Introduction

The tree continues to grow. Unfortunately, many times it takes adversity and pain to bring about real growth. God used the stoning of Stephen and the subsequent persecution of his people to drive the disciples out of the comfort zone in Jerusalem and to venture into new territory.

In chapters 8-9 we see the fulfillment of the second part of Jesus commission in Acts 1:8. This week the message of the Kingdom of God branches out into the regions of Judea and Samaria.

As you can see in the illustration there are two major paths to the story in these chapters. The first is the process that God used to break down the centuries old barriers of hostility that existed between the Jews and the Samaritans. In one beautiful moment we will witness the coming together of Hebraic Jews, Grecian Jews, and Samaritans as they bask in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, bringing the broken pieces of God’s family into reconciliation and power.

The second road is that of Saul. The insertion of his story at this point of the narrative serves two purposes. First, with Saul converted, it brought an end to the immediate threat of persecution and allowed the newly expanded church to experience a period of peace. Secondly, it served as a foreshadowing of the upcoming main character of the second half of the story. For now, we meet Saul, and then send him off into obscurity for a season.

Outline

Monday: Its More than Magic

Tuesday: Breaking Down the Wall

Wednesday: God of the Globe

Thursday: An Unlikely Candidate

Friday: A Time of Peace

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Acts 8:2-13

What was Saul’s mission? Why?

What effect did the persecution have on the believers in Jerusalem? How does this seemingly devastating event play into God’s plan and Jesus’ instructions?

In order to really understand chapter 8, and to grasp the significant role that this story plays in Luke’s theological development, it is important for us to look at who the Samaritans were and what relationship the Samaritans had with the Hebraic Jews.

Read 2 Kings 17.

What happened to the people of Samaria? ( Samaria was the capital city of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. In the book of Acts this same area was called Samaria)

Why did God allow this to happen?

What did the Assyrians do to the captives (v. 24)? How did this affect the region?

How would you describe the people of Samaria?

If you were a Jew, during the book of Acts, who was a descendant of the tribe of Judah, and you worshipped at the temple in Jerusalem, how do you think you would feel toward the Samaritans?

What affect did Philip’s preaching have on the people of Samaria?

What kind of man was Simon? How did the people regard him? Why?

How did Simon view the power that the apostles had? (You’ll have to peek into tomorrow’s reading and read through v. 25) Why?

In what way was Simon’s view of the Holy Spirit skewed? In what ways can you see this concept of God’s power being misunderstood in our own culture?

It’s More than Magic

In the 1 st century the practice of the magic arts was widespread across the world. Even though it was officially illegal according to the Roman law, it was common practice among the people. The basis of magic was a belief in the spiritual forces of the universe. Each group had its own names for the spiritual realities. Some thought that they were gods and goddesses, others thought they were the spirits of Earth, Wind, and Fire (not to be confused with the 70’s band). The purpose of magic was to use rituals and incantations to harness the powers of the universe in order to accomplish the desires of the magician. In other words, the magician felt that he or she could manipulate the “gods” or the “forces” of the cosmos and bring them into submission to their desires.

Luke places this story in the narrative of Acts for a very specific reason. He wanted to make it crystal clear to his readers that the miracles – the “signs and wonders”—that were associated with the coming of the Holy Spirit were in no way, shape, or form a type of magic. This is important to note because the magicians were able to heal people and perform the same kinds of signs and wonders that the apostles experienced. At the experiential level the phenomenon of the apostles was not uncommon and they could be easily misinterpreted as common magic. Remember the story of Moses’ showdown with the magicians of Egypt. To them, Moses’ miracles were nothing more than simple parlor tricks.

Luke emphasizes that the work of the Holy Spirit is just that, it is the work of the Holy Spirit, not the magical incantations of the apostles. There are two important points to keep clear when attempting to understand the miracles of Acts and the work of the Holy Spirit. First, the miracles were always associated with the clear teaching of the Word of God and the message of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. Secondly, the apostles did not conjure up the “magic” to “make things happen.” Instead, the apostles were simply humble servants who were willing to go where the Spirit led them and left the activity of the Spirit up to him. Do you see the difference? Magicians sought to control the forces for their own will through manipulation. The follower of Jesus is simply focused on the truth of Jesus’ Word and open to be used as a servant, following the will and agenda of God.

