Growing Pains

Big Idea for the Series: In the book of Acts, we see God advancing his Kingdom by his Spirit through his Church.

FCF: As the church goes, it grows, experiencing both the pains and the joy that come with the advancement of the Kingdom.

Acts 8:1–25 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. 4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 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. 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. 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. 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.” 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.

As we go and as we grow, the church will face:

Persecution

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.

Up until this point, there has been a constant threat of persecution, but the actual persecution has been limited and primarily directed at the leaders of the church. But, after Stephen’s execution, the floodgates break loose.

Up until Stephen, the Sanhedrin’s actions have been restrained by fear of the people. They were afraid of the people rising up against them and rioting if they executed the apostles.

But, all that changes with Stephen. See, the stoning of Stephen was not a calculated risk—it was an impulsive lynching. The Sanhedrin did not have legal jurisdiction to carry out an execution. That’s the entire reason for all the cloak and dagger scheming they did with Judas and the back and forth with Pilate and Herod when Jesus was crucified. They couldn’t kill him themselves, so they had to get approval from the Roman government. The case with Stephen is no different. In fact, the same charge that had been leveled at Jesus—blasphemy—is the same one that has been leveled at Stephen.

But this time, the Sanhedrin didn’t wait for cover of night, they didn’t bother trying to get Roman approval, they just drug him out and stoned him in broad daylight.

And having done that, they have now irrevocably crossed a line. Stephen had been accused of law-breaking—of saying that Jesus was going to change the customs of Moses, meaning break the Jewish laws. And the Sanhedrin has now responded publicly by doing exactly what they have accused the Christians of—breaking the law.

So, now they’ve tipped their hands, now their true character is on full display for everyone to see, so there’s no point in trying to be subtle anymore. So, what follows is an all-out war on the church.

Saul and his Jewish comrades are now kicking down doors and dragging Christians off to jail with no more pretense about it.

And this is a pattern that we see playing out in our world today. It starts with trying to label Christian morals or beliefs as “bad for Rome, bad for the nation, bad for the world.” There are hypocritical appeals to the law that don’t reflect the true intention of the law, but are secretly aimed at exterminating Christianity. But, when those attempts fail, when their hypocrisy is exposed for what it is, the sheep’s clothing is cast aside and the wolves will bear their teeth.

But, this doesn’t just play out on a national level, it plays out in individual churches and the lives of individual Christians, as well. As churches faithfully go and proclaim the gospel, they inevitably encounter opposition. Many times this will come through what Jesus called “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” And as I’ve said before, if you want to tell the difference between the true sheep and the wolves in sheep’s clothing, just pull out the shears.

This may come from members within the church who aren’t really saved, it might come from friends and family members who aren’t happy with your new way of life, it might come from those that you share the gospel with, or it might come from the broader culture. Regardless, this is something that you need to be prepared for. And towards the end of the passage, we’ll see another example of this.

Another growing pain that we will encounter as we go and as we grow is the challenge of...

Cross-cultural Ministry

Acts 8:4–8 ESV

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

Samaria was not a place most Jews liked to frequent.

When Jesus ministered to the Samaritan woman at the well, she was shocked, because Jews and Samaritans did not really like each other.

John 4:9 ESV

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

There was a long, bitter rivalry between the two areas that dated back hundreds of years.

When King Solomon died, the kingdom of Israel passed to his son, Rehoboam. But Rehoboam was arrogant and greedy, and he overtaxed the people which caused a coup and an civil war. Rehoboam lost the war, and the Kingdom of the twelve tribes of Israel was split, with the southern two tribes becoming known as the Kingdom of Judah, and the northern 10 tribes keeping the name Israel.

The southern Kingdom of Judah still had access to the temple at Jerusalem, which was their capital city.

But, the northern kingdom of Israel obviously didn’t. So, Jeroboam set up rival temples (which God had forbade) in the cities of Dan and Bethel so their people would still be able to practice their religion.

But, from the very beginning, the religion that was practiced in the northern tribes was not Judaism, but was more of a mix of Judaism and Canaanite pagan rituals. The people of the northern tribes also intermarried with the Canaanite pagans, so this led to a very rapid deterioration of the culture and religion in the Northern tribes of Israel, which later came to be named after its capital city of Samaria.

1 Kings 12:26–31 ESV

26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. 27 If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one. 31 He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites.

Kingdom of Judah (South) First King: Rehoboam Tribes: 2 Capital: Jerusalem Temple: Jerusalem Ethnicity: Jewish NT Name: “Judea”

Kingdom of Israel (North) First King: Jeroboam I Tribes: 10 Capital: Samaria Temples: Dan and Bethel Ethnicity: Mixed NT Name: “Samaria”

The point in all of this history lesson is this—Jews thought of Samaritans and Samaria as polluted, corrupted, and basically pagan and Gentile land. This is what made Jesus’ compassion and ministry to the Samaritan woman at the well so shocking.

