The Unlikely Advancement (Acts 8:4-25)
Introduction
We would expect that Stephen’s death would halt the gospel’s advancement. One of Christ's faithful servants had been murdered, and the gospel agitators grow in boldness. The church is being persecuted. Yet what looked like defeat was actually another step in the fulfillment of Christ's promise. Christ promised that the Gospel is to go from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. This is exactly what is happening. Clearly, Christ is standing and ruling at the right hand of God as Stephen testified and witnessed. Does this defeat silence Christ’s mission?
Preaching to Unworthy People
We were just outside Jerusalem where Stephen was executed by a brutal mob. So, Philip went down to Samaria. This is unsettling because Samaria historically mixed pure worship with pagan worship. They have also shown hostility to the Jews and vice versa.
Why so much tension between Israel and Samaria? This is a place that was resettled by foreign peoples who mixed the worship of the Lord with the worship of their own gods (2 Kings 17). This is a place that not only refused to help rebuild the temple, but actively opposed it (Ezra 4). So, it is safe to say that we would not expect Samaria to be receptive to the Gospel.
We are reminded that the unworthy hear the Gospel. So often we can forget how unworthy we ourselves are. We can look at our upbringing, our knowledge of Scripture, our membership in the church, or the blessings we have received and begin to think that we are somehow more deserving of God's grace. However, we must remember that the gospel came to us as an unworthy people. The Lord has been gracious in progressively purifying or sanctifying us, but he receives the credit. We must always remember that his work in our sanctification does not make us worthy of his grace. It is his grace that is at work in us.
Preaching to Apparently Receptive People
Acts 8 also reminds us that outward reception of the gospel is not necessarily the same thing as genuine faith. Simon the magician heard Philip, witnessed the signs, and appeared to believe. In fact, Luke reports that he believed, was baptized, and was even amazed at what he witnessed (8:13). Luke is only reporting his observation. He does not know if Simon really embraced Christ or not. Simon only professes to believe.
Eventually, his fruits exposed his heart. Luke reports Simon's profession and baptism, but the subsequent events reveal that his profession was not genuine saving faith. Understand that Simon was not amazed by the Lord’s power, but by what the apostles possessed. He tried to buy their power, but man does not control the Holy Spirit. The Apostles could not sell the Holy Spirit even if they wanted to. Man cannot sell what man cannot control. Peter rebukes Simon harshly. Simon misses that the apostles not only bear witness to Christ’s work but also to the gospel going out. This is why Peter says that the Holy Spirit falls just as at the beginning. (11:15). The apostles do not bring the Holy Spirit as the norm. Rather, they testify to the Spirit’s work. They are testifying that this place, which should be hostile, has received the Spirit. You could almost hear the Jewish apostles report that if the Samaritans can be saved, how much more the Gentiles.
That is a danger for us as well. We can be around the things of God without truly submitting ourselves to God. We can admire Christianity, enjoy the blessings of the church, know our Bibles, and even make a profession of faith, while still wanting our lives to revolve around ourselves. We can want Christ's blessings without wanting Christ himself. Simon wanted the power of the Holy Spirit, but he did not want to truly surrender to Christ’s yoke.
Preaching with Principle
Peter therefore does not offer Simon a technique for obtaining spiritual power. He calls him to repentance. Peter says, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” (Acts 8:20-23)
Simon the magician was trying to be a better magician. He may have been dabbling with demonic influence, and certainly using deception to gain significance. He thought he could just acquire a new spiritual power, and then have even more significance. No, the apostles are moved by the Spirit. They do not move the Spirit. Peter's answer reminds us that God is not someone we manipulate or control. He is the living God. We do not harness him; we submit to him. His Spirit does not serve our ambitions. We are called to submit to the work of his Spirit.
Tragically, Simon does not obey, but rather begs Peter to pray for him. The prayer is not that Simon would turn, but that Peter’s pronouncement would not come true. Simon does not realize that Peter cannot change the terms of the gospel.
This is why the gospel must always be preached according to God's principles rather than our own. Philip goes where God sends him. Peter and John go into a place where they might reasonably have feared for their lives. They preach Christ, and they bear witness to the work of the Spirit. They are not building their own reputations. They are not trying to make themselves great. They are servants of Christ, and the gospel belongs to him.
Conclusion
And there is great comfort in that. Stephen has died, but the gospel continues. Persecution scatters the church, but the gospel continues. Even a man like Simon can appear to believe and reveal an unchanged heart, and the gospel continues. The success of Christ's kingdom does not depend upon the worthiness of the people who receive it or the strength of the people who proclaim it. The Lord himself preserves and advances his church.
Our covenant privileges are precious, and we should be thankful for them. We should teach our children the promises of God and rejoice that the Lord has placed us within his church. But we must never turn those privileges into a reason for thinking ourselves superior to those outside. The Samaritans remind us that God's grace reaches people we might never have chosen. We should be a humble people.
So let us remember where our worth is found. It is not in our family, our upbringing, our knowledge, our church membership, or our Christian accomplishments. Our righteousness is found in Christ. Our life is found in Christ. Our identity is found in Christ. Our peace is found in Christ. We come to him not as people who have earned the right to be there, but as sinners who have been received by grace.
We do not need to make ourselves great. We do not need to manipulate God or manufacture spiritual power. We simply need to bow before our Savior, trust his promises, and walk in faithful obedience. The same Lord who carried his gospel from Jerusalem to Samaria continues to preserve his church today. He will gather his people, sustain his people, and bring his gospel to its appointed end.
The gospel is for the unworthy. This means that the Gospel is for you and me. Thanks be to God that our hope does not rest upon our worthiness, but upon Christ and his finished work.