Before you dismiss this topic as irrelevant for our lives in the 21 st century, be aware that magic is alive and well. In many ways the 21 st century and the 1 st century are very similar. In both centuries we find ourselves in an extremely diverse, multicultural mixing pot of races, religions, and ideologies. We also find ourselves in a culture where there is no dominant philosophy that governs each person, but rather a general void in the area of real meaning and purpose in the world. People are scrambling to find meaning in a world that is bigger and more confusing than they can handle. In both centuries, given this religious vacuum, people flock to the experiential power that is readily available in the practice of magic.

Here’s the deal. There are spiritual forces at play in the universe that are intrinsically intertwined with the physical energy of the universe. In increasing numbers, through what we generically call the “New Age Movement,” people are learning that you can, indeed, tap into and harness the “energy” of the universe and use it for your own advantage. This is a reality. The dangerous thing is that the practitioners of this art use incredibly “spiritual” language. They even use Biblical language and speak of being followers of Jesus. There are many people in our world who are performing miracles, in the name of Jesus, but are actually functioning under the basic premise of magic, just like Simon.

So, as followers of Jesus, it is important that we learn the lesson that Luke intended with the story of Simon. A strong temptation that we face when we encounter the power of the Holy Spirit is to desire to harness that power, bottle it up, and sell it as our own. We want to be powerful and do great things. We want God to work through us the way he works through other people. We all want to be Peter who can heal people with his shadow and be the conduit of the Holy Spirit with the touch of our hand. The truth is, however, that we aren’t all Peter. Peter was simply a vessel that had been broken down by God and brought into submission to God’s will. So, too, should we be careful to not be seduced by the power that is available through the “truly spiritual” who seek to manipulate God to meet their own will. We are humble servants. If God wants to raise someone from the dead through our touch, then we need to be willing to obey that, if he wants us to clean toilets and care for the dying in Calcutta, then we need to be willing to do that, or if he wants us to change our children’s diapers and provide a nurturing environment for our family, then we need to be willing to do that as well.

Just for Kids

In our story today, we meet a man who practices magic. When you hear the word “magic” what comes to your mind?

What kind of things was this man able to do?

How did the people react to what he did? Why?

It is important to understand that there are two kinds of magic. The first is an entertainment that is called illusion. This kind of “magic” is simply the art of learning how to trick people’s eyes with illusions, like pulling a quarter from behind your ear or making a handkerchief disappear in your hand. These are simply tricks that can be learned. They are fun and harmless.

There is another kind of magic, however, that is not fun and harmless. Simon practiced this kind of magic. It is called witchcraft, sorcery, divination, fortune telling, etc. The reason it is important to bring this up in the study today is because you will be exposed to this kind of magic on television, movies, and other forms of media everyday. In our world people think that making potions, casting spells, and reading fortunes is fun and harmless. Some even say that it is good for you and is what God wants. As a follower of Jesus it is important to understand that magic of this kind is not from God at all. There are spiritual forces in the universe that are powerful and dangerous. Because God is our loving Father, he does not want us to get hurt by them.

Read Deuteronomy 18:9-13 and Galatians 5:19-21 to find out how God feels about magic.

Spend some time talking with your parents about any ways that you may have been exposed to this kind of magic – either on TV or at school. It is important to tell your parents about these kinds of things so that your heart will stay clean and you will be safe.

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Tuesday

Acts 8:14-25

Why did Peter and John go to Samaria?

Why would this event have required a special investigation by Peter and John?

What special event happened when Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritan believers?

What questions does this raise for you? Why?

Review Acts 6:1-6. What was the ethnic tension present in the church of Jerusalem? What kind of Jew was Peter? What kind of Jew was Philip? What kind of ethnic tension existed between the Jews and the Samaritans?

