Who do I Live For?
Mike Biolsi
Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Let’s jump right in to Acts 8. ⭐
Acts 8:1–3 (CSB)
1 Saul agreed with putting him to death. On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. 3 Saul, however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.
Chapter 8 begins with Saul… and we will pick back up with Saul in chapter 9. For now, all we know is that Saul is willing to use capital punishment to prevent people from spreading teachings about Jesus being the Messiah. He is not just trying to eradicate Jesus followers from the temple, but he is finding sympathizers and going to their homes and dragging both men and women off to prison to face trial. This persecution of the church was described as “severe”, and it was severe enough to make everyone except the apostles flee Jerusalem to get away from it.
Those that fled, landed in the regions of Judea and Samaria. [map of the region] ⭐
Judea: The region of Judea is the territory surrounding Jerusalem. It is Jewish occupied and where Jesus spent the majority of his time healing and teaching.
After the reign of Solomon, Israel was split into two kingdoms. Judea is a reference to the Southern kingdom and Jerusalem was its capital.
Samaria: Is north of Judea. The boundary line between the two has changed and it is not clear as to exactly where the line would have been at this time, other than it was north of Judea. As David brought out in the message last week, the Samaritans were NOT accepted by the orthodox Jews because they allowed foreign influences into their region. This land is still considered Jewish territory as it was once assigned to Ephraim and Manasseh.
Manasseh was the oldest son of Joseph, born to an Egyptian wife. Ephraim the second son. They were adopted by Jacob and named as two of the 12 tribes. From their inception, they have not been a “pure breed” of Israelite.
The region of Samaria was also referred to as Israel, Ephraim, and the Northern Kingdom. Its capital was the city of Samaria.
In mentioning that the church was scattered throughout the Judea and Samaria, Luke was saying that they went throughout all of the lands of the Jews -> both kingdoms. ⭐
Acts 8:1–4 (CSB)
1 ...On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria...4 So those who were scattered went on their way preaching the word.
As they went, they preached. So, the messages of Jesus as the messiah was being taken to the entire people group of the Jews. ⭐
5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them.
Directionally speaking, Philip went UP to a city in the region of Samaria 😉 - he went to the North into a region that would not usually be visited by other Jews. Geographically speaking, Philip went DOWN because the region of Samaria was a fertile valley, and Jerusalem was a hill.
WHO IS THIS PHILIP?
WHO IS THIS PHILIP?
ask: can anyone tell me who this guy is?
We know very little about him.
We know he was a man full of the Spirit of God and wisdom. How? He was one of “The Seven” chosen to assist with the distribution of food for the widows ⭐
5 This proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a convert from Antioch.
Luke likes to intro characters and then refer to them later. In this list of 7 we have Stephen, who was taken out of the city and stoned because of his faith in Jesus. That was chapters 6-7 of Acts.
The second person in the list is Philip. This is the man we are talking about this morning. Luke lists him in the order in which is going to tell their stories - a literary device he will use throughout the entire book.
So, Philip was selected to distribute food to the widows, but that job has passed since everyone (except the Apostles) was leaving Jerusalem.
We know he was an evangelist. He was proclaiming the Messiah to the people of Samaria. An evangelist is a messenger, and that is what Philip was. He was an evangelist who followed the pattern of Jesus by reaching out to the marginalized and uncomfortable people in his day, the Samaritans.
We also know he was a married man with lots of patience. How do we know this? Luke will connect us with Philip again, during Paul’s missionary journeys: ⭐
8 The next day we left and came to Caesarea, where we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven, and stayed with him.
Notice, Luke refers to Philip as both an “evangelist” as well as one of the “Seven”. So where does the patience come in? ⭐
9 This man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.
OK - so I made an assumption that he had patience based on that verse. We do not know that to be true. What we can surmise is that he was a godly leader in his HOME as well as the church because he has children who are also following God and listening to the Spirit of God.
Summary of Philip.
Summary of Philip.
Why do I bring all of this up? We mentioned that the title of this book is problematic. My translations just calls is “Acts”, but others call it the “Acts of the Apostles”. Philip was NOT an apostle. Stephen was NOT an apostle. Their stories are super significant!
This is a book about the Acts of the Holy Spirit working through the people of God - all the people of God, not just the Apostles.
Philip was a disciple who took Jesus seriously, and the result was that he was involved in serving the church, he took the gospel of Jesus the Messiah to the marginalized people of Samaria, and he taught his daughters about Jesus and helped them in their faith.
