Acts 8 Studies

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each chapter is divided into a number of studies and each study or passage has a simple four-Part, verse-by-verse approach, to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Acts 8:1-8

1 And Saul approved of their killing him.

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. 4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.

8 So there was great joy in that city.

A. Find Out:

1. Who were scattered that day? v.1
2. What happened to Stephen? v.2
3. What did Saul do? v.3
4. What did the scattered church do? v.4
5. What did Philip do? v.5
6. With what effect? v.6,7

B. Think:

1. How did the persecution have good effect?
2. What does it say about the Christians that they preached as they went?
3. How did the Lord show He was clearly with Philip?

C. Comment:

We sometimes think of persecution in very negatives ways, but here we see that this wave of opposition to the church had very positive results. But first see the cause of the persecution: the “apparent blasphemy” has been dealt with by the “lynch mob” and the religious establishment has taken a first real step since killing Jesus, to quell this religious uprising. A young zealous Pharisee by the name of Saul, presumably with the authority of the Sanhedrin, went out hunting down known Christians in Jerusalem , and put them in prison. On what basis? Presumably on the basis of keeping the peace! Ungodliness so often reverses the truth!

But now, let’s observe what happened as a result. The Christians of Jerusalem fled – all except the apostles who presumably were still held in some awe by the authorities – but instead of going meekly and silently, wherever they went they talked about what had been happening. So although Satan might have intended to shut down the new faith, the persecution in fact had exactly the opposite effect! When Philip, one of the recently appointed deacons, escaped to Samaria and told what he knew had happened, the Lord confirmed his message with signs and wonders. The Lord is in all this!!!!

D. Application:

1. Persecution tries to oppose but results in growth.
2. Persecution is unpleasant for Christians but releases new life. When it     comes, God’s grace will be there for us though.

Passage: Acts 8:9-13

9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practised sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, ‘This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.’ 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

A. Find Out:

1. What had Simon done and what had he thought of himself? v.9
2. What had the people thought of him? v.10
3. Why had they followed him? v.11
4. What had happened when Philip had come? v.12
5. What had happened to Simon? v.13

B. Think:

1. What had apparently made Simon famous?
2. Yet what had changed that?
3. What does that tell us?

C. Comment:

In Star Wars films they say, “the Force be with you” and New Age followers use similar language but the force they speak about is quite different from the Holy Spirit in at least three ways: first it is impersonal, second it is under the control of people and third it glorifies people. That was obviously true of Simon. He used “a power” and he was glorified as a result. It was something under his control and he used it to make himself look great. But then things changed!

Philip arrived and, inspired by the Holy Spirit, started to share the Gospel. The Holy Spirit then confirmed the message by healing and delivering many. It was obvious to all and sundry that this was something far superior to the conjuring up power that Simon had been doing, and many people believed and came to Christ Simon himself realised the difference and he also came to Christ.

The ‘real’ ‘always exposes the imitation! When the power of God is genuinely moving, it exposes dead tradition and false imitation. It is GOD moving and exercising His sovereign will as He works out His plans and purposes, and he cannot be manipulated or controlled. He is the Lord and He will not put up with challengers (see 1 Sam 5)

D. Application:

1. Do we accept dead, lifeless orthodoxy? Do we need to cry out to the Lord  to come in transforming power?  
2. Do we know the living presence of God among us that exposes the     deception of New Age for what it is!

Passage: Acts 8:14-25

14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, ‘Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’

20 Peter answered: ‘May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.’

24 Then Simon answered, ‘Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.’

25 After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

A. Find Out:

1. Who sent who, from where to where? v.14
2. Why did they pray for the new disciples? v.15,16
3. What happened when they prayed? v.17
4. What did Simon d when he saw this? v.18,19
5. What was Peter’s response? v.20-23
6. What did Peter & John do afterwards? v.25

B. Think:

1. What deficit did the two apostles make good?
2. What does that seem to indicate about the ministry of an apostle?
3. Why was Simon so wrong?

C. Comment:

The word of what was happening in Samaria filtered back to Jerusalem and so the apostles who were still there decided to send Peter and John to go and check out that all was well. This was really the first time that the Gospel was recorded as having been preached away from Jerusalem and they obviously felt they ought to check to see that the whole truth was being preached. When the arrived they found that the word had been right and the fruit of salvation had been good but yet the Holy Spirit did not seem to have been imparted in power.