Observation: In this story we see a Grecian Jew presenting the message, a Hebraic Jew (and a founding Apostle) endorsing the event, and a group of Samaritans receiving the promised Holy Spirit at the hands of a Jew. This is truly a miracle and the first glimpse of the kind of Kingdom that Jesus intended to bring to the Earth.

Breaking Down the Wall

Look at the title of the study this week: Judea and Samaria. In our culture, that would be like saying “Nazi and Jew” or “KKK and African American” or “Israeli and Palestinian.” The Jews and the Samaritans hated each other. The point of this lesson is to understand that the Kingdom of God, the “Good News” that Jesus brought, was that, in God’s eyes, there is no distinction between ethnicity.

When God made the covenant to Abraham He promised that through Abraham’s nation all nations would be blessed. Unfortunately, Abraham’s descendents forgot about that. Instead they turned to idolatry which led to inner corruption which led to a civil war that ripped the nation apart. Since the day Jeroboam stormed out of Jerusalem and said, “I don’t need you people, I can do things the way I want, and to blazes with this stinking family!” things never worked well for the nation. The family was torn in two between the northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Israel was steeped in witchcraft and was eventually destroyed by the Assyrians. Judah wrestled through cycles of idolatry and obedience, until it was finally destroyed by the Babylonians. 500 years later the beautiful child of God, called Israel, lay in a miserable heap of wounded brothers who hate each other and harbor deep roots of bitterness and resentment as they squabble over theological issues.

The Hebraic Jews neglected the Grecian Jews and the Grecian Jews looked down on the Hebraic Jews. We saw that last week. Both the Hebraic Jews and the Grecian Jews despised the Samaritans. How could God possibly bless the world through the conduit of Israel when it was so deeply divided as a nation?

It is against this backdrop that Acts 8 is told. One of the biggest questions raised in this chapter is “Why did the Holy Spirit not pour out on the Samaritans when they believed?” The best way to make sense of this question is to see it against this cultural and political backdrop. Philip was a Grecian Jew. We saw in ch. 6 that the Grecian Jews were struggling with issues in the church between them and the Hebraic Jews. Had the Holy Spirit come upon the Samaritans at the hands of Philip it would have opened up the church to the possibility of creating factions between the three entities. Some Hebraic Jews could have invalidated the experience as being some kind of magical masquerade that was done at the hands of “those meddling Greeks and Samaritans.” God, in his Sovereign Grace and love for his family, allowed the Holy Spirit to be kept at bay in order to force Peter and John to go and investigate.

“Believing Samaritans,” they must have thought to themselves, “this is impossible. We need to check it out for ourselves.”

So then, we see a beautiful snapshot of the Kingdom of God. In this scene we have a Hebraic Jew, a Grecian Jew, and a Samaritan all standing together. Only then did God allow the Spirit to pour out and draw these warring factions into a bond of peace. Once again Abraham’s family is healed and brought into unity so that God can fulfill his promise and bless the world through them.

Here’s the irony of this passage. This beautiful picture of unity in the body of Christ that comes through humble submission to the movement of the Holy Spirit and openness to God’s love for all people has become one of the greatest stumbling blocks and tools for dissension in the church over the past century. Some people have said that this story proves that there is a concept called the second baptism of the Holy Spirit that comes only through the laying on of hands from God’s anointed and that this process is the only way it can legitimately happen. Others in the church disagree and say that the stories of Acts were only true for that generation and there are no supernatural manifestations in the modern church. The church has become polarized, divided, and vindictive toward one another much the same way the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah were in the Old Testament.

As we study through Acts we will learn one important truth. When the Holy Spirit shows up he never has a pattern. Sometimes he fills people before baptism, sometimes he comes after baptism. Sometimes there is the presence of speaking in tongues, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes there is no mention of any signs involved. In Acts 8, the Spirit was kept back in order to bring unity in the body. The point is that it was God’s choice, not the disciples. If there is one thing that we can learn from Acts it’s that we do not get to dictate to God how, when, or where He can work or what it will look like when he does. He is God and we are not. We are simply called to be submitted to him and open to be obedient to his directions.

