A Different Trajectory – Acts 16:6-34

The gospel reaches Europe during Paul’s second missionary journey; continuing the spread of the good news of Jesus Christ and the fulfilment of his commission to be witnesses to ‘the ends of the earth’.

Big idea: The Holy Spirit directs and leads Paul and his companions on a different trajectory to the one they had planned, in order to reach those who needed to hear the good news in HIS timing. We can trust God to guide us as we keep in step with the Spirit and follow where he leads.

1. Ice breaker: Share a time when you felt the LORD’s direction clearly leading you; how did you know?

Read Acts 16:6-10

2. In v 6-7 Paul and his companions have set out with the goal of strengthening and encourage the believers in the churches they planted in the first missionary journey (Acts 15:35). However, they encounter two ‘closed door’ moments.

a) Can you identify these?

b) They would have been walking huge distances (taking weeks or months), only to meet another ‘closed door’. How might they have felt?

c) How does this challenge our expectation of how God speaks and directs us today?

3. In v9-10 Paul has a dramatic vision; we see the Spirit’s direction has moved from ‘don’t go there’ to ‘come here’. How does Paul respond? (NB. Note the use of ‘we’ for the first time in the book of Acts, and the meaning of the word conclude in the Greek here means to draw a conclusion based upon the evidence being brought together).

4. Discuss the role of discernment and wise counsel when considering knowing God’s will vs seeking our own desires (see also Proverbs 15:22 and 27:17; these are Scriptures Paul would have known).

Paul and his travelling group cross the sea and arrive in Philippi, Macedonia (now north-western Greece). The Spirit leads Paul to three different characters who respond to the good news of Jesus, completely transforming their lives forever! Read Acts 16:11-34.

4. Complete the table with a brief description of Lydia, the slave-girl and the Roman jailer, and how they responded to the gospel:

6. In v14-15, Lydia responds with an open heart to the Spirit’s work within her. What can we learn from the fruit of Lydia’s obedience? How does Lydia’s openness and practical outworking of her new faith challenge your heart in your response to what Jesus has done for you?

7. In v 22-25, the LORD leads Paul and Silas to a place where they significantly suffer, yet they remain a faithful witness in the dark jail. What impact do you think this might have had on those around them?

8. Our sinful nature prioritises our comfort; when we find ourselves in a difficult situation, we can question God’s sovereignty or leading and simply pray for a way out. When you experience opposition, how do you respond? Do you respond with fear, or do you trust in God’s sovereign plan for your life?

At the start of this study, the Holy Spirit seems to stop Paul doing something we know to be good; preaching the gospel. The halting of Paul’s plans was not because they were not good though, but because of re-direction, timing and ultimately, God’s better plans. Like Paul, we can trust God with the direction he wants our lives to take, even if that is on a different trajectory to one we had planned. We know the result will be for our ultimate good and his glory and the growing of his kingdom!

PRAY:

• Thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit! We are not alone as we journey through this life.
• What challenges are you facing today? Ask God to help you by his Spirit to keep trusting him and hearing from him, even when you are not sure where he is leading, or you are facing difficult circumstances.
• Thank God for the example Paul gives us of keeping in step with the Spirit; listening to the Spirit’s prompting, aligning his desires with those of Jesus, and trusting the Father to use all the circumstances he faced for kingdom purposes.
• Ask the LORD for a greater sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s leading in your life.

]]> 19941 https://corshambaptists.org/women/acts-the-church-afire-talk-5-hollie-g/ Mon, 11 May 2026 11:38:47 +0000 http://cbcgraceplace.wordpress.com/?p=5255 Continue reading Acts: The Church Afire Talk 5 (Hollie G)]]> This post by christinecoltman was originally published at GRACE PLACE

Acts 15: Seeing Jesus

It is such a joy to share Acts 15 with you tonight.

What I want us to notice is how often, throughout Acts, everything hinges on a moment of actually seeing Jesus. Not just learning about him — seeing him. The Spirit is relentless about this. Every time religion starts to crowd the room, the Spirit cuts through and points us straight back to Jesus. This is the key to Acts 15, and really to the whole book.

Where We Are
Up to this point, the church has been largely contained — mostly Jewish, Jerusalem-based, operating within familiar territory. Acts 9 to 14 is where everything begins to expand, sometimes explosively and sometimes painfully.

In chapter 9, we witness one of the most dramatic moments in the whole book. Saul — the most violent enemy of the church — is knocked flat on his face on the road to Damascus. He is blinded, broken, and completely undone – yet he sees the risen Jesus. When he recovers, he becomes Paul: the man who will carry the gospel further than anyone. Nobody saw that coming, which is rather the point.

Over in Joppa, Peter is staying with Simon, a tanner — and he is being pushed well outside his comfort zone. God gives him a vision: a sheet descends from heaven, full of unclean animals, and a voice tells him to eat them! Peter refuses — not once, not twice, but three times. He knows Leviticus – he’s not going to fall for this trick. Then the message lands: do not call unclean what God has called clean.

He is standing there, still processing the vision, still honouring everything his Jewish faith has taught him, when the Spirit speaks again: Some men are about to arrive. Don’t ask questions. Go with them. And then — knock, knock — Cornelius’ men are at the door.

Cornelius is a Gentile, a Roman soldier, living in Caesarea. He is about as far outside the camp as a person can be, in Jewish terms. But he and his household love the Lord. Acts 10:2 says he prayed continually to God. An angel visits him and says ‘go fetch Peter’. When Peter arrives, Cornelius has a full house — relatives, friends, everyone — and he is barely containing his excitement.

Peter begins by addressing the elephant in the room: “You know it’s against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.” He starts to preach — and before he even finishes, the Holy Spirit falls on the entire household.

From that living room, the gospel takes root. Antioch — a majority-Gentile city — becomes the new mission centre. It is there that believers are first called Christians. The centre of gravity shifts, quietly but decisively.

The First Missionary Journey
In chapters 13 and 14, Paul and Barnabas are sent out together. They travel through Cyprus and into Galatia, preaching in synagogues, seeing remarkable response — and facing serious opposition. In one town they are celebrated; in the next, stoned. In Lystra, they heal a man and the crowd tries to worship them as gods. They push back hard — and then a mob of devout Jews who despise them arrives and turns the mood. Paul is dragged outside the city, brutally stoned, and left for dead. Miraculously, he gets up and walks back in.

That pattern holds throughout: the gospel goes out, people respond, opposition rises, and the church keeps growing — consistently crossing boundaries that religious insiders assumed it would not, and should not.

By the end of chapter 14, Paul and Barnabas are back in Antioch, sharing stories of everything God has done, and the church is celebrating. Then some Jewish believers arrive from Jerusalem — and that is where chapter 15 begins.

The Problem
Acts 15:1–4
The first missionary journey is done. Gentiles are turning to Jesus. The church in Antioch is overjoyed. And it is also around this time that Paul writes to the Galatians — reminding them: hold on to grace. Whatever you do, do not go back to the law.

And then these devout Jewish believers arrive with a serious concern: ‘Yes yes, it’s wonderful that people are believing in Jesus. Truly. But they absolutely must be circumcised first. And they need to keep the law of Moses. All six hundred commandments. Otherwise,’ they insist, ‘it’s not real salvation.’

But before we cast them as the villains of the story, it is worth understanding who they actually are.

These are not the people who followed Paul and Barnabas through Galatia stoning them. These are sincere, deeply committed followers of Jesus — former Pharisees, the most devout people of their day, who accepted Christ at enormous personal cost. For a Jew to follow Jesus meant your family held a funeral for you. You were declared dead. The price was extraordinarily high.

These are not bad people. They are people who sacrificed everything for their faith, who genuinely love God, and who sincerely believe they are protecting the integrity of the gospel. You can understand their thinking: We followed every law, observed every tradition, paid a high price. Surely anyone serious about following Jesus will want to do the same. We’re not gatekeeping for the fun of it. We believe we are being faithful.

But what they are actually doing is building a wall between broken people and Jesus.
We need to sit with that for a moment — because we do the same thing.

Maybe not over circumcision. But we have our own versions: the right music, the right language, the right politics, the acceptable sins and the unacceptable ones. We have a mold. We add things after the equals sign without even realising it: Salvation = Jesus+ becoming like us. And then we wonder why people hesitate to come through the door.

I helped organise a birthday party here at CBC recently for sweet Rose, and she invited several non-Christian friends who were genuinely anxious about coming into the building. No – they weren’t nervous about the building – bricks don’t judge. They were nervous about the people inside the building – they do.

But it was a beautiful event, everyone felt very welcomed and some made a point of telling Rose how surprised they were that they had such a wonderful time – in the church! And in one of the toasts given, a lifelong friend of Rose’s said: “Rose always listens. She never judges.” That is what it looks like to show people Jesus.