But, before he left them and ascended back into heaven, Jesus had told them

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.”

The Samaritans were not easy people to reach with the gospel. They had their own twisted version of the gospel, their own religious texts, their own expectations of a Messiah, and little but hostility towards those “self-righteous Jews.”

And yet, Philip goes, he proclaims the gospel, and they listen.

Acts 8:5–6 ESV

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.

Let’s remember just a few verses ago how their own religious leaders in Jerusalem reacted to the gospel—those from the true temple and the “pure” Jewish religion:

Acts 7:57 ESV

57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.

But the Samaritans—the polluted, rejected Samaritans—DID listen.

Where is your Samaria?

I love spending time with my church people. Spending time with fellow believers is refreshing, encouraging, and uplifting. It’s easy, it’s enjoyable.

Spending time with people who aren’t church people is not as enjoyable. It takes work, patience, and effort. I have to be able to overlook their rough language and offensive mannerisms, their pet sins, and even their criticisms of me and the church. Worse, depending on the situation, I might even need to confront their sin and share the gospel.

Sure, sharing the gospel is fulfilling, but it’s not easy. It’s been 2,000 years but still the message that “you’re a sinner separated from God and doomed to Hell unless you repent and give your life to Christ” is no more popular today than it was when Stephen preached it!

But, if we never “go” outside of our comfort zone, we will be living in disobedience to the plain will of God that we “Go make disciples of all nations...”

Obedience to the Great Commission requires us to share the gospel with those that aren’t like us.

There is great joy for those that cross lines to share the gospel.

Acts 8:6–8 ESV

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.

Sharing the gospel with people who aren’t like you is tough work. I know that firsthand. Sometimes you have to adopt a bit of their culture, meet them on their turf, in order to reach them with the gospel. That’s going to be a theme that becomes more and more prevalent in the following chapters of Acts as the gospel expands.

There are tons of difficulties that come from expanding your reach beyond people like you, but the rewards are worth it. There is nothing like seeing someone whose life was formerly marred by sin and debauchery suddenly transformed into the image of Christ.

Illustration of the joy of seeing Dandy come to faith.

But, it is important for us to be prepared for the challenges that will come with this kind of ministry...

New theological challenges.

The mission field is where theology is often born. And the reason for this is because as we take the gospel to new cultures and new peoples, we encounter new situations that we have never had to think about or apply the gospel to. We encounter new ways of thinking, new problems, and even new ways of sinning that we have to deal with.

And, as the early church is expanding for the very first time beyond its Jewish roots, everything it encounters is new. From this point on in the book of Acts, we’re going to see the Church having to wrestle with a lot of new, a lot of “firsts.”

Acts 8:14–17 ESV

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.

As the Samaritans come to faith in Christ, now there’s a very new situation that the Apostles and early church has to face—a situation they’ve really never faced before.

It’s possible to read v. 16 as if Philip simply didn’t say the magic words “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” when he baptized these Samaritan believers; that they had only been baptized “in the name of Jesus.” But, that’s not what’s going on here. In the Greek, it’s a little clearer that “only” modifies “baptized.” In other words, what Luke is saying is that they hadn’t yet received the Spirit, they had only been baptized.

So, if you get baptized and I, or whoever is baptizing you, forget to say “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” you’re still saved and baptized. The point of this verse is not the wording that accompanied the baptism, it’s to point out that the fact that the Spirit didn’t indwell the Samaritans upon their conversion and baptism is unique and unexpected.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit normally occurs at conversion.

This is how it happened at Pentecost:

Acts 2:38 ESV

38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We will see later that the Holy Spirit falls immediately upon Gentiles when they believe as well:

Acts 10:43–45 ESV

43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” 44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.

And, this particular passage makes it clear that this happens at conversion, not later on when you’re baptized. Their baptism followed their indwelling.

Acts 10:47–48 ESV

47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

The reason that I’m pointing this out is because there are some denominations that teach that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit—or they might call it the “Baptism of the Holy Spirit”—is a later development in your spiritual growth. They argue that you’re first saved, then baptized, and—if you’re spiritual enough to ‘level up’—you’ll be filled with the Holy Spirit and begin speaking in tongues.

But that’s not what is happening here. Except in a couple very unique situations in the book of Acts—this being one of them—the indwelling of the Spirit happens when someone believes and converts.