In John 17 Jesus prayed that his people would be one, just as he and the Father are one. May we, as a church, allow ourselves to be open to the mysterious ways of God and realize that we can’t tell him what to do or how to do it. Our job is to love one another and simply obey the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Just for Kids

What does the phrase “they fight like cats and dogs” mean?

Who are some groups of people that you know of in our world that “fight like cats and dogs?” Why do they have such a hard time getting along?

In the world during the writing of Acts, the Jews and Samaritans were like cats and dogs. They hated each other and had been like that for hundreds of years. Knowing that these two groups of people hated each other makes our story even more incredible. Here we see Jews and Samaritans coming together and becoming united through the Spirit of God.

That is what the Kingdom of God is all about – bringing people together to break down their hatred for each other and share in God’s love together.

Are there any people in your life that you have a hard time loving? Why? Spend some time praying for them today. Ask God to let his Spirit give you the power to love that person.

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Wednesday

Acts 8:26-40

It’s time to use your Bible Atlas again. Where is Gaza? Is it north or south from Jerusalem?

What can you observe about the position, character and religious beliefs of the eunuch?

Where is Ethiopia? What kinds of people live there? (This is not found in the text, but the same kind of people live there today)

Through what line of reasoning and explanation did Philip explain the message of Jesus? Why?

What role does the Holy Spirit play in this story? How does the role of the Holy Spirit differ in this story from the story of the Samaritans? Why do you suppose the difference exists?

Where does Philip end up? (Keep this in mind for next week)

God of the Globe

Throughout history the term “Christianity” came to be identified as a European institution. In the Middle Ages this was so true that the Geographical region of Western Europe was called “Christendom.”

In our reading today we have a refreshing reminder that from the very beginning the message of Jesus was spread to all parts of the world. Yesterday we saw that Philip went to the north and brought the message to the Samaritans. Today he went to the south and brought the message to the Ethiopians.

We must keep this in context. To the Roman mind, Ethiopia was on the farthest southern edge of the world. They really could not conceive of anything beyond it since the majority of the northern region of Africa was spanned by the impassable Sahara desert. Ethiopia was the southernmost region of the Red Sea, beyond which lay only mystery for the Roman mind.

For our cultural context it is important to note one simple thing: the Ethiopians are very dark skinned. Here this – Christianity is not white man’s religion! In this story we see the gospel reaching Africa in the infancy of the church. From church history we discover that some of the original apostles journeyed far east and took the message of Jesus to India and Asia. God’s design from the very beginning was that all people would know his love and be in unity with one another. Over time, due to various political issues, the early church became divided and the Asian and African church was cut off from the European church. It is one of the greatest tools of Satan to divide the church across ethnic and doctrinal lines in order to keep us focused on our differences so that we cannot acknowledge the love of God.

In our world of global communication and a growing interchange between cultures, we have an opportunity that was never before possible. We can begin to build bridges of unity between the Western Church, the African church, and the Asian church. We are one body, with one Spirit, and one Lord. Imagine what could happen if there was true, global unity in the body of Christ.

If nothing else, may this study be a simple awareness tool to always remember that whatever ethnic origin you may be from, it is not the center of the universe. We are all parts in God’s family. May we ride off today, like the Ethiopian eunuch, rejoicing in the kaleidoscopic Kingdom of God!

Just for Kids

Today we are going to look at our maps again.

Find Samaria and mark it on your map.

Now find Ethiopia. (You may have to look at a world map)

Today we need to look at a fact that many people tend to forget. The message of Jesus has been in Africa since the beginning. The Ethiopian Eunuch took the message back with him and the church began. Today the Christian church in Ethiopia is the oldest church in the world. Because the story of Acts focuses just on the events that happen around the Mediterranean Sea in southern Europe, it is easy to forget that other apostles took the message to Asia and Africa. God loves the whole world, not just a certain kind of person from a certain place.

There is a lot of famine, war, and disease in Ethiopia right now and they need prayer and assistance. Spend some time praying for the people in Ethiopia and ask God to heal the people there.