THIS Is the CALLING of ALL Jesus followers: ⭐
serve others
share Jesus
invest your faith in your family
It does not get much more simplified than that, though of course living it out can sometimes be anything but simple.
There are some things that Philip will do, as we will soon see, that you and I might not be gifted by God to do. We might not cast out spirits, we might not heal the lame. BUT regardless of that, we are all given the Spirit and the ability to server others, share Jesus and minister to our families.
Back to Philip: ⭐
5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. 6 The crowds were all paying attention to what Philip said, as they listened and saw the signs he was performing. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.
David covered this last week, so I don’t want to dwell here, other than to point out that the signs and wonders were there to validate the message and the one who sent the messenger. “As they listened … and saw”. The most important thing is the message. Even today, God may choose to validate the gospel or his messenger with signs as wonders, but even if he doesn’t, there is still be command to preach the good news. It is ultimately the gospel that brings “great joy” - for physical healing is temporary, but spiritual life is eternal.
Simon
Simon
After the summary of Philip’s ministry, Luke introduces us to a particular character: Simon. ⭐
9 A man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in that city and amazed the Samaritan people, while claiming to be somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least of them to the greatest, and they said, “This man is called the Great Power of God.” 11 They were attentive to him because he had amazed them with his sorceries for a long time.
Luke draws a parallel between the ministry of Philip and the sorcery of Simon. ⭐
8:10 - they all paid attention to him VS 8:6 - the crowds all paid attention to what Philip said
The crowds were looking for the spectacular. They wanted to see something amazing. When they saw it, they were attracted to it. Historically, this has always been true.
The people gave Simon a name - or perhaps he gave the name to himself and the people accepted it. He told people he was somebody great, and they believed it. He did things by the power of “other gods” (sorcery) but was given the title:
The Great Power of God
The title was ironic, but also telling. Jesus, God in the flesh, was and is the great power of God. Yet when he came in all humility people did not want to follow him. People were offended by him and killed him. Simon, when coming with great power, though NOT of God, had fame, followers and a platform to proclaim his message. Jesus was declared infamous, his followers scattered and he was hung on a platform to die.
Simon’s goal was to make a great name for himself. THIS should take us back to the tower of Babel: ⭐
4 And they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let’s make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered throughout the earth.”
We exist for he glory of God. We are made in his image, to bear his name and to make his name great. We do this by the way we live. Even Jesus didn’t come to make his own name great. He exalted the Father and the Father chose to make his name great: ⭐
5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,
6 who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be exploited.
7 Instead he emptied himself
by assuming the form of a servant,
taking on the likeness of humanity.
And when he had come as a man,
8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
9 For this reason God highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
11 and every tongue will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
We are told to have the same attitude of humility that Jesus had. He did not give himself a great name, he gave himself the title “Son of man” which is MUCH more humble than, “Great Power of God”!
It was the Father who gave Jesus the name above all other names. When we live for the name of God he can choose to make our name great.
Philip is all about making the name of Jesus great (true disciple). Simon is all about making his own name great - or at least it was… Let’s read on: ⭐
12 But when they believed Philip, as he proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. 13 Even Simon himself believed. And after he was baptized, he followed Philip everywhere and was amazed as he observed the signs and great miracles that were being performed.
When the CROWDS believed Philip, they were baptized. EVEN Simon believed and was baptized!
THOUGHT: It would be very easy to become skeptical of someone’s conversion, especially if they have come from a sketchy background such as witchcraft. We can assume Simon was a Jew as they give him the title, “the power of God” - something they would not give to a Gentile. There were many Israelites that followed the Law and followed the sacrifices but did not know Yahweh personally, and even more that have never accepted Jesus as Messiah. To see a famous Israelite following Jesus should not be a surprise! NOR should it be a cause for concern or skepticism. We can only judge from appearances, only God knows the heart. However, Jesus told us that we would know people by their fruit -> how they live out their faith in relationship to God and others.
MODERN TAKE: Kat Von D - https://www.faithwire.com/2023/10/16/im-not-ashamed-renowned-tattoo-artist-kat-von-d-explains-baptism-talks-about-her-church/
Von D — whose full name is Katherine von Drachenberg — publicly professed her faith in Jesus one year after announcing she was turning away from witchcraft and the occult. In July 2022, the former reality TV star wrote in an Instagram post that … “It’s never been more clear to me that there is a spiritual battle taking place, and I want to surround myself and my family with love and light.”
Von D went on to note that, to her surprise, most of the criticism she received online was from social media users who identified as Christians, rather than her atheist followers.