Ephesians 1:13–14 ESV

13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

So, if that’s true—if the Holy Spirit normally indwells us at salvation—then why didn’t it happen that way for the Samaritan believers?

Most commentators agree that the salvation of Samaritan believers posed a unique challenge to the unity of the early church.

A growing church must fight to preserve unity.

If the Apostles had not come to Samaria to lay hands on the Samaritan believers, there would likely have been some in the predominately Jewish church who would have rejected the Samaritans as non-genuine Christians, as not part of them. But, when the Apostles are present to impart the gift of the Holy Spirit to the new believers, their inclusion into the Church is undeniable. In fact, this is precisely what happens later in Acts 10 when the gospel goes to the Gentiles:

Acts 10:44–47 ESV

44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

As we will later see, Peter has to give an account of himself to the rest of the Apostles and the church at Jerusalem for this action:

Acts 11:2–3 ESV

2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, 3 “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

So, by having the Apostles go down and confirm the conversion of the Samaritans, God is preventing anyone in the church at Jerusalem from refusing them as part of the church.

And, he is also preventing the Samaritans from running off and establishing their own church, completely separate and unaccountable to the church at Jerusalem and the Apostles.

Samaritans bristled just as much as the Jews at the thought of being under Jewish leadership. So, when the Holy Spirit is undeniably given by the laying on of hands of the Jewish Apostles, this confirms to the Samaritans that the apostles’ leadership is from God.

We may not have such extreme examples in our church, but any time a church grows and begins to bring people from diverse backgrounds into the faith you can bet there will be challenges to the unity of the church.

Lastly, as a church goes and grows, it will inevitably face the challenge of...

False professors (8:9-24)

As they share the gospel in Samaria, they see this awesome work of God and many people are saved and baptized.

They even seem to win over a magician named Simon, which would be an awesome testimonial to the power of the gospel!

Acts 8:9–13 ESV

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. 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.

But, it doesn’t take long before Simon’s true motives show up.

Acts 8:18–24 ESV

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.”

Simon apparently witnessed the miracles and healings and then the gifting of the Spirit by the Apostles and saw a whole new business opportunity. Imagine if he, the great magician, could have that kind of power! Then he’d really draw a crowd!

Peter’s rebuke is pretty direct and harsh, but it seems like he’s probably right about Simon, which would seem to indicate that Simon was not a true believer to begin with.

Simon, like many people, was drawn to the show. He saw all that Philip had done and recognized a power greater than his own and he wanted access to that.

Acts 8:7 ESV

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.

Now, it says that he “believe” and was baptized, but we know from Scripture that there is a type of belief that does not save.

James 2:19 ESV

19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

And James’ point is that true faith, true belief is always evidenced by your actions.

James 2:18 ESV

18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

There’s a kind of “belief” in God that is absolutely powerless to save. It’s the kind of belief that allows someone to come to church and do all the “church-y” things but then leave church and live just like they did before.

Imagine if Peter had granted Simon’s request, and that Simon then gained this ability to perform miracles. What would he have done? He would have gone right back to being a magician, right back to his former way of life, just with some new terminology sprinkled into his shows. There would have been an external, visible layer of Christianity, but no real heart change. The fruit of his life would have been the same.

In PNG, we saw people all the time that lived like this—showing up to church on Sunday, but then living like a pagan the rest of the week. We had a term for them—“skin Christians”—because their Christianity only went skin deep.

And here in the Bible belt, this is one of the biggest issues that we face as a church. Skin Christians. People who look like us, talk like us, come to church with us, but there is no fruit in their lives. They’re in it for something else.

Some view church as a business networking venture—a way to gain new clients and customers. Others view it as social networking—a way to make new friends and gain a standing as a “good person” in the community.

Others might come to church because they want healing from an illness or disease.

And it’s not wrong to come to Jesus with your problems—you should! But, Jesus is not a cosmic vending machine. He doesn’t exist for your happiness and your glory. You exist for his glory.

This passage ends on a rather ambiguous note:

Acts 8:24 ESV

24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

Simon doesn’t get mad and run off, so it’s theoretically possible that this is an expression of true repentance. But, it’s noticeably lacking any reference to his sin or wrongdoing; all Simon asks is for deliverance from the consequences of his actions.

And this, unfortunately, is the world we live in. Getting saved doesn’t produce a holy membership card that we can check—it’s internal. And we may get to heaven and find that there are some people that we thought for sure would be there that aren’t, and we may find some people there that we never thought we would.

So, what about you? Why are you here? Do you have the kind of faith that doesn’t produce any real change in your life? Does your life look any different because you are a Christian than it would if you weren’t a Christian? Have you fully surrendered your life to Jesus?