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Thursday

Acts 9:1-30

What does the tern “meanwhile” mean in the flow of a story?

When we last saw Saul (ch. 7) what was he doing?

What was Saul’s intention for going to Damascus? Why?

Who appeared to Saul on the way to Damascus? How?

What physical affects did this encounter have on Saul?

What spiritual affects did this encounter have on Saul?

If you were Ananias, and had heard that Saul was coming to persecute your church, what struggles may have you had at the Lord’s request?

How did Jesus describe Saul in vv. 15-16? What would his life be like from this point on?

What role does the Holy Spirit play in Saul’s conversion? How is this account similar or different from previous stories in Acts (Acts 2 at Pentecost; Acts 8 with the Samaritans; Acts 8 with the Eunuch) regarding the role and activity of the Holy Spirit?

In what ways is the choosing of Saul a great irony? Why?

How did the people of Damascus respond to the new Saul? Why?

Who came to Saul’s defense and aid in Jerusalem?

Why did Saul get shipped off to Tarsus?

An Unlikely Candidate

Here are two simple observations from this very famous story:

1. God seems to use the most unlikely candidates to do his work. On the morning that Saul left for Damascus no one would have ever predicted that this man would become a great ambassador for the message that he was trying to stamp out. Saul was a man that was highly educated and incredibly zealous for the politics of Jerusalem. Having been born in Tarsus, a city on the southern coast of Turkey, Saul was both a Roman citizen and a Greek by culture. However, by choice he submitted himself to the rabbinical training of the Pharisees in Jerusalem and was fast moving up the ladder of power. No doubt this rampage to Damascus would bode well for his future in the Sanhedrin Council. Indeed, this man was a ball of energetic, but misguided potential. So Jesus stopped Him in his tracks and changed his life forever.

2. God put Saul on the backburner of obscurity for 13 years before he resurfaced. Throughout scripture we see the repeated story that God leads his future leaders through an experiential desert before he allows them to emerge as broken and purified vessels for him. Saul is not exception. On the day that he sailed for Tarsus there were probably many heads swaging in the Sanhedrin council, mourning the loss of such great potential. “What a waste, such a good mind, blinded and left on the scrap heap,” they may have thought. And then he was gone from the radar. That must have been difficult for Saul to accept. Yet, it was through that time that God prepared him for the journeys that lay ahead.

Here is a challenge for today. When you meet someone in the course of your life, don’t be too quick to pass judgment on them. Had you met Saul on the day of Stephen’s stoning you would have most likely dismissed him as a lost cause. Also, if you meet someone who seems to be a nobody, don’t be too quick to treat them as such. Had you met Saul on his boat ride to Tarsus, you may have not even noticed him and looked for someone really important with which to associate.

These same lenses can be used for your view of yourself. If you are experiencing a dry time in your life, or if you feel like you don’t deserve the difficult circumstances in your life, just remember that God could very well be preparing you for something of which you cannot even currently imagine. Remember, its God’s Kingdom and His timing, not ours.

Just for Kids

Today it would be fun to act out the story of Saul on the road to Damascus. You will need three main players. If you have more than three, the remaining players can be Saul’s companions on the road.

Players:

Saul – he is angry with the followers of Jesus and wants to go to Damascus to round them up and through them in jail.

Jesus – we only hear his voice as he flashes a bright light at Saul and stops him in his tracks.

Ananias – he is a follower of Jesus that is scared of Saul. Jesus asks him to be kind to Saul and help him discover how to become of follower of Jesus.

The scene

Have Saul and his companions start on one end of the room. We’ll call this Jerusalem. Ananias sits at the other end of the room. This is Damascus. Jesus stands in the middle of the room, either under a light or holding a flashlight.

Action

Saul acts angry and says,

“I’m going to get those Jesus followers and I’ve got the papers to put them in the slammer!”

(Have some paper rolled up like a scroll)

He storms across the room toward Damascus.

Jesus:

““Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Place a bandana or blindfold around Saul’s eyes. His companions lead him to Damascus.

Ananias is sitting in a position of prayer.