The Council
Well, Paul and Barnabas fought back against the Jewish believers vehemently. This wasn’t a soft, polite theological disagreement—they were absolutely going at it. So at the church in Antioch they decide enough is enough: “We’re going to Jerusalem to settle this once and for all. You guys—Jewish Christians—are saying this has come from the apostles, so let’s go hear it from the horse’s mouth.”
The crowd from Antioch arrives in Jerusalem and Paul and Barnabas begin sharing everything God has done among the Gentiles. The room erupts — celebration from some, immediate pushback from others.

Verse 5: “Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.’”

Groundhog Day. Same argument. Different city.

The apostles and elders sit down for what must have been an extraordinary meeting. What is decided at the Jerusalem Council in AD 49 sets the course of church history for all of history. One theologian observed that if it had gone differently, most of us probably would not be Christians today. Or at the very least, instead of singing Amazing Grace, we would be singing Amazing Circumcision. And ‘What can wash away my sin-’ would be followed by, ‘nothing but the law of Moses.’ Considerably less catchy.

So, we can be grateful for what happens next.

Verse 7: Peter speaks first. He reminds them of Cornelius — how God poured out his Spirit on the Gentiles with no preconditions. No law, no circumcision, no ceremonies. Just faith. “God made no distinction between us and them.”

Then he drops the truth bomb. Verse 10: “Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?”

In other words: you cannot keep the law yourselves. None of us could. And that was always the point. The law is like a mirror — perfect and holy, showing us where we fall short, but the law was never designed to save us. It was always pointing us toward our need for a Saviour. So why hold others to a standard you have never managed to meet?

That stings. Anyone guilty of holding a newer believer — or any believer — to a standard you cannot keep yourself? I know I am.

Then Peter turns the whole thing on its head. It is we — the religious, the devout, the ones with the law and the prophets — who must receive grace in exactly the same way the Gentiles do. Not the Gentiles learning from us, but us learning from them. The ones we consider unclean, who were worshipping idols last week, eating bacon and wearing all kinds of questionable clothes. Those who are living with mess and brokenness and shame — they understand grace better than we do. Because they know they have nothing to bring. They just know there is a man named Jesus and they want to know him more.

There’s a country-rap artist from Nashville, tattooed from head to toe, who spent years in and out of prison. His stage name is Jelly Roll. He was arrested appx forty times. Caught up deep in addiction and drug-related crime. Not an obvious candidate for grace. But somewhere in the wreckage, he saw Jesus, and it changed everything!

His transformation didn’t just happen on his clothes; it happened inside his heart. Today, the music he makes speaks loudly about addiction and shame and redemption and second chances — and it resonates because it is not a polished testimony. It is scar tissue turned into song.

In 2024, on the morning of a concert, he visited a Virginia prison and sat with inmates in a recovery programme. He listened, wept, and sang with them. Then he rang the sheriff to ask whether four of those inmates might attend his concert that evening – in street clothes, not handcuffs – and sing with him on stage.
Jelly proclaims Jesus in everything he does — not in the way I might. But just five minutes ago I told you I’ve looked down on new believers. His theology may not be perfect, but I believe he perfectly knows that Jesus saved his soul and when he gets to heaven, we’ll both be saying the same things as the thief on the cross (who had zero chance of cleaning himself up!) — “I came because Jesus, that man over there, told me to meet him here.”

Now, back at the council, this would have been an extraordinarily difficult message for the devout Jewish Christians to hear. Their entire lives had been shaped by the law. Their great-grandparents had literally died for the right to circumcise their children. Antiochus Epiphanes had ordered that mothers who circumcised their sons would have their babies killed and then be made to parade through the city with their infant’s body around their neck, before being put to death themselves as a warning to others. These people gave their lives for these traditions, and now they were being told: that’s not what saves. Grace is bigger than this.

Verses 12–13: “The whole assembly fell silent as Barnabas and Paul described the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles. When they finished, James spoke.”

James was the brother of Jesus and the most respected figure in the early church. In verses 14-17, he roots his entire argument in Scripture — showing that from the very beginning, this was always God’s plan. Not something new. It’s the beating heart of God, always.

Then he delivers the verdict.
Verse 19: “My judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.”

That’s it.
Do not make it difficult.
Do not add requirements that Jesus didn’t.
Do not block the way with your customs, your traditions, your culture, your preferences. Point people to Jesus — not your version of Christianity. Jesus.
Salvation = Jesus. Full stop.

So here is the question James is asking us: where are we making it difficult? Where have we made secondary issues the main thing and lost sight of Jesus? Where do we say, without meaning to, that salvation = Jesus+ something else? Because Jesus made the way as open as possible. And James is saying: don’t you dare block it. Do not make people stumble over things Jesus never required of them. Do not miss how big grace really is.

The Christian Pharisees could not fully receive grace because deep down they felt they had earned something. Grace had become the cherry on top of their own effort. But grace, by definition, cannot be earned. The moment you feel you deserved it, you have missed it entirely.

The Gentiles understood quickly — because they knew they had nothing to bring.
The invitation is exactly the same today. Whether you’ve been a believer for forty years or are not yet sure you believe any of this — the way to him is not to get cleaned up, try harder, or become like the rest of us. That would be a mistake. It is grace – through faith – in Christ alone.

The Letter and the Disagreement
Take a moment to appreciate what’s just happened: The apostles and elders of the entire church, gathered in Jerusalem. Peter gave a speech. Paul gave a speech. Barnabas gave a speech. And then James gives the final decision – a verdict that would shape Christianity for the next two thousand years: salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone.
But what about verse 20 – where Jame’s doesn’t exactly say nothing is required. In fact, ge gives a list of four things that are!

Verse 20: “Instead, we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood.”

Three of these things are essentially about idol worship: food polluted by idols, the meat of a strangled animal, and blood. In the Greco-Roman world almost all meat came through the temple system where animals were sacrificed to false gods and demons. Eating together was worship; you couldn’t separate the meal from the deity it was sacrificed to.

Similarly, sexual immorality is included for the same reasons: it was so normal in the culture and also tied directly to worship. Naming it explicitly was helpful for new believers who were learning what worship really looks like.

But James wasn’t adding to salvation—Jesus already dealt with that. He was building a practical bridge. He was saying, “Hey guys, this is the minimum common ground that will let Jews and Gentiles be a community together without causing offense or confusion to others who might be looking in and are also on their way to faith.”

The bar for belonging to Jesus is grace.
But belonging in community will always ask something of us—not to earn our place, but because our love for others will profoundly shape how we live.

With the details agreed, this letter is written from the council and sent out, and the church rejoiced. It was a historical triumph. Everyone lives happily ever after in unity—for five minutes.

Then suddenly Paul and Barnabas—the greatest duo in church history—had a row so severe that they would never work together again…

Verses 36–40: “Sometime later Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let’s go back and visit the believers in the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they’re doing.’ Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it was wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.”

You could not make this up. And Luke could have left this out. But he chose not to — and I kind of love him for that.

Paul and Barnabas fall out over Mark. Why? Short answer: we don’t know. In Acts 13:13 all we know is that Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. That’s it. No explanation. Maybe he was homesick, maybe ill, maybe scared, maybe he had a theological disagreement, or was uncomfortable with the direction they were headed. Who knows. Scripture is silent, which is worth noting because Paul treats it like a serious failure and Barnabas treats it like something recoverable.

The text does not decide between them. We are not told who was right — because that is not the point.

What we do know is what happened on both sides. Before, Mark was clearly trusted—he’s Barnabas’ cousin; he’s connected to the Jerusalem Council and was invited on that first journey. Afterward, Barnabas believes in Mark enough to break his gospel partnership with Paul.
This isn’t just a little spat—these two absolutely go at it. But you know what’s not in the text? It doesn’t say that they prayed or sought God. So here’s these two really godly men, digging their heels in, and splitting.

Barnabas takes Mark, and it’s hard not to side with him because Barnabas has a soft heart. He understands that people make mistakes and he’s compassionate. And we know Mark goes on to write the Gospel of Mark, so Barnabas was right to believe in him.

But God uses Paul too! This hot-headed, stubborn, mass murderer who’s just publicly humiliated a young believer—and God still uses him. It reminds me of Martin Luther, who described himself as, ‘rough, boisterous, stormy, and altogether warlike’.

That gives me hope that God can use you and me too. Now — this doesn’t give permission or an excuse to stay in sin. Hear me clearly: we’re not talking about resisting the Spirit’s sanctifying work. But it blows up the idea that God leaves us on a shelf until we’ve cleaned ourselves up enough to be useful.

