Simon and the Gospel

Two messages in one today:

for believers who find themselves in places and situations you didn’t expect.

You feel as though you’ve been pushed into a place situation that you didn’t ask for and is not a result of anything you’ve done, yet here you are.

for those who might call themselves a Christian but you’re not really sure what that means.

Or perhaps you are not really sure you would call yourself a Christian

What we will see is:

The power of the gospel works in every place.

Acts 8:4–25 (ESV)

4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

Acts 8:1–3 (ESV)

1 And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

The power of the gospel through persecution. (8:4)

Acts 1:8 (ESV)

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Persecution only served to carry out God’s purposes.

The very thing that should have stopped the stopped the spread of the gospel actually supercharged it. Persecution propelled the gospel!

Doubt those persecuted thought it was great or good.

They were “scattered.”

Scattered = diaspora

Like scattering seed.

ILLUST - Kids blowing on dandelion kids stepping on a puffball fungus

““smoke” is actually a cloud of practically uncountable spores. Giant puffballs can produce a mind-boggling several trillion spores. Luckily for all other inhabitants of the planet, those spores are Goldilocksian in their germination needs. If conditions aren’t just right, which is well over 99.99% of the time, they fail to produce another puffball. Perhaps a single spore out of those trillions will become a mushroom. A good thing too, for if just one Giant puffball had 100% germination success, followed by the same for its offspring - things would get awful crowded around here. The resulting mass of fungi would amount to 800 times the volume of Earth.”

4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

Why did they go “about preaching the word?”

“Preaching” = evangelizing

probably not open-air preaching, probably much more normal

maybe as others asked why they were new to the area

maybe then as others asked how they still had hope amidst persecution

only makes sense if they viewed their circumstances through the lens of the gospel

otherwise, why share the gospel?

They had a Vision and Mission

ILLUST - sunglasses - shade everything, Rose-colored jade everything, blue light - see clearly and filters bad Note that they were not apostles either!

Preach wherever you’re placed

Preach when pushed

Preach through persecution

Preach when in pain - you may be the one who needs to hear it!

Preach the gospel in every place and every pain.

The gospel is pushed forward through the pain of the people.

You may be taking the good news into new places!

Difficulty pushed the gospel into new places.

God is not done working in you or through you.

The power of the gospel for transformation. (8:5-13)

5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.

Likely the city of Shechem

Samaritans were not liked by the Jews

origin unknown but probably when Assyria invaded Northern Israel 722BC and deported some Israelites and repopulated the area with other captured people who brought other religions with them

They believed quasi-Jewish religion

Believed in a Messiah, Taheb, who would come to their holy mountain in Gerizim

The Samaritans were already prepared to hear this message. In fact, this very city had heard a similar message a few years before:

John 4:5 (ESV)

5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

John 4:19–26 (ESV)

19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

The gospel is for everyone everywhere.

9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.

False prophet

Acts: An Introduction and Commentary (f. The Gospel Spreads to Samaria (8:4–25))

“The facts about Simon are hard to disentangle from later legend. We have reliable information from Justin Martyr, himself a native of Samaria, that Simon lived there and later moved to Rome where he continued his mischief. Later, Irenaeus records how he travelled around with a certain Helen, a former slave, and said that she was an incarnation of ‘Thought’ (a Gnostic power). Hippolytus, another writer about heresies, tells a nice story about how Simon was worsted in a disputation with Peter. At last Simon said ‘that if he were buried alive he would rise again on the third day. Commanding a grave to be dug, he ordered his disciples to heap earth upon him. They did as he commanded, but he remained in it until this day. For he was not the Christ.’ What degree of truth there is in these and other stories is hard to assess.”

12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed. 14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

Probably a unique event to authenticate to the apostles work.

18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands 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 is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” 24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

Was Simon a Christian?

The difficulty is that it seems that the words typically used to describe someone coming to faith are used here:

13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip.

Matthew 7:21–23 (ESV)

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Was Simon a Christian?

- I don’t believe so. For two reasons:

1. Selfishness of heart - v19 - Give ME this power also. . . (Peter) your heart is not right before God

2. Lack of relationship with God - v 24 - “Pray to the Lord FOR ME. . .”

What does it mean to be a Christian?

Acts 11:26 - the disciples were called Christians.

A Christian is a disciple of Jesus

A disciple is one who follows Jesus.

Lives like, loves through, and leads others to Jesus.

Are YOU a Christian?

*Has there been a moment in your life you have committed your life to Christ that has been proven true by a change in your life?*

The answer to this question will answer the question, “Are you a Christian?”

Being religious does not make you a Christian.

church attendance

giving to church

baptism

Being moral does not make you a Christian.

being better than others

These actions do not work TOWARD becoming a Christian, they work FROM being a Christian

*Has there been a moment in your life you have committed your life to Christ that has been proven true by a change in your life?*

ILLUST - marriage - There was a moment that I committed to Christine and the evidence that I am married is that made the commitment to relinquish my “single” life and submit myself to a new “married” life. My life since then has been different.

Commit your life to Christ - Your whole life for your whole life.

When you do, God will use you.

25 Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

Where are you today?

In an unexpected, unwanted place.

How might you view it through the vision and mission of the gospel?

on the fence

If you haven’t made the commitment, TODAY is the day!