“It was really the Christians who were the worst,” she said. “It was really just sad to see this critical display of judgment from Christians, and I don’t understand what would inspire that, aside from something that’s more egoic [sic], because that isn’t Christlike, to judge people or judge people’s journey. You would think that most Christians would be happy for you when you come to this point in your life, especially when you get baptized.”
There is no reason for us to doubt the authenticity of this conversion as Luke records it as a matter of fact. Simon DID believe. Simon WAS baptized.
So, moving on, Simon’s story continues: ⭐
14 When the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 After they went down there, they prayed for them so that the Samaritans might receive the Holy Spirit because he had not yet come down on any of them. 16 (They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
Peter and John leave Jerusalem and head to Samaria. They pray for the Samaritan believers and then they lay hands on them and they receive the Holy Spirit.
RECEIVING the HS
RECEIVING the HS
This passage can seem very confusing and often raises more questions than it answers. “I thought you believed and received the Holy Spirit? Why did they NOT receive the Spirit when they believed? Why did the Apostles have to lay hands on them, like it was passed from them to the new converts in Samaria? Is that still the way it works today?”
If we start with the first teaching of the Apostles about receiving the Holy Spirit we can go back to chapter 2: ⭐
Acts 2:38 “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
That was the teaching from Peter in Jerusalem. NOW, in Samaria, the believers had NOT yet received the Holy Spirit so Peter & John lay hands on them: ⭐
Acts 8:17 “17 Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”
Later in chapter 8 we have the Ethiopian Eunuch that accepts Jesus and is baptized but we do not hear about him receiving the Spirit.
JUST IN CASE you think either of these two situations is the de facto way that the Spirit is given, you must also consider Acts 10. In that chapter, a ROMAN SOLDIER named Cornelius, has a visit from an angel, then a visit from Peter, and here is what happens: ⭐
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.
AFTER that, they were baptised in water: ⭐
47 “Can anyone withhold water and prevent these people from being baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days.
So, as we look at the examples in Acts, there not a singular pattern: ⭐
ACTS 2 -> Believe, baptize, spirit given (Jerusalem)
ACTS 8 -> Believe, baptize, spirit given by laying on of hands (Samaria)
ACTS 10 -> Believe, received the Spirit with no laying on of hands, baptized (Gentiles)
ACTS 19 -> Believe, baptized, receive the spirit by laying on of hands (Ephesus, John the Baptists disciples)
Acts Explanation of the Text
The conversion of the Samaritans is particularly significant as the gospel for the first time reaches people who are not unambiguously members of the people of Israel. It also should be noted that in these four cases, the manifestations linked with the reception of the Holy Spirit, whether it included speaking in tongues or the laying on of hands, constituted corporate rather than individual experiences.
In each of these cases, we are being introduced to a new people group that has received the full and complete gift of salvation. I believe the focus is not meant to be on the method but on the unification of the body of Christ, the church. There are no unclean, second-class, unacceptable people groups when it comes to the church. It is about any one, in any place, at any time believing in the gift of salvation and forgiveness through Jesus.
IRONIC - that the GIVING of the Spirit was meant to demonstrate UNITY, and yet the METHOD in which the spirit was given has become dogma in churches that has caused DISUNITY among brothers and sisters in Christ. #ironic
BE CAREFUL not to form a theology on one passage alone! We are in a book of transitions where the plan of God for the nations (Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth) is being unfolded and explained. The Apostles and disciples in Jerusalem received the Spirit at Pentecost. Now, the regions outside of Jerusalem have received the gospel, responded and were baptised. The Samaritans were not accepted by the Jews in Jerusalem, so to have Peter and John come Samaria and accept them AND be there to witness the gift of the Holy Spirit is VERY important for the unity of the body of Christ!
BACK TO SIMON
BACK TO SIMON
So, what about Simon? Luke takes us back to the story of Simon: ⭐ ⭐
18 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 I lay hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter told him, “May your silver be destroyed with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your heart’s intent may be forgiven. 23 For I see you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by wickedness.”
24 “Pray to the Lord for me,” Simon replied, “so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
NOW, we find out the real condition of Simon’s heart!
Have any of you ever heard of “simony”?
si·mo·ny [ˈsimənē, ˈsīmənē] (N) - the buying or selling of ecclesiastical privileges, for example pardons or benefices.
Guess where that got its name from?
Simon asks to buy the ability to impart the Holy Spirit on other people. How crazy is that? I think his mind was still in the sorcery and witchcraft economy.