God will meet us right there in our mess, not after it.

Commands and convictions are more like cat’s eyes or rumble strips on a highway at night – they show us where the road ends and the ditch begins. When something in my life is out of sync, I feel my heart rumbling as I veer off course and it’s a signal that I have drifted from what I really want.

I don’t avoid sin because I am afraid of punishment. I avoid it because I want the real thing. I want the closest, most unhindered relationship I can have with Jesus on this side of heaven. And I know what gets in the way of that—anything that gets in the way of my view of Jesus.

It’s the same reason I don’t cheat on Jonathan. I’m not faithful because of a prenup or house rules; I’m faithful because I love him so deeply that words fail me. It would absolutely kill me to hurt him by giving even a sliver of my heart away.

Jesus came to bring abundant life, and I want it all!

Now, if you’re feeling too broken or uncertain or ashamed, you’re wrong. Paul was a mass murderer, but God pursued him with everything he had, and Jesus’ arms are open wide for you right now—just the same, not when you’ve sorted things out. If that were the standard, the thief on the cross would not have had a prayer. Sometimes we do get a chance to make things right: to confess, repent, ask forgiveness, be reconciled.

Paul and Mark did about 12 years later. In 2 Timothy 4—one of Paul’s final letters—he says, ‘Hey, you know, bring Mark. I’ve been stupid. He is a great guy, and I need him here with me.’ Full circle. Whatever happened in Pamphylia was not the end of their story.

Now, Acts 15 ends here, but at the start of chapter 16 there’s a slightly uncomfortable but notable incident.

One More Thing: Timothy
Acts 16:1-5: “Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they travelled from town to town, they delivered the decision reached by the apostles and the elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. The churches were strengthened and their faith grew daily in numbers.”

Timothy is half-Jewish, half-Greek and uncircumcised. Every Jewish synagogue Paul visited would have shut the door in their faces. So, what does Paul do?
He circumcises him.

The man who literally has a letter from the Jerusalem Council saying circumcision is not required, in one hand – and in the other he’s got a pair of snips! And he says, ‘hey Timmy – so… how do you feel about surgery?’

The distinction matters: the council’s ruling is about salvation. Timothy’s circumcision is about access. It is about removing every unnecessary barrier between people and Jesus.

Paul will not compromise on truth — but he will do whatever it takes to meet people where they are, even if it costs something, even if it is a bit painful or awkward.

Today that might look like going to a Jelly Roll concert. Or inviting neighbours with colourful language. Or joining a photography club to meet people. Or hosting a group of school mums and their kids every Friday afternoon.

The question is simple: what are we unwilling to do? What sacrifices are we avoiding that would actually help people see Jesus?

Whatever just popped into your mind — know that Timothy’s end of the deal hurt a lot more!.

Benediction
I’ve written a benediction that I want to read over all of you as a prayer to close.

May you go from this place with a heart like Paul and Timothy—steadfast, courageous, and full of grace.
May the compassion of Barnabas shape your life, helping you see the good in others and draw it out.

May the wisdom of the council guide you, holding truth with discernment.
May you, like Peter, be attentive and captivated by the Spirit, ready to follow him wherever he leads.

And above all, may your eyes remain fixed on Jesus—the author and finisher of your faith, the centre, the hope, and the joy of all you do.
Amen

]]> 19943 https://corshambaptists.org/women/acts-the-church-afire-study-5-hollie-g/ Mon, 11 May 2026 11:31:47 +0000 http://cbcgraceplace.wordpress.com/?p=5251 This post by christinecoltman was originally published at GRACE PLACE

PRAY: Lord, by your Holy Spirit, show me where I’m trusting in my own effort instead of your grace.
Speak to me personally and help me understand the freedom you have given, through Jesus.
Read Acts 15 – slowly – and as your read, ask:

• What surprises me and challenges my assumptions?
• What reveals God’s heart?
  Acts 15.1-5: When we try to earn what’s already free
  Some believers insisted Gentiles must be circumcised and obey the Law of Moses to be saved.

1. How are we tempted to do the same today?
2. Where do I subtly rely on performance instead of grace?
   Acts 15.6-9: Hearts made clean, by faith
   Peter declares that God made no distinction between Jews and Gentiles and that their hearts
   were cleansed by faith.
3. What does this show about how salvation works?
4. Read Romans 2:25-29 – Circumcision is not outward but of the heart, by the Spirit. What would it
   look like to live from inner transformation rather than outward performance?
   Acts 15.10-11: The burden of the law
   Peter warns against putting a yoke on believers that even Israel could not carry.
5. Why is trying to earn salvation through law-keeping dangerous?
6. Read Galatians 2:11-14 – Peter himself once acted hypocritically, withdrawing from Gentile
   believers under pressure. Where does the fear of others’ opinions influence how you live out your
   faith?
   Acts 15.12-21, 27-31: Freedom that chooses love
   The council asks Gentile believers to abstain from four practices. These weren’t requirements for salvation.
   They were meant to preserve unity between the Jewish and Gentile believers.
7. Why might these four things have been especially difficult for Jewish believers?
8. What does this teach us about using our freedom with love and sensitivity toward others?
   Acts 16.1-5: Strengthened through unity
   Paul shares the council’s decision to the churches.
   The result: the churches were strengthened in faith and they grew in number daily.
9. How is the church strengthened by keeping the gospel clear?
10. How does choosing love over personal freedom help communities flourish?
    “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
    (John 17.3)
    The Spirit’s role is not to burden us with rules. He point us to Jesus. He deepens our relationship with
    Him. And he help us build one another up in love.
    PRAY: Lord, reveal areas where I feel pressured to earn your love.
    Help me, and all my CBC sisters, to live in the freedom of your grace and the love of your Spirit.

Back in January, we looked at the first part of chapter 9 – Saul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus and how his eyes were opened – physically and spiritually. This evening we’re still in chapter 9 but we’ve said goodbye to Saul / Paul for a while – he’s been sent away to Tarsus, his hometown, by the believers in Jerusalem to escape persecution himself – oh, the irony; Ananias has disappeared into obscurity, having fulfilled the purpose to which God called him, and the church is enjoying a time of peace and growth.

Back onto the stage comes Peter. And Peter remains the main character right through until the end of chapter 12. Then, he too, fades into the background with only one further mention of him in Acts (ch.15) and a couple of mentions in Galatians ch 2 and, of course, the two letters he wrote.

In preparing this study, to get the context of the passage right, I asked myself a couple of questions: Where do these two stories sit in Acts – what happened before the events in this passage? What happened immediately after these events?
So, a quick overview: in the first 8 chapters we saw the New Testament church being established in Jerusalem, the Spirit has been given, the apostles have begun to be persecuted, Stephen is seized and martyred, persecution of the fledgling church begins driven by Saul, and as a result believers flee throughout Judea and Samaria. Then we arrive at chapter 9 – and the hunter (Saul) becomes the hunted. Jesus meets him in a dramatic encounter, blinds him physically but opens his eyes spiritually. These next few verses that we’re looking at this evening are part of the story of the church spreading and taking root. What happens next in chapter 10 is truly earth shattering, and life-changing for people at the time and in every generation since, including for you and me two thousand years later. So far, God has gradually been teaching the apostles that the Gospel is not just for Jews, it’s for Samaritans (those of mixed Jewish/Gentile heritage) and for full blown Gentiles. All are welcome, no-one is beyond His grace or excluded from His invitation. These two miracles are shoe-horned in between two earth-shattering events with hardly any detail except the bare facts. I wonder why? Why these two miracles?

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s read the passage. Read 9: 32-43.
Peter is on the road visiting Christians outside of Jerusalem. Ch. 8: 1 tells us that during Saul’s great persecution all the believers in Jerusalem, except the apostles, fled the city and settled elsewhere, throughout Judea and Samaria. The apostles themselves hunker down in Jerusalem. But now that Saul has become a Christian, the danger seems to have passed and it’s safe for Peter to travel again. Firstly, he goes to Lydda, which is a town about 22 miles northwest of Jerusalem. Today it’s called Lod and is not far from Tel Aviv airport. Why did he go? V32: Peter has gone to visit the saints – the Christians – in that town, perhaps to encourage them, to do a little preaching and discipleship. He probably wants to know how they are doing in their faith after all the persecution. Are they persevering? Have they fallen away? He’s doing some great member care out of concern and love for the believers – no doubt many of whom he would have known when they lived in Jerusalem. In the town he finds a man called Aeneas. We assume he was already a believer as Peter says nothing about his need to come to faith. It’s probably a reasonable assumption that the believers whom Peter has come to visit have told him about their friend Aeneas.

