Acts 8:1-8

Well, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. It's so good to have you this week. I hope that you had a great Lord's Day yesterday. I know that I've been under the weather as you know, and we've had a lot of people missing from church because of that. I hope that you're feeling well.
Today we are at Acts chapter 8 verses 1 through 8. pretty powerful passage about two very different people at this time in their lives. So why don't we go ahead and have some coffee, we'll pray, and we'll get into God's Word together. Let's pray. Oh, Father, we thank you so much for this day, and we thank you for your word. We pray now that as we read your word, that you would care for us and watch over us. We pray that we would fix our eyes on you and have great joy in Jesus's name. Amen. Hold on, let me get re-situated here just for a second, get things set up. We are at Acts chapter eight, verses one through eight. Let's go ahead and go read God's word together now.
Now Saul was consenting to his death. Saul was there and he wasn't just the coatman, but he was actually consenting to Stephen's death as they were handing him his garments to kill Stephen, the first martyr of the church. Saul was there consenting. At that time, a great persecution arose against the church, which was at Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial and made great lament over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. Well, why don't we go ahead and stop there because then we're going to get into the next section 5 through 8 after that.
What is this part about? Well, this is talking about Saul. The gaze goes from Stephen and moves now towards Saul. And who is this Saul? Well, we're going to find out more about him, but he's a student of Gamaliel. He's from Tarsus. It's very possible that he was a member at that freedman synagogue that was mentioned in chapter 6. I think it's verse 9.
And here he's now wreaking havoc on the church. People are dispersed, right? It goes from being afraid of the Jews to now openly wreaking havoc on them, making ill will of their lives. And so the church is scattered. And notice here, verse 3, he made ill will of the church. That word church is the word ecclesia, it's the assembly. He made havoc on the assembly.
He drug people off to prison. So it is very likely that this is happening when he's committing them to prison. It's very likely that he's actually breaking into the worship services in these people's homes and dragging men and women off to prison. And so, Stephen's death, there's only a few devout people who are able to actually attend his funeral because, well, what's going to happen if you make it known that you're one of Stephen's friends and you're lamenting over him?
Maybe you'll have a bullseye on your back. And so this is about the rise of Saul, the persecutor of the church. and the havoc he was pushing down on the congregation, on the church, on the gathering. But the Lord doesn't let things stop him so easily. As we find out in the next passage, it disperses the church, but they don't go with their tails tucked between their legs. No, they go a different way. Let's go ahead and look at verses 4 through 8.
Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. and the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city." Well, let's ask ourselves what that paragraph is about. What is that about?
Well, the church is dispersed. Persecution comes, and everyone, well, many of the believers, except the apostles, the apostles seem to stay in Jerusalem, but everyone else scatters. There's a new diaspora, a new dispersion, but this time instead of the Jews, it's of the Christians.
And they leave, and here's Philip. Stephen, his co-part on the council of the seven who had cared for the widows, now it's Philip. And Philip leaves Jerusalem, and where does he go? He goes to Samaria, and he's preaching. And what is the content of Philip's preaching? It's Christ. Look with me at what verse 8 said. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. He preached Christ to them. If that is not the content of your pastor's sermon, please go find a new church. I don't say that lightly. I say that to people in our congregation all the time. If you ever find in my preaching that it's no longer about Christ, then go find a new place to be at. Because Christ is the object of our hope. Christ is the person of the gospel. Jesus is the King of the Kingdom of Heaven. It's Jesus who Philip preached, and as he went and he preached Christ to the Samaritans, they took heed, right?
They tuned in their ears, they paid attention, and they saw the miracles that were happening. As people who were possessed with unclean spirits cried out and those unclean spirits left? As lame people and paralyzed people were healed? These great signs and wonders that happened during this apostolic period are these amazing testimonies that the power of Jesus Christ had come, and it wasn't just in word. And so the power was there with them as they were preaching Christ. First and foremost, it was preaching Christ. But then the signs were meant to prove the gospel that they were preaching. And so how did they respond? Well, I love this verse eight. And there was great joy in that city. They hear Christ and they rejoice. There's joy because their lame are healed. The possessed are freed, and they've heard of the king of their souls.
What's the best verse for these sections? Well, I think in my Bible, I'd probably underline verse 3 as it is about Saul. And then in my Bible, I would also underline verse 5 and verse 8 about Philip preaching Christ and the city having great joy. Well, we need to ask ourselves lastly, see calling.
What are we called to do in response to this in your life? Do you have joy in Jesus Christ? Maybe you have been told to be quiet. Maybe you have been pressured into people trying to make you do or say things that you might not want to as a Christian. Your conscience dictates that you can't. Well, you might need to leave that place.
But do you have confidence that even the sufferings and the trials that we might have in this life produce perseverance, character, and hope, and I would say even joy? Have you heard of Jesus Christ? Do you rejoice in Jesus Christ? Do you have joy in your life because you know that Jesus has made all things well?
Let's go ahead and pray. Father, we thank you so much that you have brought us the good news of Jesus Christ. And we pray, Father, that we would follow after you and love you. We pray that we would be those who would walk in your ways. Lord, we thank you for giving us joy everlasting, a joy that nothing could ever take from us. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well, may the Lord bless you today. May you walk in the joy of Jesus Christ. And I'll see you tomorrow. Bye.