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Manly Luscombe Commentary on NT

Acts 8:8

And there was great joy in that city.

1. Joy was everywhere in Samaria.

1. Joy is not - laughing at a comedy show on television.

2. Most of our "joy" is surface, momentary, and helpful only as a temporary distraction.

3. Real JOY is:

1. Internal - Joy is not our response to the external - joke, funny TV show. Joy comes from our internal decision about how to deal with our circumstances.

2. Long lasting - Most of our fun, joy, and laughter is very temporary. Joy is deeper, longer lasting, not based on external factors. Paul and Silas were filled with joy in prison in Philippi. (Acts 16:25) Jesus faced death with the "joy that was set before Him." (Hebrews 12:2) Paul urged us to rejoice while facing death in a Roman prison. (1 Peter 4:4)

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See also Acts 8:8 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Acts 8:8. _THERE WAS GREAT JOY IN THAT CITY._] No wonder, when they heard such glorious truths, and were the subjects of such beneficent miracles....

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    AND THERE WAS GREAT JOY - This joy arose: * From the fact that so many persons, before sick and afflicted, were restored to health. (2)From the conversion of individuals to Christ. (3)From the mut...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    PART II The Witness to Samaria. Saul's Conversion and Peter's Witness in Caesarea. Chapter s 8-12 CHAPTER 8 _ 1. The first great persecution (Acts 8:1)._ 2. The preaching of the scattered believ...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    PHILIP AT SAMARIA. Philip's activity is given here beside that of Stephen. He belongs to the Seven, not to the Twelve, who remain at Jerusalem except when specially called elsewhere (Acts 6:1 *). More...

  • Barclay Daily Study Bible (NT)

    THE FIRST OF THE MARTYRS (Acts 7:54-60 ; Acts 8:1) 8:1 As they listened to this their very hearts were torn with vexation and they gnashed their teeth at him. But he was full of the Holy Spirit and h...

  • Barclay Daily Study Bible (NT)

    Those who were scattered abroad went throughout the country telling the message of the good news. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. The crowds listened attentively t...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    WAS. came to be....

  • Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges Commentary

    ἘΓΈΝΕΤΟ ΔῈ ΠΟΛΛῊ ΧΑΡᾺ with אABC. _Vulg_. has ‘magnum gaudium.’...

  • Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges Commentary

    PHILIP’S PREACHING IN SAMARIA AND ITS EFFECT...

  • Charles Box Commentaries

    _THE CONVERSION OF THE SAMARITANS ACTS 8:5-25:_ Philip went to Samaria and preached Christ and the gospel of His kingdom. (Acts 8:12) Signs and wonders confirmed the message Philip preached. As the go...

  • Charles Rose Commentaries

    ΈΓΈΝΕΤΟ _aor. ind. med. (dep.), см._ Acts 8:1....

  • Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae

    DISCOURSE: 1758 PHILIP PREACHES CHRIST IN SAMARIA Acts 8:5. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things whic...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    B. THE FIRST WORK OF PHILIP. Acts 8:5-13. Acts 8:5 And Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed unto them the Christ. Acts 8:6 And the multitudes gave heed with one accord unto the...

  • Combined Bible Commentary

    See notes on verse 6...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    And there was great joy in that city. AND THERE WAS GREAT JOY IN THAT CITY joy over the change worked by the Gospel in it and over the varied AND THERE WAS GREAT JOY IN THAT CITY - joy over the cha...

  • Concordant Commentary on the New Testament by A. E. Knoch

    4 We now enter the second cycle of the kingdom testimony. Jerusalem and Judea have not heeded its proclamation. It is now offered to Samaria, then it will go to the limits of the earth, and even to th...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    PHILIP IN SAMARIA. SIMON MAGUS The graphic details of the ministry of Philip which follow, were doubtless obtained from Philip himself. St. Luke stayed at his house at Cæsarea, and made the acquaintan...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    GOOD NEWS FOR EVERYONE ACTS _MARION ADAMS_ CHAPTER 8 SAUL *PERSECUTES THE CHRISTIANS, 8:1-4 V1 Saul approved of Stephen’s murder. That same day, the Christians in *Jerusalem suffered very much....

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    THERE WAS GREAT JOY IN THAT CITY. — This and the whole narrative may well have been learnt by St. Luke from the lips of Philip himself, when St. Paul and his companions visited the Evangelist at Cæsar...

  • Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

    This detail, and indeed the whole narrative, may have been derived by St. Luke from the information of St. Philip himself, _cf._ Acts 21:8; Acts 24:27, or from St. Paul as he travelled through Samaria...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    FRUITS OF THE SCATTERED SEED Acts 8:1-13 Evidently Stephen was beloved outside the precincts of the Church, for it would seem that the devout men who lamented his early death and carried his poor bod...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    The popular outburst against Christianity evidenced in the martyrdom of Stephen was general. Members of the Church at Jerusalem were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. How dark the day seemed to...

  • Gary Hampton Commentaries

    Philip Preaching in Samaria Philip, who was one of the seven, went to the city of Samaria. Because the Samaritans were of mixed descent coming from the intermarriage of Jews and Gentiles, the Jews reg...