What do we know about Aeneas? Very little. We don’t know how old he was, whether he had a wife and family, or what his livelihood was. All we know is that this poor man was paralysed and had been bedridden for 8 years – can you imagine what that would have been like for him? I did a little research on the effects of being bedridden, just to give you a picture of the utterly
miserable condition that Aeneas was in:
In the first 24 hours:
● Muscle strength is reduced by 5%
● Circulating blood volume is reduced by 5%
In the first week:
● Muscle strength is reduced by 20%, as is circulating blood volume
● Maximum oxygenation of the lungs is reduced by 15-30%
● Being bedridden can lead to the development of pressure ulcers.
● Other possible complications include pneumonia, structural changes to joints, bone loss, constipation, blood clots, disturbed sleep patterns and skin damage.
● Studies have shown that prolonged bed rest detrimentally affects almost every organ system.
Poor Aeneas – he’s not lying on a pressure-relieving mattress that we have these days – he’s on a mat on the floor. Can you imagine how desperate a condition he was in after being paralysed and bedridden for 8 years? Unable to do anything for himself, clean himself, change himself. But, you know what? He wasn’t alone – he had friends who knew about him and wanted to help him.
And one day his Christian friends bring Peter to see him. Oh, how wonderful to have friends who love us and are concerned for us, who don’t give up caring even after 8 years of ill health with no change in sight. Faithful friends.

Look at v34: presumably there were introductions, some polite chat, maybe tea and cake offered. But all Luke tells us is that Peter gets right to the point and says to Aeneas, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and tidy up your mat.” The verb being used here is called the aoristic present – and the meaning is more like “this instant Jesus Christ is healing you.” An immediate, instant miracle was performed and Aeneas immediately got up off his mat! This was medically impossible! Can you imagine the shock, the disbelief, the jaws that dropped to the floor – and then the celebrations! How wonderful for Aeneas – 8 years of torment, frustration, soreness, weakness, shame, helplessness – gone in an instant. He was fully healed in that moment! From that day forward he was living a new life, totally changed, healed and restored!
Notice that Peter is clear about who is the agent of healing here. “Jesus Christ heals you.” Yes, Peter said the words but it was Jesus who did the healing. And what is the outcome? Look at verse 35. Again, Luke gets right to the point – “All those who lived
in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.” Isn’t that amazing?! A revival breaks out in the town because of this miracle! People saw the change in Aeneas and believed! Praise the Lord! Let’s not get hung up on the word ‘all’. It probably wasn’t every single person in the area. The footnote in my NIV suggests that while Sharon is indeed a region, it could also have been the name of a village near Lydda. And John Calvin comments that “when Scripture mentions ‘all’, it is not embracing to a man the whole of whatever it is describing, but uses ‘all’ for many, for the majority, or for a crowd of people.” Nonetheless, it’s probably a lot of people who became Christians because of that miracle of physical healing.

Something amazing had been happening among the people that they possibly weren’t aware of – the Holy Spirit isn’t mentioned in this passage but He wasn’t absent. He had been preparing their hearts and minds to believe in Jesus – quietly, secretly but irresistibly. Aeneas’s physical healing was the catalyst for their spiritual healing. Aeneas experienced a bodily transformation – the one who had been physically helpless and desperate was now whole. Likewise, those who believed experienced a total spiritual transformation – they were spiritually helpless and in a desperate situation, even if they didn’t realise it, yet now they were spiritually healed.

So, let’s not give up on praying for friends and loved ones who don’t yet know Christ. Aeneas had faithful friends who cared for him. Let’s be faithful friends to those who are spiritually paralysed. Who knows but that the Spirit is quietly doing a work of spiritual healing within them that even they aren’t aware of. What will be the catalyst for their salvation? Perhaps not a great miracle but possibly something you say or do. Perhaps you’re wondering if miracles of healing happen today. Have you personally heard of people being healed in a miraculous way?

Let me give you an example that I heard about just a few weeks ago. David Harper is an antiques expert and appears on programmes like Antiques Roadtrip and Bargain Hunt. He became a Christian because of the healing of his daughter’s mental health. She was healed because she found faith in Jesus. That was the catalyst for David’s own journey to faith. And here’s an account from Simon Guillebaud from 2023. In Burundi, teams of evangelists were sent out from 88 churches for two weeks all around Burundi. In the small village of Bwambarangwe, 41-year-old Diomede had lain paralysed from the waist down and in increasing despair for three years. The team visited him and shared the gospel, which he accepted as he was desperately in need
of hope! Interestingly, they didn’t pray for his healing initially. But as they parted ways and stepped out of the compound, he felt the urge to call them back to pray for him to be completely healed. Once they’d said ‘Amen!’, he took his crutches and stood up. He then let them go and carried on walking! He burst into tears and shouted for joy. Hearing his cries, people rushed to see what was happening. Just like in Mark 2:12, they were ‘all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” Thirteen people responded to the miracle by surrendering their lives to Christ.

So these things do happen today. Yet, I’m aware that there are many people who are suffering from ill health and disability and they aren’t healed. Even Jesus didn’t heal everybody when he was on earth. Why is that? The simple answer is that it was not His will. This is something that Joni Erickson Tada struggled with for a long time. She fully believed she was going to be healed and yet, 60 years after her accident, she is still in a wheelchair. She said back in 2013, “God may remove your suffering, and that will be great cause for praise. But if not, He will use it, He will use anything and everything that stands in the way of His fellowship with you. So let God mold you and make you, transform you from glory to glory. That’s the deeper healing.”

Let’s move on and look at what happened in Joppa. Here we meet Tabitha, aka Dorcas. She was a Jewish believer whose special gift and ministry lay in doing good deeds and she was notable for her generosity to the poor. It seems that she was quite the seamstress who made clothes and other useful items for the poor and needy. Kent Hughes says in his commentary on this passage, “Her busy hands carried out the plans of a loving heart.” But, alas, she became ill and died. Her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room, awaiting burial, as was the custom. And then the believers messaged Peter to come at once. He was only about 12 miles away in Lydda and could do the journey in a day. They wanted this church leader to come – but I wonder why? Were they going to ask him to perform the funeral service, or just to be there to console them? Or were they thinking of a miracle? We just don’t know. But Peter came straight over and was taken upstairs to where Tabitha was lying. As he ascended the stairs, no doubt he heard the crying and wailing first, and then he saw the women grieving for Tabitha. Luke is quite spare in his details of what happens next. He’s not a flowery writer. I guess, being a doctor, he’s more concerned with facts and getting to the point, than writing flowing descriptions of the scene and the emotions. V40. Peter sends everyone out of the room, he kneels down and prays. Then he simply says to Tabitha, ‘Get up’ – and guess what, she did! Her cold body was flooded with warmth and life, she
opened her eyes and, seeing Peter, she sat up. I wonder what her first thoughts were: where am I? Who are you? What’s happening? Peter helps her up and calls in the believers and the widows – and to their astonishment they see their dear friend walking and talking! What a scene! Imagine what it was like to see someone who was dead come to life! It’s no wonder that the news spread all over Joppa and, again, many people believed in the Lord. Another revival – the Spirit at work, opening blind eyes, taking away the scales, turning people from mere religion to Jesus! And note again – who did the healing? Certainly Jesus – Luke is careful to record that Peter prayed first before commanding Tabitha to get up. As John Stott says in his commentary on Acts: “Peter knew he could not overcome disease and death by his own power or authority, so he didn’t attempt to do so. He knew that the power to heal and to save lay only in one person, the Lord Jesus.”

Like Aeneas, Tabitha was completely unable to help herself, to rescue herself, to turn death into life. In the same way, those who are spiritually dead are unable to rescue themselves or turn spiritual death into spiritual life. Throughout the New Testament, miracles of healing serve as illustrations of the power of the gospel and the authority of Jesus:
● The blind being enabled to see illustrates us having our spiritual eyes opened to spiritual truth.
● The sick being healed illustrates God healing us of our spiritual sickness—the sickness of sin.
● And of course the dead being raised to life illustrates God raising the spiritually dead to spiritual life.

These physical ailments serve as vivid metaphors in Scripture for our spiritual brokenness before receiving the gospel. They are recorded in the Bible, not just as acts of compassion, but to illustrate the greater healing that is available to all – spiritual healing.
What is our greatest need? Our greatest need isn’t deliverance from physical problems – although those who suffer no doubt long
to be healed. Our greatest need is for deliverance from our sin.
Aeneas was very much aware of his desperate physical condition and no doubt he longed to be well again. Think of those you know who are unbelievers. Are they aware of their desperate spiritual condition and their need of healing? The majority of people aren’t. They carry on with their lives, ignorant of their spiritual sickness – until the Spirit gets to work. The Holy Spirit isn’t mentioned in this passage but He is certainly present and at work, doing what only He can do – drawing people to the
Father through Jesus.

