Acts 8

The Church reaches outward

The Jewish leaders had Stephen stoned to death. The more they persecuted the Christians, the more the church grew. The fire of the Holy Spirit could not be put out. The prophet Jeremiah had this burning in his bones—. This persecution caused the Christians to be spread to the surrounding cities, preaching the gospel wherever they went.

I. The Persecution—vv. 1–4

A. Persecutor—v. 1. Saul was pleased with the death of Stephen. As the result of this persecution, the church was scattered.

B. Pity—v. 2. The friends of Stephen mourned for him. They also had a funeral for him.

C. Persecution—v. 3. Saul enjoyed the persecution of the Christians. The persecution made the Christians stronger in the Lord.

D. Preaching—v. 4. This persecution caused the Christians to go everywhere preaching the gospel. The promise of was fulfilled.

II. The Preaching—vv. 5–13

A. Person—v. 5. Philip preached of Jesus—no politics, no social gospel, no civil rights, but of Jesus!

B. People—v. 6. The people “gave heed” to Philip’s words and the many miracles which were done in the name of the Lord.

C. Power—v. 7. The people who were bound by Satan were set free. Various types of sickness were healed by God’s power.

D. Peace—v. 8. There was great joy in the city.

E. Problem—vv. 9–11. Simon used witchcraft to deceive people.

F. Purging—vv. 12–13. Many people believed.

III. The Prayer—vv. 14–17

A. Sent—vv. 14–15. The apostles sent John and Peter to Samaria.

They prayed that the people might receive the Holy Spirit.

B. Spirit—vv. 16–17

1. Realization—v. 16. They had not yet received the Holy Spirit. They were baptized in water, but not the Holy Spirit.

2. Reception—v. 17. Peter and John laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

IV. The Problem—vv. 18–24

A. Desire—vv. 18–19. Simon saw the power of the Holy Spirit and wanted it for selfish gain. He offered money for this gift.

B. Denouncement—vv. 20–23. Peter showed him his wrong, that money could not buy this power, and warned him to repent of his sin.

C. Damnation—v. 24. Simon asked for prayer. We do not know if he repented of his sin or not.

Simon’s temptation is still with us today. Many seek God’s power for personal benefit and spiritual pride. Any gift or talent God may give to us is for advancement of the kingdom of God. Never should we use the power of God for selfish gain. Some Christians boast of their praying, Bible reading and generosity.

13

Personal Witnessing

There are various ways of evangelizing. The best method is personal soul-winning. This means work; it means visitation. This is the hardest way to reach man with the gospel. If this method would be followed by Christians, we could easily change the world. The next method is through the church. Other methods are church literature and mass meetings. Philip left a large crowd to win one soul.

I. The Spirit—vv. 26–29

A. Person—v. 26. Philip was one of the seven men chosen by the apostles. He had a revival in Samaria. An angel spoke to him and told him to go to another place.

B. Problem—v. 27. An Ethiopian or a eunuch, a man of great power and influence, came to Jerusalem seeking the Lord.

C. Prophecy—v. 28. This man was reading from Isaiah, the prophet. The New Testament was not yet completed.

D. Plea—v. 29. The Holy Spirit tells Philip to go to the chariot of this eunuch. Be open; allow God to speak to you.

II. The Speaking—vv. 30–35

A. Problem—vv. 30–31. Philip was quick to obey God; he ran to the eunuch, who was reading from Isaiah, but could not understand what he was reading. Compare with .

B. Prophecy—vv. 32–33. He was reading from . This was a prophecy concerning Christ, who would come to save man from sin.

C. Plight—v. 34. The eunuch asked, “Who is the Prophet speaking about?” The non-Christian is in darkness; he needs help.

D. Preaching—v. 35. Notice that Philip preached about Jesus. He told him all about Jesus.

III. The Salvation—vv. 36–40

A. Salvation—v. 36. The eunuch understood and accepted Christ. He wanted to be baptized. See .

B. Sincere—v. 37. Philip wanted to be sure the eunuch understood water baptism, before he baptized him.

C. Showing—v. 38. Philip went down into the water with the eunuch and baptized him. Water baptism is an outward sign of salvation.

D. Spirit—vv. 39–40. The Spirit took Philip approximately twenty-five miles away from the eunuch. Philip stayed in the Caesara area for twenty-five years—. His daughters were filled with the Holy Spirit and used the gift of prophecy.

All men are sinners—. Though all men are sinners most do not know this, nor do they know how to have this sin removed. There is only one way they can know about forgiveness—they must be told. If each layman does his part in witnessing, soon all will know. God could work through angels, but He depends upon man—. Every Christian should be a personal soul-winner. God gives us power to do this work—.

Pentz, C. M. (1978). Sermon Outlines from Acts (pp. 26–29). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.