Read Acts 8:9-25

God’s Second Law Of Pardon

Of all the Samaritans that accepted the gospel, Simon may have been the most surprising. He was a very popular entertainer as a sorcerer, “claiming to be someone great” (Acts 8:9). And he was not the only one making that claim; the people—“from the least to the greatest”—also said, “This man is the great power of God” (Acts 8:10). The people of the city “heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time” (Acts 8:11).

Things changed for Simon when Philip arrived in Samaria. Philip was not a master of the sleight of hand; the miracles he performed in the name of Jesus were legitimate. The truth he preached was powerful. The people believed him and obeyed the gospel. Even Simon heeded Philip. “Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done” (Acts 8:13).

Peter and John came to Samaria to see the good work that Philip had done. They laid hands on their new brothers and sisters, imparting upon them the ability to work miracles as well. That gave Simon an idea. “And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hand the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 8:18-19).

Simon sinned, thinking that God’s power was for sale. He sinned, missing the acclaim he once enjoyed. He thought he could reclaim some of his former popularity. Peter rebuked him and said, “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity” (Acts 8:22-23).

Our God is a merciful and gracious God, and He wants us to obey Him and serve Him from the heart. Even when we sin, He gives us the opportunity to repent and return to Him.

Read Acts 8:4-13

Preaching Christ

Philip, another one of the seven servants Luke introduced in Acts 6, was among the Christians scattered during the great persecution following Stephen’s martyrdom. Philip went to Samaria, and despite the typical Jewish opinion of Samaritans at that time, he “preached Christ to them” (Acts 8:5).

Hearing the truth and seeing the supporting signs, “multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip” (Acts 8:6). What were those things? Luke does not leave us wondering. He taught them and “preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 8:12). He told them about the Savior of the world and the church that He established. And at this preaching, “both men and women were baptized” (Acts 8:12).

There are many things involved in preaching “the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.” One must preach the divine nature of Jesus. He is not a created being but eternal. He is God the Son, as much Deity as God the Father and God the Spirit.

One must preach the prophecies that point to Jesus the Messiah. His advent was prophesied, as was His suffering and His power. One must preach about the church, as it is the kingdom (Matthew 16:17-19). It is to the church that one is added when he obeys the gospel (Acts 2:47).

One must preach the truth of Jesus’ return. He is coming again, but not to set up His kingdom. He already did that. Nor is He coming to rule on this earth for one thousand years. He affirmed before Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36). No, He is coming again to deliver the kingdom to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24).

Have you ever heard these things? Has the truth of the gospel been preached to you, or have you only heard fanciful theories based on nothing but speculation? Be like the Bereans who “searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).

Read Acts 6-7

Reactions To The Truth

The seven men chosen to serve the widows in Acts 6 were “men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3). One of those men was Stephen. Luke says that Stephen was “full of faith and power” and that he “did great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). Yet, his teaching got him into trouble with some who did not believe; they “set up false witnesses” (Acts 6:13) and accused Stephen of blasphemy.

The high priest heard the accusation and asked Stephen, “Are these things so?” (Acts 7:1). Rather than defend himself against the charges, Stephen used the time he was given to preach the good news of Jesus. He began by talking about Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph, about Moses and the wilderness wanderings, about Joshua and David and Solomon. He quoted from the prophets Amos and Isaiah.

Stephen then turned his attention to his audience. “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it” (Acts 7:51-53).

Their reaction was quite different than the reaction of the people on Pentecost. Instead of recognizing their great need, Stephen’s audience was stubborn and hard-hearted. They “gnashed at him with their teeth” (Acts 7:54), “they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord” (Acts 7:57), and then they stoned the righteous Stephen.

How do you react when you hear the truth, and that truth speaks against you? Do you seek to correct your shortcomings so that you can serve God appropriately, as He has commanded, or do you ignore the man who has told you what God expects?

Read Acts 5:17-42

They Did Not Cease

You cannot silence God. The government may oppose the truth and they may try to oppress those who speak it, but man cannot defeat God. The high priest and the Sadducees tried and failed time and time again. The apostles were arrested, then miraculously freed; instead of halting their proclamation of the good news, they did what the angel of the Lord told them to do: “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life” (Acts 5:20).

The captain brought the apostles back to the council again. The high priest asked, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name?” (Acts 5:28). The rulers were growing weary of the blame being placed on them for Jesus’ crucifixion. “And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” (Acts 5:29). But, is this not exactly what they had asked for? Had they not cried, “His blood be on us and on our children” (Matthew 27:25).

The apostles refused to be silenced though. “We ought to obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29). No matter what the Jewish officials said, the apostles were not about to back down. Gamaliel the Pharisee advised the council, “And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God” (Acts 5:38-39). And he was right. They had no hope of defeating the will of God.

The apostles were beaten, threatened again, and commanded to stop their teaching. What did the apostles do? “So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:41-42).