The tragic fact is that we’re all born into this world spiritually blind because of the Fall. Back in Genesis 3, we read of Adam and Eve succumbing to temptation and eating the fruit that was forbidden to them – and what happened? Ch 3 v 7: their eyes were opened and they knew that they were naked. Matthew Henry writes that, “…the eyes of their consciences were opened, their hearts
smote them for what they had done. Now, when it was too late, they saw the folly of eating forbidden fruit. They saw the happiness they had fallen from, and the misery they had fallen into. They saw a loving God provoked, His grace and favour forfeited…They saw their natures corrupted and depraved.”
These were the consequences that befell our first parents and every generation since them. That one act of disobedience resulted in spiritual separation from God. But God demonstrated His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5: 8). It is only through Jesus that our spiritual disease can be healed, our spiritual death reversed and new
life breathed into us. Praise God!

So, coming back to our passage, whose eyes were opened? Tabitha’s literal eyes were opened as she came back to life. But, spiritually-speaking, unknown numbers of people who lived in and around Lydda and Joppa. Because of the miracles, they saw the
evidence and believed in the Lord. But also, I think, Peter’s eyes were opened – at least partially. Don’t forget what is to come in chapter 10, when Peter is told clearly through a vision that the Gospel is for the Gentiles as well as the Jews. In his book on Teaching Acts, David Cook writes, “God is bringing Peter from being a man of his culture, to being a man of the Kingdom.” What he means is that it was Jewish culture not to associate with Gentiles, or Samaritans for that matter. But, as you discovered with your study buddy, that wasn’t God’s plan or intention. Look at v43 – Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon. A simple statement. But behind it is a startling fact. In those days tanners were considered to be unclean by Jews because they were constantly in contact with the skins of dead animals. Tanners’ homes were smelly; tanners were ostracized and had to live at least 50 cubits outside of town. Rabbinical law stated that if a young woman discovered that her fiancé was a tanner, she could break the engagement (Kent Hughes, Acts [Crossway Books], p. 143). But here is Peter overcoming his Jewish scruples by staying for quite a while with a tanner. So, there is a real sense in which Peter’s eyes are being opened too. It’s been 6 years since the cross at this point, and the church is still distinctly Jewish in character. But God is shaking things up. Jesus clearly told the disciples to make disciples of all nations. Not to make them Jewish, but to make them Christ’s followers. And this wasn’t just a NT instruction, but it stretches all the way back to the first chapters of Genesis where God clearly tells Abraham that God’s kingdom is for the Gentiles as well:
“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you will be cursed, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Gen. 12: 1-3

The barriers are already coming down by the conversion of Samaritans to the Christian faith. Samaritans were detested by Jews and Jews would not associate with them. But in Acts ch 8 we read of Philip preaching the gospel to a city in Samaria and people believing it and being baptised. In fact, when the apostles heard of this, they sent Peter and John to check it out. Peter, a devout
law-keeping Jew, is having his boundaries stretched and accepting that half-Jews, as the Samaritans were, could also receive the Gospel. And now here he is staying with a tanner. His prejudices are being worn away. But what about Peter’s attitude toward the Gentiles? How will his eyes be opened there?

John Stott writes in his commentary, “It is difficult for us to grasp the impossible gulf which yawned in those days between Jews on the one hand and the Gentiles on the other. This, then, was the entrenched prejudice which had to be overcome before Gentiles could be admitted into the Christian community on equal terms with Jews.”

It was going to be a massive step forward for Peter and the other apostles to realise that God intended the Gentiles to hear and receive the gospel and be saved – that they weren’t unclean, but would be part of His kingdom. We’re going on a journey through Acts, and the church at that time was also on a journey. Literally, as the church spread geographically, but also in its identity as Jews, Samaritans and Gentiles had their spiritual eyes opened to Jesus and became part of His body. All are welcome, no-one is beyond His grace or excluded from His invitation. And that includes you and me! Amen!

]]> 19947 https://corshambaptists.org/women/acts-the-church-afire-study-4-ruth-l/ Sun, 01 Mar 2026 17:19:05 +0000 http://cbcgraceplace.wordpress.com/?p=5240 Continue reading Acts: The Church Afire Study 4 (Ruth L)]]> This post by christinecoltman was originally published at GRACE PLACE

Eyes Opened Pt. 2

Read Acts 9:32-43

Background

Back in January, we looked at the first part of chapter 9 – Saul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus and how his eyes were opened – physically and spiritually. This month we’re still in chapter 9 but we’ve got a new cast – the actors have changed. The newly converted Paul disappears from our pages for a while, living and ministering in Tarsus, his hometown. Ananias fades into obscurity, having fulfilled the purpose to which God called him, and the church is enjoying a time of peace and growth (v.31).

Back onto the stage comes Peter, who remains the main character right through until the end of chapter 12. Then, he too, fades into the background with only one further mention of him in Acts (ch. 15), a couple of mentions in Galatians and, of course, the two letters he wrote.

Now that there’s a break from the persecution instigated by Saul, Peter takes the opportunity to get out of Jerusalem to visit Christians in other parts of the country. It will be a journey that sees transformation in the lives of many, and in Peter’s life too.

The Miracles

In our passage, look at v33. How long had Aeneas been bedridden for? What do you think were the effects of that on his body?

Aeneas was completely disabled and Tabitha was dead, but their lives were transformed beyond all imagination. How does their physical condition and these miracles of healing and resurrection illustrate the spiritual parallels of salvation?

The miracles recorded here closely resemble two miracles that Jesus did – see Mark 2:11 and Mark 5:38-42. What are the similarities?

In our passage, note that it was Peter who spoke the words, but who was it who actually did the healing?

Tabitha’s eyes opening echoes Saul’s experience earlier in the chapter; what’s the double meaning?

What was the effect of these miracles in the wider community?

The Holy Spirit isn’t mentioned in this passage, but how was He at work in these events?

As you close, praise God for the transformative power of Jesus in the lives of helpless men and women. Just as He has the power to heal and restore the physically sick, He has the power to raise those dead in sin to new life! Pray for your loved ones who need this transforming power in their lives.

Acts 9:1-31

Here we are with such a well known passage. I am praying tonight God can open our eyes and show us new things to soften our hearts and turn them to Him.
Let us pray.

So how can we get a new take on this passage? I know many of you will have read it again with your study buddies but let us try again with fresh eyes. I am going to break it down in different ways to see if getting different perspectives on it will illuminate things not seen before. None of this is new or an original thought and I am grateful to a lot of resources, especially John Stott, but praying that God
has helped me pull it together in a way that will make us think afresh tonight.

We are now going to read the passage; it is quite long but worth listening to.
As you listen: What strikes you?
Do any words or phrases stand out?
Anything that makes you think I have never noticed that before?
Anything you think, I wonder what that means?
After the reading I will just give you a minute to jot your thoughts down, with pen paper or phone, whatever works for you.

Read Acts 9:1-31

You will have heard of colouring by numbers, which is about my level, but tonight it is ‘Bible study by numbers 1 to 5’.

So number 1: Saul

Saul is our main character of the story tonight. We have already seen him in these studies where Jill showed him to us approving of and encouraging the death of Stephen by stoning. Now encouraged and fired up by his ‘success’ of
crushing followers of The Way, he decided to go out on the road to continue his persecution. (As a small aside, followers of or people belonging to ‘The Way’ was the original name for early Christians, describing their life as a path or journey following Jesus, who called Himself “the Way, the Truth, and the Life,”. This was emphasizing a dedicated way of living, believing, and practicing His teachings).

Who was Saul?
Apart from being the last person anyone expected to turn out to be a goodie! Saul was a Jew as he says in Philippians, “circumcised on the 8th day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee”. But he was brought up and lived in Tarsus, which is now in modern Turkey. At this point it was a Greek city, so he would have spoken Greek, but it was under Roman rule so being born there he would have been a Roman citizen. All of these are points God uses in the story much further along than our passage goes today. But it goes to show he was chosen, a particular person with the right gifts for God to use.

When are we talking about? There is some debate but this passage was thought to be between AD 34-37. Why Damascus? There is no clear answer to that, but there was a large Jewish committee there with many of them following Jesus, so I guess he thought it was a good place to start the next stage of persecution. We know that Damascus is about a 150 mile journey from Jerusalem which would have
apparently taken about a week, and he was almost there when the life changing events happened.

Saul was proud, arrogant, and thinking he was there to wield power and influence. Remember he was carrying his letters which showed his authority. Then Jesus intervenes!

