Persecution and the Spread of the Gospel | Acts 8:1-25
- Series: "Pandemic" - The Gospel Unleashed
- by: Chris Mayfield 03/07/10
Persecution and the Spread of the Gospel
We see the legacy that three different men are building for themselves in these verses. First we see Saul (Paul) who was destroying the church, and that doesn’t mean church buildings. It means the people. He was rounding up Christians so that they could be beaten, imprisoned, questioned, made to renounce their faith and even murdered. He was doing of all this in the name of religion. And in spite of Saul’s best efforts, the gospel still spread throughout the entire region.
Then we see Philip who, by his faith in Jesus Christ, built up the church in an area where it previously had not existed. With his preaching and miraculous signs he brought people to faith in Christ, and the gospel spread.
Lastly, we see Simon the Sorcerer who had been winning the popularity contest in Samaria. All he wanted in life was fame and fortune, and he was willing to adopt the latest and greatest fads into his lifestyle to achieve it. He stood for nothing, believed only in himself, and had no problems misleading others in Samaria. Yet, in spite of Simon, the gospel filled Samaria.
These men had legacies of either trying to block or aid the gospel of Jesus Christ. God is powerful enough though that it didn’t matter. Just like with these three men, God can use us or go around us, but why wouldn’t we want to be in the middle of something powerful, life changing, and inspiring? All we need to do for our part is to make ourselves available to be used by God and to then be obedient to his leading.
Engage the Text
- Why didn’t God protect the church from being persecuted if he wanted it to grow?
- What significance is there in Philip preaching the gospel in Samaria? What passage of Scripture foretold the gospel coming to Samaria?
- Was the gospel what Simon desired or just the ability to perform signs and wonders?
- Peter told Simon to pray to the Lord, but Simon's response to that rebuke was for Peter to pray on his behalf. What was Simon missing out on here? What did he not understand?
From Thought to Action
- How would the way in which you live out your faith change if you knew people were going house to house looking for Christians so they could punish them (including killing them)?
- When your life seems to get turned upside down, do you put the gospel on hold or put it into practice?
- Have you ever valued the gospel for the wrong reasons? How have you come to Jesus for selfish reasons? Share an example.