  • Godbey's Commentary on the New Testament

    EVANGELIZATION OF SAMARIA 5-25. Philip, a bright, uncultured layman, sanctified in the Pentecostal revival, _“filled with the Spirit and wisdom,”_ rendering him eligible to the office of deacon, was t...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    We are now arrived at a turning-point in the history, not merely of the church, but of the unfolding of the truth of God, and the manifestation of His ways. The death of Stephen, therefore, has in var...

  • James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary

    _THE CHRISTIAN CITY_ ‘And there was great joy in that city.’ Acts 8:8 The city was Samaria, and the great joy was the fruit of the first preaching of the Gospel there. The disciples had been scatter...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    8._The joy _whereof he speaketh is a fruit of faith. For it cannot be but that so soon as we know that God will be favorable and merciful our minds shall be wrapt with incomparable joy, and such as do...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    Saul was present at Stephen's death, and consenting to it. [14] This is the end of the first phase of the assembly of God its history in immediate connection with Jerusalem and the Jews, as the centre...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND THERE WAS GREAT JOY IN THAT CITY. Both on a spiritual account, for the good of their souls, through the preaching of Christ and his Gospel to them; and on a temporal account; for the good of their...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    And there was great joy in that city. Ver. 8. _And there was great joy_] So there was at Berne; for when the reformation was first received they pardoned (for joy) two condemned persons and called ho...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    The missionary work of the disciples and of Philip:...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    AND THERE WAS GREAT JOY IN THAT CITY. While the apostles remained in Jerusalem with the small remnant of the former large congregation, escaping personal injury probably only because of a superstitiou...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    As a wild beast tasting blood, the Jews were the more inflamed by the martyrdom of Stephen to greatly persecute the Church of God at Jerusalem. For this reason believers were scattered through Judea a...

  • Mark Dunagan Commentaries

    And there was much joy in that city. 'MUCH JOY IN THAT CITY'-Joy resulted because so many had been liberated from demon possession, cruel physical illnesses and their own sins. Notice how the gospel...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    5-13 As far as the gospel prevails, evil spirits are dislodged, particularly unclean spirits. All inclinations to the lusts of the flesh which war against the soul are such. Distempers are here named...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    GREAT JOY; not only for the cures wroght upon their bodies, but much more for the word of reconciliation and salvation preached unto their souls: _joy in the Holy Ghost, _ is one of the effects of the...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Acts 8:8 And G2532 was G1096 (G5633) great G3173 joy G5479 in G1722 that G1565 city G4172...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    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 Je...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    ‘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...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Acts 8:8 A Christian City. It is manifestly true that an aggregate of individuals may possess, in its own peculiar way, the spiritual character which the individual possesses, and a city, like a man...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    Stephen had been stoned to death; but with his latest breath he prayed for his murderers. Then this chapter begins: Acts 8:1. _And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a gre...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    Acts 8:4. _Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord ga...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Saul persecuting Christians. The first missionaries. The case of Simon, the sorcerer. Philip and the Ethiopian. CHARACTERS: God, Christ, Holy Spirit, Saul, Stephen, Philip, Simon, apostles,...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Acts 8:1. _At that time there was a great persecution against the church._ With regard to this very tremendous storm which suddenly burst on the infant church, Cardinal Baronius, in his Ecclesiastical...

  • The Bible Study New Testament

    THE CROWDS PAID CLOSE ATTENTION. The miracles got their attention. _Compare_ Acts 19:10-12. Philip, one of the seven (Acts 6:5), had the gift of miracles. This is the second recorded example of one, w...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _And Saul was consenting to his death._ THREE GREAT FIGURES IN THE CHURCH I. The persecuting Saul. In this part of the narrative the name of Saul occurs three times (Acts 7:58; Acts 8:1; Acts 8:3). H...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Then Philip wont down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them._ PHILIP AT SAMARIA I. The preacher--“Philip.” 1. His native place--“Caesarea,” most likely. 2. His official status--“Ev...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    _CRITICAL REMARKS_ Acts 8:5. PHILIP.—Not the apostle, but the deacon (Acts 6:4). THE CITY OF SAMARIA—according to the best MSS.—signifies that the capital built by Omri (1 Kings 16:24), and renamed Se...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION ACTS 8:1 _There arose on that day _for _at that time there was, _A.V._; in _for _at, _A.V. SAUL WAS CONSENTING TO HIS DEATH. St. Paul's repeated reference to this sad episode in his life i...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    We are introduced now to one of the chief persecutors. A zealous young Jew, a Pharisee of the Pharisees, whose name is Saul. And he was standing by, consenting to the death of Stephen, holding the coa...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Acts 13:48; Acts 13:52; Isaiah 35:1; Isaiah 35:2; Isaiah 42:10;...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    THE GREAT PERSECUTION Acts 8:1 INTRODUCTORY WORDS We approach today the scenes that immediately followed Stephen's death. Satan, encouraged by Stephen's martyrdom, thinks to press on with fire and...

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Old Testament