This is a scene depicted often in pictures. Look at the image and imagine yourself in the scene. Supernatural lights, and voices from heaven jolt Saul into a new reality. A voice speaks to him in Aramaic; “Saul, Saul why do you persecute me??” Saul grasped that this was a supernatural voice. So he asked “who are you Lord?”. He answered him, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting”. Wow, Saul was laid low and humbled as his eyes were opened to realise Jesus was speaking to him. Jesus who was alive and resurrected, who identified so closely with his followers that when
you persecuted them, you persecuted him. What a life changing moment. His spiritual eyes were opened and his physical eyes were shut; why was this?

Maybe it was as a sign, to just give him the space to process what was happening. Just reflect on that moment how do you think he felt, as his rage and self righteousness melted away. How sweet would that grace have seemed. Hopefully, those of you who have done the study will have already been reflecting on your own
‘eye-opening’, or do I mean ‘eye-shutting’ moment?!? Just take a moment now to think back. It may have been this dramatic, but it may have been more gentle. It doesn’t matter what the moment was like, it is how you respond to it that matters.

What about the poor men with him? They must have been completely confused! They heard sounds but no words; they may have seen lights, but most dramatically their angry, bullying, arrogant leader was now on the floor needing them to guide him.

Now we move on to number 2: Ananias and Barnabas.

There are two other people named in our passage who often don’t get much of a mention but they play a very important part in God’s plan. Saul could have not gone on to do his life’s work without the actions of these two men.

Lets start with Ananias, who has been called an unsung hero. Just imagine – Ananias was a Jew, and well aware of Saul and his reputation and the plans he had made to come to Damascus to arrest believers. Ananias might even have been at a prayer meeting calling on God to stop Saul coming!! So imagine his shock and horror when he is told by God to go to him. I’m not surprised he is reluctant and needs telling twice. Ananias then took a deep breath and went “ok God” and walked off down the street to see Saul. I can’t even think how hard he would have been praying…
“God I really hope I heard you right, otherwise it will be short visit” and potentially Ananias would not be coming home that day. As he went through the door, maybe aware of Jesus’s love for him and the forgiveness he had received, Ananias reached out his hands. “Brother Saul” or “Saul my brother”. What a welcome into
the family of God! Who of us can say we are that welcoming to new believers we meet? What a role model; Ananias saw Saul as God sees him… washed by Jesus’s blood and loved and forgiven and welcomed. It is not totally clear from the text, but it can be assumed that Ananias then baptized him and they ate together. Ananias put aside his personal fear and hesitations and trusted God, and welcomed Saul in to the family of believers in Damascus.

A bit later in our passage we come to Barnabus son of encouragement. There is some debate of how long this was after Saul’s conversion, but from his later letter it is thought to be 3 years or so after the early events. People were afraid of him still; his violent acts and plans were still fresh in people’s memories and he
was feared by many, so he was not welcomed. God however did not want his plans interfered with; this was the chosen instrument of God to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. So he sent Barnabus to Saul’s rescue; Barnabus presented Saul to the other apostles, especially Peter and James, and testified to his work preaching in Damascus and of the story of his conversion. He was then welcomed in to the family.

So a few things to notice. In both places Saul sought out other Christians. Straight from his conversion he wanted fellowship with others, to encourage and
witness to each other. From this we need to be aware of the great responsibility of the church to welcome new believers and befriend them, drawing them into the family of God. Are we as individuals and as a church living out the challenge of Ananias and Barnabus, putting aside our own prejudices and judgements to accept and welcome people as Jesus welcomed and accepted us?

As we reflect on this, let’s stand up and move to a different seat. Why did Jesus meet Saul on the Damascus road? Saul would have been praying in the synagogue regularly. Why didn’t God meet him there? Sometimes a change of place takes us out of our comfort zone and makes us more open to God, so let us move seats and see if it gives us new perspectives.

Ok as we settle again we are onto number 3: 3 days, 3 relationships.

So what had convinced Barnabus that Saul’s change was for real. Saul demonstrates true change by radically changing his relationships, his conversion brought dramatic changes in 3 different relationships.

1) Relationship to God.

His first 3 days as a Christian were days of prayer and fasting. As he talks about in later letters, in those 3 days Saul was increasingly aware of his sin and the forgiveness he had received. As he reflected on his past behaviour he was filled with an awareness of the depth of divine grace and mercy. His theology changed forever and he realised the new and old way could not co-exist. For if righteousness is through faith by grace then it is no longer by works and sacrifices. As all believers do, he gained a new awareness of God the Father; no longer the distant rule bound God of the Old Testament, but ‘Abba Father’ who gave his son for our forgiveness. He also grasped a key concept for all his later preaching, of the believer being in Christ, of dying with Christ and
being raised with Christ.

2) Secondly, Saul’s relationship to the church had a complete 180 degree about turn. He went from persecuting the church, to being an integral leader in the church. He went from breathing fire, dragging people to prison and trying to tear the church down to spreading encouragement, teaching people and building up the church. He went from aggressor to brother. This complete change was one of the most striking aspects of the conversion and many have said it is a convincing proof for the existence of God and the truth of the Bible.

3) Thirdly, his relationship to the world saw radical change; he went from a narrow minded, strictly hierarchical, ‘Yahweh for the Jews and Jerusalem’ focused mind set, keeping only the right people in, oppressing and persecuting any who disagreed with him. To witnessing to the end of the earth welcoming all who believe into fellowship and sharing God’s love with all people. Jesus appointed him as a servant and witness, and an apostle to the Gentiles, as he says in Romans 11:13.

As an aside, what does being an apostle mean? And why is Saul one when the other 12 were all with Jesus from the beginning? As you can imagine many books and hours of sermons are written and spoken about this. The short answer is that he had a divine commission from Jesus himself; He was the sent one (‘apostolos’) to the Gentiles. He was a witness to the resurrected Christ in the encounter on the Damascus road and showed he had been given divine authority through the signs and wonder he performed. He was also recognised by the other apostles (in the end) in his lifetime as an apostle.

Moving on to number 4.
These are the 4 characteristics Saul showed as a witness.

1. He was Christ-centered.
   As soon as Saul started preaching he was fully focused on Jesus. As we can see from our passage, he was preaching Jesus was the son of God and proving he was the Christ. He wasn’t just telling people about the amazing things which had happened to him, but using them as a hook and then redirecting people’s gaze to Jesus. His story was just a proof of Jesus’s resurrection and Lordship.
2. He was Spirit-empowered.
   As we read in the rest of Acts and Paul’s letters, he spoke with the convicting power of the Spirit, he healed the sick, he was guided about where to go and who to talk to by the Spirit. Many miraculous things happened in his presence to add weight to his message as a witness for Christ to the world.
3. He was courageous.
   Having been a persecutor of the church, he was well aware what he was getting into and the opposition he would face. He spoke boldly and courageously, and not unexpectedly, as we see in this passage, very quickly he was running for his life. But this did not stop him. He just moved to the next place and spoke boldly again.
4. He was sacrificial.
   Saul suffered throughout his life; he was imprisoned, had personal rejection, was stoned and left for dead. He could easily have been martyred like Stephen early in his ministry but God had other plans and warned him to flee.

Lets just take a few moments to reflect on our own relationships and witness. This is not about comparisons but more about letting the Holy Spirit talk to us and maybe prompt us in areas He wants us to move and grow.
Thinking about your relationships with God/church and the world, are there things you need to focus on or change?
As you think about your witness in the world, what strikes you? I am aware I need to be more aware of the movement of the Spirit and listen more closely to the small quiet voice to guide my life and relationships.
Happy to talk more about this if you want to ask later.

We finally arrive at number 5.
For the final verse of our passage which shows the 5 characteristics of the church at that time.

There was peace; Saul who had been leading on the persecution of the church had converted and become part of the church and this seemed to have meant there was a respite from persecution for a short while. God had provided a time for his church to regroup ready for the next challenge and not to get complacent. There were also changes in the Roman Emperor’s priorities at this point which again might have taken some pressure off.

A little phrase here which we might not even notice has huge significance: ‘the church through out Judea, Galilee and Samaria’. If you know your Bible, the whole book talks of conflict between these countries and people groups, but here they are united. It also says ‘one church’ in 3 places, showing unity and fellowship. If only people spoke this way about the church today.

It was also ‘strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit’. This speaks of gaining spiritual maturity and being guided and empowered by the Spirit. Strengthened to endure the trials ahead. This is the work Jesus spoke of the Spirit doing; that he would be the comforter and remind them of Jesus’s words.

The church was also ‘growing’ numerically, as seen in other places in Acts with the early Christians communal way of living; breaking bread together, financially supporting one another and having close fellowship drew people in so they could then hear the good news of Jesus. Is our church that attractive today?

