Acts 8:4-8

 Jesus gave very clear marching orders before He ascended into heaven. ◦ “Go... and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt 28:19). ◦ “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15).  Do we follow His orders as we ought?

v 4

 “Those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). ◦ The apostles did not leave Jerusalem.  “Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles” (Acts 8:1). ◦ “Ordinary” Christians left Jerusalem.

 These “ordinary” Christians went everywhere preaching the word. ◦ They didn’t want for the apostles to do all the work. ◦ Too many Christians want to practice Christianity by “proxy.”

 Each Christians has been called to minister. ◦ “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (Jn 15:2). ◦ “My brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another--to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God” (Rom 7:4). ◦ “You wicked and lazy servant” (Matt 25:26).

 Atheist to a preacher: “If I believed what you Christians say you believe about a coming judgment, and that impenitent rejectors of Christ will be lost, I would crawl on my bare knees on crushed glass all over London, warning men, night and day, to flee for refuge from the coming day of wrath!”

vv 5-7

 Philip went to a city in Samaria and preached Christ. ◦ “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). ◦ Philip preached to people the Jews considered illegimate!

 No one is unworthy of hearing the Gospel! ◦ “God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen 1:27). ◦ “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (Jn 3:16).

 Philip performed a host of miracles in Samaria.  Miracles were to confirm the word. ◦ The apostles “went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs” (Mk 16:20). ◦ Heb 2:3-4.

We cannot perform miracles to confirm the word

 In one sense, I believe miracles still confirm the word. ◦ “Truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (Jn 20:30-31). ◦ If people have doubts, we need to take them to Scripture to see Jesus.

 We also need authority for what we speak. ◦ “I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak” (Jn 12:49). ◦ “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God” (1 Pet 4:11).

v 8

 “There was great joy in that city.”  Samaritans likely had joy for two reasons: ◦ The Prophet of whom Moses wrote had come into the world. ◦ The people had a new lease on life.

 As we share Jesus with people around us, they will also rejoice. ◦ After the eunuch had found Jesus and was baptized, “he went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:39). ◦ Let us share the message of Jesus that people might have joy!