So Peter and John lay hands on the new believers and impart the powerful presence of God as they pray. Now the impartation was something that was quite obvious, by Simon’s reaction; it was quite obvious that something was happening, although in this case we are not told what. When Simon saw what was happening he wanted the ability to pass on this power but felt that he could buy it and he had to realise that that is not how it happens!

The main thing that we should note here is that there was a power impartation from the Spirit that came subsequent to a person becoming a believer, subsequent to people being baptized in water. It was “given” (v.18) when prayed for with laying on of hands by those in authority, and it was quite obvious.

D. Application:

1. Is our understanding of the “salvation package” deficient?
2. Have we received the power of the Spirit in our lives, obviously?

Passage: Acts 8:26-30

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road – the desert road – that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means ‘queen of the Ethiopians’). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’

30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked.

A. Find Out:

1. Who spoke to Philip? v.26a
2. What did he tell him to do? v.26b
3. What are we told about the man he met? v.27
4. What was he doing now? v.28
5. Who told Philip to do what? v.29
6. What did he hear when he did that? v.30a

B. Think:

1. What two forms of guidance are clear here in this passage?
2. How was it step by step guidance only though?
3. What are the indications that the Ethiopian was a seeker?

C. Comment:

Note first the FORMS of Guidance here: first Philip is guided by an angel and then by the Holy Spirit. Why an angel? Well it is sometimes said that angels turn up to guide us when little else will move us. Philip had been involved in an exciting time when the Spirit of God was saving, delivering and healing many. To leave all this and go south to the desert seems crazy, and so the Lord sends an angel to communicate with Philip so there is no doubt in his mind. When the Lord needs to take us in a completely different direction, He will make it quite clear to us. Rest in that! He understands our uncertainties and will meet us in them.

Note second, the NATURE of the guidance: it is just sufficient for the moment. The Lord doesn’t tell him why to go down on the desert road, and He doesn’t tell him what he’ll find when he arrives at the chariot; He simply gives him sufficient instruction to move ahead. We need to remember that we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor 5:7).

Finally note the OUTCOME of this guidance: he comes to a prepared situation. The man has been to worship, and is now reading Scripture; he is a prepared man. The Lord sends us to situations He knows all about and has been working in already. Trust Him, it is so!

D. Application:

1. The form of guidance matches the importance of the need.
2. The guidance will be sufficient for the moment. Just obey it.

Passage: Acts 8:30-40

30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked.

31 ‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?’ So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
    and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
    Who can speak of his descendants?
    For his life was taken from the earth.’

34 The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’ 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

36 As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?’ 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and travelled about, preaching the

gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

A. Find Out:

1.  What had the man been doing? v.30,32,33
2. What did Philip ask and what reply did he receive? v.30b,31a
3. What happened and what did the man ask? v.31b,34
4. So what did Philip do? v.35
5. With what result? v.36-38
6. What happened afterwards? v.39,40

B. Think:

1. How is this clearly a “prepared man”?
2. What signs are there that the Ethiopian accepted the Gospel?
3. Read Acts 21:8 What seems to be the outcome of this story?

C. Comment:

Philip, in obedience to the leading from the angel and the Holy Spirit, arrives alongside the chariot, presumably travelling slowly or possibly having stopped for a break, only to hear Scripture being read out loud. He boldly enquires if the man understands what he is reading and when the influential Ethiopian invites him to join him, Philip shares the Gospel with him. The man obviously receives what he is told as he soon wants to be baptised, part of the package for new believers! As soon as that is done the Lord takes Philip off to a nearby town and eventually on to Caesarea where, twenty years later on, he appears settled and with a family.      

We have at the end of this chapter a remarkable account of a “divine appointment”, an encounter set up by the Lord. We see a spiritually hungry man, met by a divinely sent evangelist, and a particularly appropriate moment. The outcome is then salvation! The challenge to us must be to ask the Lord of the harvest to send us, His workers, out with a sensitivity to His leading that will result in divine appointments where prepared and hungry people can meet with willing messengers.   

D. Application:

1.  The Lord looks for those who will willingly obey the prompting of His     Spirit, to go wherever He sends.
2. When we go under His leading, He will take us to prepared people who are hungry for the Gospel.