They were also ‘living in fear of the Lord’. This is not cowering fear, but holy reverence respecting God and his holiness and authority. This would have been counter-cultural and bore fruit of genuine joy in the goodness of God.

As we draw to a close. Lets listen to the passage again. Do different things strike you? Do you have any thoughts of comments to share?

As we begin this new year we are continuing with our studies in Acts; we have seen how the Holy Spirit is setting the church afire. So far the church has grown in Jerusalem and surrounding areas amongst the Jewish people. Now for an event which will shake this up and take the Good News to the ends of the earth and, radically, to the Gentiles.

This month we are on the road to Damascus with Saul for one of the most well-known events in scripture; so much so that “Damascus road experiences” and “the scales fell from my eyes” are well used phrases even by people who don’t know the origins of them.

We know this is a very important event by the fact the story is relayed in Acts by Luke 3 times and then referred to multiple times by Paul himself in his letters.

Read Acts 9:1-31 together.

Now read the shorter versions in Acts 22:4-16 and 26:12-18.

This is the story of Saul receiving Jesus as Lord and Saviour, radically changing his relationships and outlook on the world. As a good Jew he already knew God the father, Yahweh, and the holy spirit from the scriptures and rabbinic teachings, but this is a step change.

What did he come to understand? See Act 9:20 and 9:22

Think back to the time you accepted Jesus as Lord, was it sudden and dramatic? Or more of a gradual eye opening?

Although Saul’s acceptance seems sudden, if you look back you can see it had a gradual beginning. As a Jew, visiting the temple in Jerusalem, he would have been aware of Jesus during his earthly ministry. Were they ever in the temple at the same time? Saul certainly knew about him. He would have been aware of Jesus’ death. And of the stories of resurrection. Stephen witnessed to him (Acts 8:1). Was he so angry and hateful to the followers of Jesus who knew they were saved by grace exactly because he was aware he could not perfectly keep the law and save himself? So, Saul accepting Jesus was the climax of a process that had been going on for years.

Return to your own situation. How was your conversion? If you are still on the journey and not quite made that commitment yet, don’t worry, keep reading and praying and talking to people.

Saul had flashing lights, voices from heaven and miracles of blinding and healing; did you have a dramatic moment? Not many of us do but that doesn’t mean the change of heart is any less dramatic. We all go from denying and persecuting Jesus to accepting and loving him, even if it isn’t as obvious to others as Saul’s behaviour.

Praise God for his mercy and grace to us all.

The road to Damascus brought Saul salvation but it was only the beginning. God’s sanctifying work still takes a lifetime. Saul was not made perfect on that road but just started on the next stage of his journey with Jesus.

Where are you on your journey? Discuss together. Saul needed friends and support throughout his life encouraging and teaching him and so do we.

Acts 8:1-25
Wizards and Weirdos; Transformed Hearts

We are continuing in our series working through the book of Acts; we can’t cover it all in one year, so we are dipping in and out as we look at some of the key moments in this exciting book. Remember, it was written by Luke to be a continuation of his first book, the gospel of Luke; just as the gospel describes what Jesus taught and did, Acts looks at the continuing teaching and ‘doings’ of Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit. After Hollie’s introduction, Anne talked us through how the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost, and the role of the person of the Holy Spirit in pointing us to Jesus, equipping us and enabling us to share the gospel and uniting us with our Saviour. Last month with Jill, we looked at the first persecution of a Christ-follower; Stephen was brutally murdered for pointing out the resistance of the Pharisees and scribes to the work of the Holy Spirit. We were challenged to cultivate that open and tender heart, and to truly ‘see’ Jesus and reflect him.

We come to today’s passage; if you met with your study buddy you will know that this is the beginning of the fulfilment of what Jesus said in the great commission in Matthew 28; “Go and make disciples of ALL nations” and again in Acts 1:8, right before he was taken up to heaven he said “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”. It is so exciting that we see these words starting to come true.

Let’s read Acts 8:1-4.

Scattered

We’re going to start by setting the scene. Without a committee or organisation being set up, the gospel is spreading. And why? The threat of persecution and intimidation. With the death of Stephen, the new believers are forced out of Jerusalem and into the surrounding areas of Judea and Samaria. Look more closely at the language used to describe this ‘scattering’; the persecution ‘broke out’ and it was ‘on that day’ with all the ferocity of a sudden storm. Can you imagine the fear, the panic? ‘Quick, we have to get out of here! What is God doing? Why is this happening?’

What is amazing is that in the midst of that fear and chaos, these ordinary new believers flee, but don’t go silent! I sometimes wonder what my response would be to testing like this – I think I might go quiet and keep my head down. But no, these guys take the message of the cross with them. Luke uses the word ‘evangelizo’ five times in this chapter, meaning ‘bringing good news’; different to the word used to describe the ‘teaching’ of the apostles. The word ‘shared’ would be a better translation than ‘preached’ here in v4; that fits with the idea of this being ordinary believers like you and me, filled with and emboldened by the Holy Spirit, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ wherever they went. One speaker I listened to talked about this ‘sharing’ like a ‘leaking’ of the gospel; these people were so filled to the brim with the love of Jesus and his message, that they were embodying being the fragrance of Christ wherever they went. What a picture of the transformation of the Holy Spirit! God, in his sovereignty, taking ordinary people, transforming their hearts by the gift of his Spirit, so that despite intense persecution the message of the saving work of his son is spread further and further afield!

It is that picture of hearts transformed by the Holy Spirit that I want to focus on today. We will see two different responses to the message of Jesus Christ in this chapter; firstly the Samaritans and then Simon (or as one speaker coined it – weirdos and a wizard!). Let’s read Acts 8:5-8 as we consider the response of the Samaritans.

Read Acts 8:5-8.

Samaritans

Now we meet Philip; this is not Philip the disciple of Jesus. This is Philip, a Greek-speaking Jew, one of seven deacons appointed to help out with the issue of distributing food to the believers in the early church; we read about this last month at the start of Acts 6. He was not originally a preacher – he was a do-er! However, the Bible says he was “full of the Spirit and wisdom”.

Philip is one of the Jews who has to flee for his life, and he runs north from Jerusalem, straight into enemy territory. I think we can find it hard to imagine to level of boldness it took, for Philip to even contemplate heading in the direction of Samaria. Perhaps it was that his brain was scrambled by the persecution and he just found himself there. Or maybe it was intentional and he had Jesus’ words ringing in his ears “you will be my witnesses in Judea, Samaria…” and he jumped at the chance to make this reality! We don’t know. But it is helpful for us in our understanding just to refresh our historical knowledge here. The Jews and the Samaritans had hated each other for hundreds and hundreds of years! Why?

Do you remember Hollie’s great map last year when we looked at Israel’s history as part of our study of Hosea? There was the great divide after King Solomon’s death when the monarchy broke down; the north of Israel was made up of 10 tribes who made their new capital in Samaria, and in the south, the two tribes that formed Judea continued to have Jerusalem as their capital. Things only got worse when the north fell (remember all Hosea’s prophecies?!) and Assyria conquered in 722BC; the King of Assyria took a lot of the Jews there captive, and repopulated the area with foreigners. The remaining Jews did what God had forbidden; they intermarried, and thus they were seen as half-breeds and heretics by pure Jews. Strong words! Real hatred! The apostle John explains it simply in his gospel (John 4:9) “Jews do not associate with Samaritans”. This partly explains why in Luke’s gospel (Luke 9:51-56) son-of-thunder-John is heard requesting to call down fire upon the Samaritan village that rejected Jesus, such was his hard feeling!

Yet that was not Jesus’ heart for the Samaritans. Yes, they were seen as ‘weirdos’ by the Jews; hated, mistrusted and NOT the kind of people who they’d want to associate with. But God had a bigger plan to bring these guys into his family; to unite them all and prove there was no boundary to the saving grace of Jesus’ message.

Receptive hearts

When we look at the Samaritan’s response to Philip’s teaching we see something unexpected; we see receptive, open hearts. Very different to the response Stephen had from the Jewish leaders in the previous chapter! Look at verse 6 and note the verbs; the Samaritan people ‘heard’, they ‘saw’ and they ‘attended’. This shows us they were receptive to this news. Remember Jesus’ teaching of the four soils; these guys were soil that was ready to receive the good news.

More than this, we know they were receptive, because of what we read in the account of the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:4-42. She herself said “I know that Messiah is coming” and because of her conversation with Jesus; his insight, and his clear declaration of “I am he”, she believed him and spread his message to her town. You can imagine that rumours would have spread of the coming of the Messiah, so these crowds may have been curious, and expectant. If you look ahead with me in Acts 8 to verse 12, we can see the result of Philip’s evangelism (“But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.”); they heard, received, believed and were baptised. And it says in verse 8 “there was great joy in that city”. Hearts and lives were being changed. Transformation had begun.

