ACTS 8:9

We are continuing to look at what happened to Philip when he went to the city of Samaria with the gospel of Christ. Acts 8:9-11 says, “But there was a certain man called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, this man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.” There are several interesting things that we see in the person of Simon the sorcerer. It appears that he becomes a believer, but before that happens we see that he is a false teacher. As a false teacher there are a couple of things about Simon that are common with many other false teachers.

First, Simon was a very bad influence on the people. It says that he “bewitched the people of Samaria.” The word that is translated “bewitched” means “amazed” or “astonished.” In other words Simon had a big influence on these people: he got their attention. The desire to get attention is what drove him and what motivated him. As a false teacher, what did Simon primarily speak about? He spoke about himself. Verse nine says that he gave “out that himself was some great one.” This is a very common tactic of a false teacher: to lift up themselves and to bring honor and glory to themselves and to their own names. The purpose of a teacher of the truth should be to bring honor and glory to God and to teach things so that the name of Christ is lifted up. False teachers never have that goal. Jesus spoke about this phenomenon and said in John 7:18, “He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.” Listen to people carefully: listen to whom they speak about. If they speak about themselves, they seek their own glory and they are like Simon the sorcerer.

Simon sought his own glory, and evidently he was good at using fair words and high-sounding phrases because the people said about Simon, “This man is the great power of God.” The people said this, but they were wrong. People usually are wrong when they honor any man too much. The four and twenty elders that John saw in his vision knew very well who should be honored. They said in Revelation 3:11, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

In Acts 8:12-13 we are shown one more time the connection between belief and baptism. It says, “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.” First they believed and then afterwards, after some time passed, they were baptized. Water baptism is not a part of salvation. Belief on the Lord Jesus Christ brings salvation, and then after believing on Him, you are eligible to be baptized. This is why Baptists baptize people after they make public professions of faith in Christ and never baptize infants. That is the way it was done in the New Testament, not just in the book of Acts, but in all of the New Testament.

In Acts 8:14-17 the Bible says, “Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost. For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.”

Concerning the receiving of the Holy Spirit after salvation that obviously took place in this incident, this is not something that is taught or seen in most of the rest of the New Testament. In the teachings of the epistles that were written some time after these kinds of events in Acts, we constantly see that every believer has the Holy Spirit. We must always remember that part of the book of Acts, especially the first part, is a transition period: a transition from the Old Testament way to the New Testament way. In the Old Testament only certain individuals had the Holy Spirit in such a profound way. What was different in the New Testament was that once the transitional period was over, the Holy Spirit was given to all believers. That is why Romans 8:9 says, “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Speaking to all the believers, Romans 8:14-17 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God; And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

First Corinthians 12:13 says, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” The reason that every Christian has the Spirit is because since the transition period every Christian is baptized by the Spirit at the moment of salvation and belief in Christ. Of course, there is a difference between being baptized by the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 says, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.” Don’t get the two confused. The baptism of the Spirit refers to the Spirit coming into you, which occurs at salvation and happens just that one time. The filling of the Spirit refers to you permitting the Spirit to control you and lead you and empower you. This needs to happen every day.

Here in Acts chapter eight we were told that Simon believed, and we just have to take at face value and assume that he believed truly and sincerely like everyone else in the book of Acts who believed. Let’s interpret the next series of verses with that fact in mind. Acts 8:18-24 says, “And when Simon saw that through laying on of apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.”

New believers easily make mistakes: spiritual mistakes. You can be saved in an instant, but it takes time to learn to walk faithfully with the Savior. One of the problems that new believers have to overcome is the fact that they often bring with them some of the baggage of their former lives. Before Simon became a believer he had used religion for his own profit. Once he became a believer he still had the tendency to do that. That would be a terrible error to come into Christianity and use the same methods that were used in false religion. No wonder that Peter rebuked Simon. Sometimes rebuke is the proper thing. The rebuke of a friend is much better than the flattery of an enemy. Jesus cast the money-changers out of the temple. Sometimes you must have indignation against improper behavior to be all that God wants you to be.

Peter told Simon that Simon needed to repent. Christians do not just repent when they come to know Christ as Savior: they also repent whenever necessary. If you are going to grow as a Christian, you may need to repent often. The most important thing to remain in daily fellowship with Christ is daily repentance and forgiveness. You were not saved because of how good you were, and you do not serve Him now because of how good you are either. It is all based upon the mercy and the grace of God through Christ. Even the best of Christians still must come to the throne of grace from time to time and say, “Father, forgive me.” That is why Jesus taught the disciples to include in their prayers the words, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Don’t repent just once in your life. Learn to live a life-time of repentance.

Concerning Philip and the other believers who had gone to Samaria with the gospel as the Lord has guided them, it says in Acts 8:25, “And they, when they had testified and preached the Word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.” Several words in the New Testament are translated “preach.” Two of them are in this verse. When it says that they “preached” the Word of the Lord, literally it means that they “spoke” the Word. The emphasis is on the fact that it was the spoken word that they used to be a testimony. It is true that we must witness with our lives, and if our lives do not bear witness of Christ, then our words will be meaningless. But if we only witness with our lives and never with our words, no one will come to faith in Christ. The first word here that is translated “preached” is an emphasis on the fact that the Word of God must be spoken publicly. How shall they believe, except they hear, and how shall they hear, except someone tell them the gospel?

The second word that is translated “preached” in this verse is an emphasis on what the content of that spoken word should be. “Preached the gospel” comes from one word: the word to evangelize. In order to be a witness in the way that these early believers were witnesses, you must in spoken word give out the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you do become the kind of Christian who is willing and able to give out the gospel like this as you are led of the Lord and when opportunities come your way, then you just might accomplish great things in the spread of the gospel just like Philip did.

Concerning the next situation involving Philip and the spread of the gospel, the Bible says in Acts 8:26-28, “And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Isaiah the prophet.” How do you be the witness that God wants you to be? Do what Philip did. Make sure that you always go where God wants you to go. Don’t go your own way. There is always a very good reason that God wants you to go His way for you.

Philip went down to Gaza, and just by chance he ran into the Ethiopian Eunuch. Of course, it was not by chance. It was God’s plan. This is how salvation takes place. It has been repeated millions of times. God prepares the heart of a person for the gospel and then brings that person into contact with someone who has the gospel ready to tell. If you want to be involved in this process, make sure you have the gospel ready to tell. The same thing has happened in many evangelistic services. There has never been anyone in the world too far removed from the possibility of being saved. God wants to save everyone, and if someone seeks the truth, God will find a way to get that person the gospel of Christ so that he or she can be saved.

This Ethiopian eunuch certainly wanted to know more about God. That is why he had gone to Jerusalem. That is why he had acquired the scriptures for his own reading and studying. He certainly had picked a good book to be reading: that of the prophet Isaiah. Do you have the kind of heart that seeks to know more about God?

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