE HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM THE EARTH. (This passage is from Isaiah 53, verses 7 and 8. It is basically about Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection.)
And that eunuch said to Philip, “I ask of you, concerning whom did the prophet speak this, of himself or of another man?”
Then Philip opened his mouth (I love that! He opened his mouth and began speaking and preaching the good news.) and from this same scripture began to preach to him about our Lord Jesus.”
And as they traveled on the road, they arrived at a certain place where there was water. And that eunuch said, “Behold, [here is] water. What is the hindrance that I may be baptized?”
OMITTED IN APNT
[Act 8:37 KJV
And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.]
The next verse is omitted in many of the texts, as well as in some of the Greek manuscripts. It is also omitted in the Western Peshitta, and probably does not need to be in there. It was probably put in there around the 6th century, where there was a need to make a declaration as, “I believe in the Lord Jesus.” However, Philip knew he did believe, but he was asking to be baptized. Why was he asking to be baptized? He wanted to be baptized in water because that is what he had learned in Judaism: if you became a proselyte, you went in water and were baptized. As a result, that is what he wanted to do. So Philip worked with him right where he was and agreed to baptize him when they come upon a place where there is water.
Acts 8:38 APNT
And he commanded the chariot to stop and the two of them went down into the water and Philip baptized that eunuch.
You see Philip’s heart: he was willing to do whatever it will take to reach this man.
In the end, this man went back to Ethiopia and to the Sudan. Although there are not exact records in history, from that point on, there was a great move of the Word throughout all of North Africa. To this day, the Ethiopians are Christian in spite of all of the Muslim influence that has taken place in that area. It probably started with this man from Ethiopia.
Acts 8:39 APNT
And when they came up from the water, the Spirit of the LORD caught up Philip and that eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way, rejoicing. (Suddenly Philip is just gone. He is gone, but he shows up again.) And Philip was found at Azotus and from there was traveling around and preaching in all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.
We then find Philip in Caesarea, where eventually has a family. Azotus is about 30 miles from where he was in Gaza. If you look on the map there, you can see that it is no small amount of time or space. All of a sudden, he is found at Azotus. How that happened, I do not know, but it was a miracle. From there he traveled to Lydda, then to Joppa and Antipatris and Apollonia and then Caesarea. He went up the coast preaching the gospel. Later we meet a woman in Lydda whose name is Dorcas, who Peter met and raised from the dead. Later still, we meet a man in Joppa whose name is Simon the Tanner who Peter stayed with and lived with for a period of time. Who do you think most likely preached to those people in those cities? It does not say specifically, however, Philip went on his way preaching and continued to preach for the next 20 plus years.
In summary, I think this record of Philip is a notable example of a life led by the Spirit. You can begin with what you know. He did not necessarily know how to solve the problem when the people in Samaria did not immediately speak in tongues, but he preached to them anyway, and he did miracles. He preached what he knew about Christ. As a result, the people got born again, they got healed, and there was great joy in that city. It also shows that God can get through to us to let us know His will is no matter how He needs to do it, even if He has to send an angel. Great! In this case, I think He did send an angel, because Philip was in the middle of a revival. It was logical that he should stay there; but he did not. When the angel came and told him to go, he simply obeyed and he went.
That is another really important quality about being led by the Spirit is that you go, and you do not ask a lot of questions. ‘Is it noon? Okay. Well, we are going. How far do I have to go? Well, four days. Are you going to tell me along the way? Well, no. Not until you get there.’ He simply obeyed and went. When you obey, you get the next step. In addition, I think it shows that God prepared the hearts of the people to whom He wants to get His message. He prepared this man, this Ethiopian eunuch. He had come such a long ways with a great hunger in his heart. I think this is the reason God sent Philip to preach to him. In addition, Philip did not look on the outside. He did not look at the fact that he was black, that he was wealthy, that he was intimidating, that he was a high official. Philip did not see himself as simply a little disciple, a servant, who was not worthy, or had a high enough pedigree to preach to such a man as this powerful Ethiopian. He did not stop to think about it. He simply asked; “Do you understand what you are reading? Let me tell you about the Lord Jesus Christ.” The last thing point, if we follow this example of Philip, preach the good news, and we walk by the Spirit, then we will watch miracles happen.
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