May we all have the resolve of the apostles, refusing to back down in the face of intimidation and persecution.

Read Acts 4:32-37

Happiness Does Not Come From Stuff

One of the most impressive men we read about in the book of Acts who was not an apostle was a man named Barnabas. Actually, that wasn’t his name. His name was Joses, but the apostles called him Barnabas. Luke explains that the name Barnabas “is translated Son of Encouragement” (Acts 4:36). When we are first introduced to Barnabas, his grand generosity is demonstrated. Luke says that Barnabas was “a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:36-37). The man’s primary concern was to care for those in need.

This was the attitude of many in the early church, as Luke explains that they “were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common” (Acts 4:32). He further wrote that “all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need” (Acts 4:35).

How different were these followers of Jesus than the typical worldly person! So many people are focused on obtaining more things, not giving them away. But how many of those people can claim true happiness because of their material possessions?

Jesus encountered a man who was obsessed with his stuff. The young man wanted to be assured of eternal life, and he asked Jesus which commands he needed to keep. The Lord rattled off a number of God’s laws, and the man said, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I lack?” (Matthew 19:20).

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Matthew 19:21). The result was sorrow in the man’s heart, not because he had to part with his things, but because he refused to!

Read Acts 4:1-22

Be Bold For Jesus

The religious leaders were not happy with Peter and John and their activities in the temple. The two apostles were taken into custody and brought before the Sanhedrin. Undaunted by the opposition, Peter boldly declared again the gospel: Jesus was crucified, He was raised from the dead, and He is the only One who can save anyone. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

What Peter said on that day is still true today. The truth upon which Peter and John stood in the first century is the same truth upon which we must stand in this twenty-first century. May we never shrink back from declaring the gospel to those who need it most, to those who trust in themselves and their own power.

The rulers threatened the apostles and “commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18). Peter and John refused to back down. They refused to be intimidated. They refused to be silenced. “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20).

Are you bold in the gospel, or do you hide your faith? Are you afraid of upsetting friends? Of strained relationships within the family? Or do you take advantage of the opportunities to spread the gospel when they are presented to you?

It is important to be prepared for those opportunities and to pray for them. Peter later wrote a letter to Christians and encouraged them, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). Are you ready to be bold for Jesus?

Read Acts 3

Pointing To God

In Acts 3, we are told of the healing of a man who had been lame since he was born. He was laid at the temple gate every day to ask for money. Peter took notice of the man and said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6). Peter took the man by the hand and lifted him up, and he could walk! A miracle had occurred!

As Peter, John, and the man entered the temple, an amazed crowd gathered around them. Peter took advantage of this opportunity to deflect their attention away from himself and direct them instead toward Jesus. “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” (Acts 3:12).

Peter described Jesus in several different ways in this passage. First, he calls Jesus God’s “Servant” (Acts 3:13), a word that the prophet Isaiah had used of the coming Messiah (Isaiah 42, 52, 53). Peter calls Him “the Holy One” (Acts 3:14), a term used by David (Psalm 16:10), and “Just” (Acts 3:14) an attribute even recognized by Pilate (Matthew 27:24). Finally, Peter refers to Jesus as “the Prince of life” (Acts 3:15). Isaiah included “Prince of Peace” among the names by which Jesus would be known (Isaiah 9:6), and the Lord Himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

Peter used the good that was done for the lame man to present the good that could be done for all men. “To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities” (Acts 3:26). Have you used the good situations of your life and the lives of your neighbors to point them to God and the good that is available in Jesus?

Read Acts 2

What Shall We Do?

On the first Pentecost following Jesus’ ascension, His promise concerning the Holy Spirit is fulfilled. “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). These “other tongues” were not some unintelligible languages, but foreign languages that these Galileans had never studied before. It was a miracle that they could speak in such a way!

Peter takes the lead in Acts 2:14 after the apostles have the attention of the crowd. He explains, “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16), then proceeds to quote from Joel 2:28-32. The apostle then speaks of Jesus, the Man through whom God had worked miracles. Peter plainly says that the Jews had illegally detained and murdered Jesus, but that God had raised Him from the dead. He then refers to the inspired Psalms, claiming that David was writing of Jesus. Concluding this first gospel sermon, Peter said, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).

The positive response to this message is recorded by Luke. The people who were “cut to the heart” asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). Recognizing their error and their great need for forgiveness, they wanted to know how to make things right.

Peter answered plainly, “Repent, and let everyone one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). The phrase “for the remission of sins” indicates that without repentance and baptism, one’s sins cannot be forgiven.

The results of the gospel proclamation in the early days of the church are compelling. Luke tells us that on “that day about three thousand souls were added to them” (Acts 2:41). He then says that “the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). Have you done these things? Have you repented and been immersed for the remission of your sins? Have you been added to the Lord’s church?