Lesson Fifteen: The Gospel Spreads

Acts 8:1-25

Key Verse

"Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word."

— Acts 8:4 Beginning Part 2: Acts 1:1-8:4

Lesson Questions

Read Acts 8:1-25 carefully before answering these questions.

1. Review: Acts chapter seven.

2. What was happening in Jerusalem? 8:1-4

3. What happened in Samaria? 8:5-8

4. What had been happening in Samaria? 8:9-11

5. What had Philip preached? What had the Samaritans done? 8:12

6. Then what happened? 8:13

7. Who sent Peter and John to Samaria? What did Peter and John do? 8:14-17

8. What did Simon see? What did Simon do? 8:18-19

9. Who responded? What did he say? 8:20-21

10. What did Peter tell Simon to do? Why? 8:22-23

11. How did Simon react to the words of Peter? 2:24

12. To whom does "they" refer? What did they do? 8:25

Thought Questions

A. Summarize the development of persecution against the Jerusalem church.

B. What effect did persecution have on the church and the gospel?

C. From 8:1-25, list the words which tell us what Philip preached in Samaria.

D. From 8:5-11, how did the work of Philip differ from the work of Simon?

E. Were any Samaritans saved? How do you know?

F. When they received the Holy Spirit what did they receive?

Supplementary Materials

The Scattering: Persecution Spreads the Gospel (8:1-4) Stephen's death triggered intense persecution. Yet God used this tragedy to fulfill His purpose: What Man Intended What God Accomplished Destroy the church Spread the church Silence the message Multiply the messengers Keep the gospel in Jerusalem Send the gospel to Judea and Samaria Stop the movement Fulfill Christ's commission (Acts 1:8)

Key Observation: The apostles remained in Jerusalem (8:1), but the scattered disciples "went every where preaching the word" (8:4). Every Christian was an evangelist!

The Development of Persecution Persecution against the church escalated gradually:

Reference	Action	Severity
Acts 4:17-21	Threats — commanded not to speak	Level 1
Acts 5:17-18	Imprisonment — apostles jailed	Level 2
Acts 5:40	Beating — apostles physically abused	Level 3
Acts 7:58-60	Death — Stephen stoned	Level 4
Acts 8:1-3	"Great persecution" — Saul ravages the	Level 5 church

Who Was Philip? This Philip is not the apostle Philip (one of the Twelve), but Philip "the evangelist" (Acts 21:8):

One of the seven chosen to serve tables (Acts 6:5)
A man "of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom" (Acts 6:3)
Later called "Philip the evangelist" (Acts 21:8)
Had four daughters who prophesied (Acts 21:9)

Note: Philip was not an apostle, yet he preached, performed miracles, and baptized. He could not, however, impart the Holy Spirit by laying on of hands — that required apostles (8:14-17).

Who Were the Samaritans? The Samaritans were a mixed race with a unique religious history:

Origin: After Assyria conquered the northern kingdom (722 BC), foreigners were brought in who intermarried with remaining Israelites (2 Kings 17:24-41)
Religion: They accepted only the Pentateuch (five books of Moses), built their own temple on Mount Gerizim, and expected a Messiah ("Taheb")
Relationship with Jews: "Jews have no dealings with Samaritans" (John 4:9). Deep hostility existed between the groups.
Jesus and Samaritans: Jesus crossed these barriers (John 4), used a Samaritan as a hero in a parable (Luke 10:30-37), and specifically included Samaria in the Great Commission (Acts 1:8)

Philip's preaching in Samaria was a significant step in breaking down barriers. The gospel was for all people.

What Philip Preached (8:5, 12) Notice the terms used to describe Philip's message:

Term	Significance
"Preached Christ" (8:5)	Christ = Messiah. Philip proclaimed Jesus as the promised Anointed One.
"The kingdom of God" (8:12)	The church, the reign of Christ. Jesus preached this (Mark 1:15); now Philip continues it.
"The name of Jesus Christ"	His authority, identity, and saving power. Baptism was in His
(8:12)	name.

Result: "They believed Philip preaching... and were baptized, both men and women" (8:12). Faith led to baptism — the consistent pattern in Acts.

Philip vs. Simon: True Power vs. Counterfeit Simon the Sorcerer Philip the Evangelist Used sorcery (8:9) Performed miracles by God's power (8:6) Bewitched the people (8:9, 11) Preached Christ to the people (8:5) Claimed to be "some great one" (8:9) Pointed people to Christ (8:5, 12) Called "the great power of God" (8:10) Demonstrated the true power of God Sought personal glory Sought God's glory People "gave heed" from amazement (8:11) People believed and were baptized (8:12)

When the genuine appeared, the counterfeit was exposed. Even Simon himself "believed also: and... was baptized" (8:13).

The Holy Spirit and the Laying On of Hands (8:14-17) This passage raises important questions about the Holy Spirit:

What the Samaritans Received:

They had believed and been baptized (8:12) — they were saved
The Spirit had "fallen upon none of them" yet (8:16)
When apostles laid hands on them, they "received the Holy Ghost" (8:17)

What Did They Receive? This was not salvation (they already had that), but miraculous gifts. Evidence:

Simon "saw" something happen (8:18) — it was visible/demonstrable
Simon wanted the power to do the same (8:19) — it was impressive
Only apostles could impart this gift by laying on of hands

Key Distinction: Every Christian receives the indwelling Spirit at baptism (Acts 2:38; Rom. 8:9). But miraculous gifts were imparted through apostolic hands and ceased when that generation passed (1 Cor. 13:8-10).

Simon's Sin and Peter's Rebuke (8:18-24) Simon's offer reveals the condition of his heart: Peter's Words What They Reveal "Thy money perish with thee" God's gifts cannot be purchased. Strong rebuke! (8:20) "No part nor lot in this Simon had no share in apostolic authority matter" (8:21) "Thy heart is not right" (8:21) The root problem — a heart issue, not just an action "In the gall of bitterness" Extreme bitterness (cf. Deut. 29:18) (8:23) "Bond of iniquity" (8:23) Bound, enslaved by sin

Two Laws of Pardon in Acts 8 This chapter illustrates both how the alien sinner and the erring Christian receive forgiveness: For the Alien Sinner (8:12) For the Erring Christian (8:22) Hear the gospel (implied) "Repent of this thy wickedness" Believe (8:12) "Pray God, if perhaps..." Be baptized (8:12) (Already baptized — no re-baptism required)

Note: Simon was told to repent and pray — not to be re-baptized. Baptism is for initial salvation; repentance and prayer restore the erring Christian (cf. 1 John 1:9; James 5:16).

Geographic Note Mark the following locations on your map:

Samaria — The region between Judea and Galilee; also a city within that region
Gaza — Mentioned in verse 26 (next lesson); a road leading south from Jerusalem

The gospel is now moving outward from Jerusalem, exactly as Jesus commanded in Acts 1:8.

Key Cross-References

Reference	Acts Verse	Connection
John 4:9, 39-42	Acts 8:5	Jesus had already reached Samaritans; now His church does
Acts 1:8	Acts 8:1, 4	Fulfillment of "Samaria" in the commission
2 Kings 17:24-41	Acts 8:5	Background on the Samaritans' origin
Acts 2:38	Acts 8:12, 16	Baptism "in the name of Jesus"
Acts 21:8	Acts 8:5	Philip later called "the evangelist"
Deut. 29:18	Acts 8:23	"Gall of bitterness" — OT background

Historical Note: The term "simony" (buying or selling religious offices or privileges) comes from Simon's attempt to purchase the apostles' power. This became a major issue in medieval church history.