Day 105, Acts 8
Great power was released by Stephen’s death, because he was a man captured and transformed by the love of God in Jesus.
Today we see great power of another kind. When God’s Kingdom advances, even through suffering and martyrdom, the kingdom of darkness reacts, and over-reacts. Saul persecutes the Church and the believers are scattered. This was part of the fulfillment of God’s commission: to fill the earth with the good news by making disciples as you go.
First stop in this spread of persecuted believers was Samaria (the theological outcasts of the time) - they had some belief, but they didn’t know God’s presence yet, because their history was messed up!
Now, though, anything is possible, as persecution overturns all the previous norms (rather as the pandemic did in recent years). Philip holds a salvation, healing, deliverance crusade and the city is changed! Peter and John go to join Philip to make sure these new believers receive the Holy Spirit, and Simon the Sorcerer thinks he can buy this amazing gift of the Holy Spirit’s power. For a guy who is the greatest magician around (verse 10) to be impressed there must have been some power on display! After a rebuke from Peter (mindful of the fate of Ananias and Sapphira) Simon repents and is saved.
Meanwhile Philip obediently goes to roadside assignment where he meets a government minister from Ethiopia, explains the good news to him, and baptizes him! This is the beginning of the Ethiopian Church, one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. And Philip is supernaturally translated to another city at least 15 miles away! That sort of sudden change was almost normal by now. How different life is today.
Have a great day!
Mark.
N.B. Some of you have asked about further reading around the contrast between the Church in the Book of Acts and the Church today. Another book I would highly recommend is N.T. Wright and Michael Bird’s in-depth volume “The New Testament In Its World”. This book will help anyone studying the early Church to understand it accurately and in context.