Acts 8
Here we have Philip, a deacon in the early church, one of the seven chosen according to Acts 6:5. As we open chapter 8, we’ve already encountered another deacon (Stephen, chapter 6-7) and seen his life taken. It’s interesting to me that the religious elite of the day, who wanted to stop the teachings promoted by the followers of Jesus, actually are helping fulfill some of His last words as recorded in Acts 1:8 “…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
They grabbed Stephen and threw him out of the city, Jerusalem. Now, he is preaching beyond the walls of the city, in the providence of Judea. Even at his death, Stephen utters words eerily similar to those of Jesus on the cross. “Forgive them.” “Receive my spirit.” Only that then, Jesus was praying to the Father and now, Stephen is praying to Jesus.
But alas, now we’re on to chapter 8. Again, have the followers of Jesus been witnesses in Jerusalem? Indeed. Has Stephen born witness in Judea? Yes. Furthermore, Acts 8:1 tells us, “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.”
Ain’t that something? Here we have those opposed to Jesus of Nazareth actually helping His cause. You can shut up the preacher. You can scatter the flock. But you can’t stop the gospel. The Spirit comes and goes like the wind. Just look back at Acts 4. The very night that Peter and John are arrested, 5,000 men believe!
Ok, back to chapter 8. Of those who were “scattered,” Philip went to a city in Samaria. (Acts 1:8 again) There he began to preach and perform miracles, “so there was great joy in that city.”
Let’s move on to 8:26 Philip is led by an angel to a certain place along the road from Jerusalem to Gaza. There he encounters an Ethiopian official who has somehow sequestered a portion of an old writing of one of the prophets. Untrained and foreign to the culture of Judaism, the Ethiopian didn’t understand what he was reading. Philip offered to help him. Philip must have identified himself or at least been easily recognizable as a Jew. The Ethiopian asked “Who is the prophet talking about?” Philip replied, “Jesus” and told him all the good news about the Him, beginning with the very scripture he was holding.
Aaron Jeoffrey wrote a song awhile back entitled, “He Is.” The lyrics of which are here. Basically, the Old Covenant is a testament to the coming Messiah. The New Covenant is a testament of the crucified and risen Savior and Lord, Jesus the Christ. It’s all about Jesus. And that’s all that Philip had to share.
And that’s all you and I have. It’s all we have and it’s all we have to share. The gospel has been preached in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, but we’ve still got work to do to reach “the ends of the earth.” May we pray and give and go, until the whole world knows…Jesus.
Ragamuffin Warrior 