In Peter’s response there are some important insights:
The Holy Spirit is a GIFT. You cannot buy the favor of God. You cannot purchase what God has to offer. One personal already DID make that purchase, and it cost him his life -> and that is what allows you and me to receive the Spirit as a gift!
Simon’s issue was a HEART issue. WHY did Simon want the ability to pass on the Holy Spirit to others? Apparently NOT for the sake of the kingdom. Even if it was for the benefit of the recipient, it was obviously not the main intention of Simon’s request. Simon was ⭐
poisoned by bitterness
bound by wickedness
23 for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.”
23 For I see you are in a state of bitter envy and bound by unrighteousness.”
Those are two harsh pronouncements! However, they are also very insightful.
Envy
Envy
ENVY is something that fills us and poisons us. Simon was envious. Perhaps of the power that the Apostles had that he did not. Or maybe because the crowds like the Jesus followers more than him? Whatever the issues that brought it on, it was the same type of emotion that drive the religious elites who were losing their followers to eventually condemn Jesus to death. Envy fills and poisons to the point where we cannot see what has been given but only was has either not been given or what has been taken away. ⭐
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
A kingdom worldview does not envy if God chooses to do amazing things through someone else or some other church. It rejoices that the kingdom is being built. A kingdom heart celebrates that someone else is more important than I am and is glad if God uses them even more than me. ENVY is NOT a kingdom mindset.
Unrighteousness
Unrighteousness
Simon was bound, chained, shackled by unrighteousness. I think Luke gave us some insight into what he meant by this when he mentioned that Simon was making a name for himself. I think Simon was chained by his desire to make his name great. We have seen how this plays out all throughout scriptures.
King Nebuchadnezzar was warned of this very thing in a dream in Daniel 4, and he ignored the warning in the dream. Instead, he incurred the punishment of God immediately after making this statement: ⭐
29 At the end of twelve months, as he was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon, 30 the king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great that I have built to be a royal residence by my vast power and for my majestic glory?”
31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared that the kingdom has departed from you. 32 You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals, and you will feed on grass like cattle for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms, and he gives them to anyone he wants.”
God’s punishment did come, and eventually, the king repented and God restored him because his heart became right with God.
Peter’s warning to Simon was to repent and pray. The cause for alarm here is that Simon does not repent nor pray - at least not that we have recorded. Instead he asked Peter to pray for him.
A FEW things we can take from this:
Simon did miracles that appeared to be from God, and they were not, but the people were fooled. We cannot and should not attribute all miraculous events to God.
Simon believed and Jesus and was baptized, but it is possible his motives were all wrong. Philip obviously thought it was sincere or he wouldn’t have had him baptized. We must assume the best and wait for the fruit.
Simon’s heart was bad. Following Jesus was a way to be popular or to possibly make a living. This is still a very real and very bad motive in the church today. It is possible that people attend church to have social connections to get business. It is possible that people are serving in leadership, even as pastors, for the fame and wealth of it.
Simon is a reminder that we can appear to be doing the right things but our hearts can be far from God. Matthew 15:8 “8 This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”
How do we make sure we do not fall into this kind of trap? We pray to the Spirit and we meditate on the Word. Listen to this verse: ⭐
12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Perhaps the message from this morning has cut deep because your motives in following Jesus have been wrong. Repent and pray for God to forgive you.
REMINDER: This book is also about the growth of the church, and how it is learning to be the unified body of Christ that takes the name of Jesus to the world.
The CHURCH is to be filled up with people that have a kingdom worldview and a kingdom heart. A mindset that looks to invite as many as possible to enter in - especially the marginalized, the outcast and the difficult. The church needs to be committed to making a name for Jesus and not for making a name for itself. It must be unified on the mission or sharing Jesus and not divided on dogma. ⭐
25 After testifying and preaching the word of the Lord in Samaria, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem. And they stopped in many Samaritan villages along the way to preach the Good News.
The apostles supported the work in Samaria, embraced the people as brothers and sisters, and then went back to their place of ministry. On the way, they shared Jesus.
We started this passage with the disciples being scattered, like Philip. They shared the good news of forgiveness and acceptance in Jesus, as they traveled away from Jerusalem.
We end with the Apostles on their way back to Jerusalem, and and they are traveling they are sharing the good news of forgiveness and acceptance in Jesus.
May we be so committed, no matter what journey God has on us, to be faithful to share the goodness of God with the people we come in contact with, so that HIS NAME can be glorified and his kingdom built.