Jesus:

Ananias!

Ananias:

Yes, Lord?

Jesus:

Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight

Ananias:

“I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name

Jesus:

Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name

Ananias puts his hand on Saul.

Ananias

Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Take the blindfold off of Saul. Saul praises God and Ananias baptizes him.

End of play

How do you think Ananias felt when Jesus said that Saul was coming?

How do you think Saul felt when he was blind? How did he feel when his sight was restored?

Isn’t it amazing that God likes to choose the least likely candidate to be his tool?

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Friday

Acts 9:31-43

Let’s look closely at v. 31.

What are the three geographical regions mentioned to describe the church? How is this different from the first portrait of the church painted in Acts 2:42-47?

What did God, through the Holy Spirit, do for the church?

In what attitude did the church operate?

OK, get out your maps again. Where are Lydda and Joppa?

What miracle was performed in Lydda? To whom was credit given for this miracle?

What effect did the miracle have on the people of the area?

What kind of a person was Dorcas?

What miracle happened concerning Dorcas?

How did this miracle affect that city?

A Time of Peace

This little passage in the story of Acts is a transitional passage that serves two important purposes.

First, it demonstrates a picture of the Kingdom of God in its original design. When the peace of God rules, then there is healing and resurrection. The Kingdom of God, ruled by the Prince of Peace, floods its people with life, purpose, and energy. We, as citizens of this Kingdom, can be focused and able to live in the full health of God’s loving design for humanity. While this is the standard and the ideal, we must remember that we live in the reality of being “already, but not yet.” This snapshot of the Kingdom is the ideal. It provides a picture of the hope that keeps us going. Yet, the reality is that we still live in a world that is inundated with forces that are contrary to God’s peace. We are still at war. Peter, the one who was a conduit of healing and resurrection was, himself, crucified at the hands of an evil empire. In this passage the Holy Spirit, through the hands of the author Luke, gives us that refreshing reminder that things can be different. There can be peace. We just need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus.

The second purpose for the passage is to set us up for the next part of the story. Peter has just come through what must have seemed to him as a huge struggle and breakthrough in his spiritual transformation. God had just stretched him beyond his imagination when he used him to bring the Holy Spirit to the Samaritans. But now, after the uncomfortable stretching process was over, we see Peter freely passing through an ethnically mixed region and experiencing a substantial level of peace and a moment of basking in the peaceful bliss of the realized Kingdom of God. He had just come out of a difficult valley and was twirling on the mountain top.

Here’s the thing about the spiritual journey of transformation. Enjoy the mountain top while you have it, because it is often just the quiet before another storm of God’s stretching process in your life. Peter was about to experience a stretch that he had never imagined. In chapter 9 he may have felt that he had reached the goal. After all, God had reconciled the nation of Israel through bond of peace. Israel was whole; God’s covenant promise to Abraham was being fulfilled. From now on it would be smooth sailing. When he got to Joppa he thought he would just take a little breather on Simon the Tanner’s roof and meditate in the blissful peace of God’s kingdom. Little did he know that a message from God was coming that would blow him away! But that’s for next week.

For now, let’s always keep the hope of God’s ideal in mind. And remember that even through the valleys when God stretches us, we can know this same peace. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 3:12 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.”

Just for Kids

Do you know what the word “Shalom” means? It is the Hebrew word for peace. In the Hebrew, to wish someone “Shalom” meant that you hoped their whole life was healthy and safe.

When Peter healed Aeneas and raised Dorcas from the dead he was demonstrating what real “Shalom” looks like. In the Kingdom of God there is real peace and real health.

In this world we still struggle with sickness and death. How does it make you feel when you know that people get sick and die every day?

How would you feel if everyone could be healed from their sickness and not have to die?

Jesus said that his Kingdom would be like that. Sometimes God allows us to witness miracles of healing and resurrection in this life, and that is awesome. We should pray for that. Yet, the real hope of “Shalom” is that someday we will experience Jesus’ Kingdom in its complete state. In that day there will be no sickness and no death.

How does it make you feel to know that you can have God’s “Shalom” today?

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