THE CONTINUING MINISTRY OF PETER (9:32-11:18). In preparing for the Gentile ministry of Paul, a preparation which has included what we have just considered concerning his conversion and ministry to Jews, Luke goes back to considering Peter's ministry. Along with the other Apostles he is continuing t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Saul was consenting to his death.' What a chill this brings on our hearts. He stood there silent and seemingly impassive, but his heart was filled with hate and anger. And as he watched he nodded his approval. This was not passive acknowledgement. It was wholehearted acquiescence. We can even r... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And devout men buried Stephen, and made great lamentation over him.' Meanwhile some very brave and devout men obtained the body of Stephen for burial. For ‘devout men' compare Acts 2:5. They may have been supporters of Stephen, or of those pious Jews who like Joseph of Arimathea sought to disassoci... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But Saul laid waste the church, entering into every house, and, dragging men and women, committed them to prison.' There is a deliberate contrast here. While ‘devout men' were burying the fiery Stephen, Saul, the equally fiery disciple of Gamaliel, was determined to bury the whole church. Not one t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘They therefore who were scattered abroad, went about preaching the word.' The violence and inexorability of the persecution resulted in the scattering abroad of the church. But what seemed to be a setback became an opportunity. God had decided that it was now time for the church to expand. All ove... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ.' ‘He proclaimed to them the Christ.' The spread of the Good News went further than Judaea, it reached into Samaria. Such an action would have Jesus' seal of approval on it as all knew (John 4). While Jews might avoid t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the multitudes gave heed with one accord to the things which were spoken by Philip, when they heard, and saw the signs which he did. For from many of those who had unclean spirits, they came out, crying with a loud voice, and many who were palsied, and who were lame, were healed.' His message... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And there was much joy in that city.' Joy was one of the fruits of the new message (Acts 2:28; Acts 13:52; Acts 15:3; Acts 20:24 compare Galatians 5:22). The Holy Spirit was already at work.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who before that time in the city used sorcery, and amazed the people of Samaria, giving out that he himself was some great one, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is that power of God which is called Great.” And... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingly rule of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptised, both men and women.' Philip proclaimed the Kingly Rule of God and the name of Jesus Messiah, and the Samaritans, both men and women, heard and believed, with the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Simon also himself believed, and being baptised, he continued with Philip, and beholding signs and great miracles wrought, he was amazed.' ‘Also himself believed.' Simon also believed and was baptised. If there had been any hint when Luke wrote this that his conversion was not genuine, Luke wo... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet he was fallen on none of them, only they had been baptised into the name... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, “Give me also this power, that on whoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit.” ' Simon had possibly gained great wealth by training up disciples and enabling th... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But Peter said to him, “Your silver perish with you, because you have thought to obtain the gift of God with money. You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.” Peter replied in his usual forthright manner. The man who had had to declare, ‘silver and gold... [ Continue Reading ]
“Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of your heart shall be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” He therefore calls on him to have a full and genuine change of heart and mind on the matter, and t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Simon answered and said, “You pray for me to the Lord, that none of the things which you have spoken come on me.” ' Simon then pleads with Peter to pray that none of these things come on him. He probably did not know the context of Peter's quotations but recognised that they spelt awful calamit... [ Continue Reading ]
‘They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.' Then once Peter and John, impressed by the work among Samaritans, had further ministered to them and to Samaritans in other villages, they re... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise, and go toward the south to the way which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. The same is desert.' The ‘angel of the Lord' tells Philip that he must rise and go south towards ancient Gaza, a city slightly inland which, in contrast with new port... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MINISTRY OF PHILIP TO THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH (8:26-39). Meanwhile God was now satisfied that the Samaritan church was sufficiently equipped to carry on and He calls Philip elsewhere to where there is a lonely searching soul. It was to a man, and a very important one, who had been visiting Jerusal... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he arose and went, and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a high official (or ‘eunuch') of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.' Obedien... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near, and join yourself to this chariot.” ' It was quite normal for solitary travellers to join themselves up with a travelling caravan for safety reasons, and so Philip's approach would neither be resented nor suspected. Others would be walking with the caravan.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” ' The man was following the usual practise of reading aloud. And when Philip gathered that he was reading a well known passage in the prophet Isaiah he asked him whether he understo... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said, “How can I, except some one will guide me?” And he begged Philip to come up and sit with him.' When the man saw that he was a Jew, and assumed from what he had said that he was also a teacher in the Scriptures who was offering assistance, he expressed his own helplessness and his need... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, So he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation his judgment was taken away. His generation who shall declare? For his life is taken from the earth.” ' Th... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, “I pray you, of whom is the prophet saying this? Of himself, or of some other?” ' The eunuch was neither the first nor the last to be puzzled by these verses. But he was astute enough to recognise that the words were about some individual. But who? That wa... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached to him Jesus.' Then Philip took the chapter he had been reading and applied it to Jesus, and his explanation on this chapter is stated to have been only the ‘beginning'. We do not know how long his explanation went on for, but... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And as they went on the way, they came to a certain water, and the eunuch says, “Look, here is water. What hinders me from being baptised?' The eunuch accepts Philip's explanation, given by the power of the Spirit, as convincing and seeing an abundant spring of water with its surrounding pond he a... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he commanded the chariot to stand still. And they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptised him.' Knowing that God had specifically sent him here, and seeing and hearing the man's response, Philip could see no objection. So the conveyance was brought to a halt,... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing.' The baptism completed it is made clear here that Philip was seen as having fully accomplished his mission. He was ‘snatched away' by the Spirit. This... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MINISTRY OF PHILIP IN JUDAEA (8:40). ‘But Philip was found at Azotus, and passing through he preached the gospel to all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.' Philip now moved on to the third phase of his ministry. He had established the work of God among the Samaritans, he had converted a man... [ Continue Reading ]