United by the Holy Spirit

But something was still missing. Read v14-17.

One commentator says that verse 16 is ‘perhaps the most extraordinary statement in Acts’. Why? Because it begs the question to be asked – how could the Samaritans have believed and been baptised without receiving the Spirit? We know from God’s word, that when someone believes in the saving work of Jesus Christ; his death on the cross for their sin and his triumph through the resurrection, at that point of repentance and faith, they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. According to Peter’s first sermon in Acts, forgiveness and the gift of the Spirit are twin initial blessings which God bestows on everyone whom he calls and who repents, believes and is baptised (Acts 2:38-39 “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”.)

I don’t want to go down a rabbit hole here, but it is such a strange circumstance that it needs addressing briefly. Firstly we need to know that this was NOT normal. This example of two stages of believing and then separately receiving the Holy Spirit is the only time in Scripture this is done and is not to be taken as the norm for us today. Remember Hollie saying Acts is a narrative and cannot all be applied to our situation? This is a good example. You can almost hear the surprise in Luke’s tone as he writes that the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon the Samaritans.

This unusual set of events brings about two things – the transformation of the Jewish believers hearts, and the unity of the new church.

United – Transformation of the apostles

The Holy Spirit wasn’t just at work in the hearts of new believers, but the old ones too! (If you can call them ‘old believers’!) One commentator talks about how the Jewish apostles Peter and John “hot-foot it” all the way from Jerusalem. As this was the first time the gospel had been received outside of Jerusalem (and inside Samaria), we wonder if they were coming to check if this was authentic faith. In coming to Samaria, there is a whole lot of heart-transformation going on for the Jewish Christians! Remember before, I mentioned John, the ‘son of thunder’ wanting to call down fire on a Samaritan village? Here he is, coming and laying his hands on those-once-his-enemies in order for them to receive the Holy Spirit. Can you imagine the mix of feelings these apostles would have been dealing with as they approached Samaria? What the conversation would have been like between Peter and John?! The disbelief “really?! This message is for…even THEM??” And here they were, with Jesus’ words ringing in their ears “you will be my witnesses…in Samaria”, with hope and excitement building in their hearts as they walked into enemy territory. The same Holy Spirit, received by them in that upper room at Pentecost, was working in their hearts; healing division, transforming those who were once self-centred and insecure into courageous and sacrificial servants. They were willing to go where they once would never have dreamt of going, in order to spread the love and message of Jesus with the crazy, beautiful idea of UNITY.

Unity of believers

The other reason I think we have a non-normative event going on here, is exactly that; unity. There was a great danger here that the new Samaritan believers could become a separate faction of ‘Samaritan Christianity’ as opposed to ‘Jewish Christianity’. Division had happened before and it could certainly happen again. So it seems reasonable to suggest that in view of their background, and to avoid the potential disaster of the church being divided just as it was getting started, that God deliberately but temporarily withheld the Holy Spirit from these new converts. In doing so, as the apostles prayed, laid hands on their former enemies and the Holy Spirit was received by them, the early church was united. This was a public sign to everyone, to Jewish Christians and to the Samaritans, that these guys were to be welcomed into the redeemed community on precisely the same terms as all Jewish converts. What a strikingly visual picture of unity! There was now one body, because they all received the same salvation and the same Spirit.

So having looked at the transformation of these ‘weirdos’ into joyful, believing, Jesus-followers, we are now going to turn our attention to the ‘wizard’ in this passage; the sorceror Simon and look at his response to the gospel.

Let’s go back and read Simon’s story. Read Acts 8:9-13.

Simon

As we see in those opening words, ‘for some time’ before Philip arrived in Samaria, the area had been under a very different kind of influence. Simon was a sorceror; a magician who performed amazing signs. He could have been just a trickster, but it is much more likely that he was operating under Satanic-power. Simon was making a living from his magic; more than that he was well known in that part of the world for his ‘mighty acts of magic’; a historical record from that time recalls a Simon from Samaria who was ‘considered a god’, which matches the exclamations of the people in v10. Simon also had a very high opinion of himself. He had a boastful heart. We can see as we look at this passage that his motives are based around himself; his reputation, prestige, power, authority.

But, of all the people in Samaria, why does Luke focus on this one man? I think he wants to paint a picture of how it is possible to have all the outward appearance of belief but have the wrong motive; to warn his readers against the dangers of belief without true salvation or transformation. We’ll look at both these things; how he believes, but does not allow his heart to be truly changed.

Simon believes but not to saving faith

Once Philip arrives in town and begins preaching, we observe Simon’s reaction. He seems genuinely astounded that someone has a greater power than he does. And he’s intrigued! He wants to know what this power is! He follows Philip everywhere! The Scripture tells us he’s also astonished – isn’t that ironic? The one who is used to amazing others, is amazed himself. John Piper talks about how that amazement becomes the basis for Simon’s belief; there is nothing written here that gives us any reason to think that Simon’s initial belief was not genuine belief. But crucially, it was not enough to just believe in what he saw. He wasn’t sceptical, he accepted the supernatural. And he believed, but not to the point of saving faith. James 2:19 talks about how even the demons believe in God (and shudder); it is possible to believe but not to saving faith.

John Piper uses a clever illustration that really helped me to understand this further. How can Simon believe but not be saved?

It is an experience every mother/grandma/carer of toddlers has probably had. Suppose you have a one-year-old child sitting on your lap and suddenly in the window there is a beautiful bird and you hold out your hand to point at the bird and say, “Look, look at the bird!” What does the child look at? He looks at your hand and the sign you are making with your fingers. He might even try to imitate the sign by putting out his index finger. He sees the sign. He is excited because you are excited. He joins in imitating the sign as best he can. But the problem is he never sees the bird. The whole point of the sign is missed.

That is what happened to Simon here. He saw the signs that Philip was doing. They were better than his own magic. He got excited about those signs. He followed Philip around and wanted to imitate them. But he never saw the bird in the window. He never saw the ugliness of his own sin, the need for repentance, and the glory of Christ in the gospel who forgives and makes us new and clean. You see, the truth is, Simon’s heart was never captured by the beauty of the gospel. His heart was utterly captivated by the signs and wonders he saw. As we look at the next part of the passage, his true motives for believing are revealed.

Read Acts 8:18-25.

A heart not transformed

Luke is careful to capture Simon’s response to the laying on of hands and the outworking of the reception of the Holy Spirit in the new Samaritan believers. Simon was once again amazed and wanted this for himself. His motives were seeking the POWER he saw displayed and he wanted the ATTENTION that was now on Christ. His understanding was so limited that he thought the gift of the Holy Spirit was something that could be bought.

With Holy Spirit eyes, Peter sees into Simon’s heart and gives a clear and necessarily brutal response to his offer of money in order to receive the Holy Spirit. He is literally saying ‘to hell with your money, because that is where you’re going’… ooofff!! Hard-hitting! But you cannot BUY a GIFT God wants to give! You can’t bargain with God, not after He has given us the ultimate gift of His son’s life in exchange for ours!! The Holy Spirit is not available for purchase.

This is more than a misunderstanding on Simon’s part. When Peter says in v 21 “You have neither part nor lot in this matter”; he is talking of the matter of saving faith. Peter sees that Simon’s heart is not right with God; he still needs to repent. He is still enslaved in sin and not yet a believer. There is no transformation of his heart. The root of the problem is there in v21 as Peter says “your heart is not right before God”. Translated, this actually means ‘Simon your heart is not straight’. You have a crooked heart; it is selfish, ambitious, vain, proud and bitter.

We have already talked about the parable of the four soils this evening; the Samaritans had soil ready to receive the word. This kind of belief Simon displayed reminds me of the soil in the parable that has rocks in it; Jesus says in Luke 8:13 the seeds that fell “on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away”.

Peter tells him what he needs to do; REPENT and PRAY. Why? Repentance is at the core of our salvation; we can only know we need saving, when we know what we are being saved FROM. When we see the mess of our hearts; the sin, the selfishness, we know we need to be made right. It starts with falling to our knees and acknowledging our brokenness. I think that is why Peter calls him to pray; prayer is how we receive God’s supernatural help when we pray through the Spirit God has gifted us with as his adopted children. Peter is giving Simon a life-line here; there is still a chance for restoration and forgiveness!

Sadly Simon’s response is to neither repent OR pray. He doesn’t seem to have any confidence in his own ability to pray and he asks Peter to pray for him instead. He seems to be more concerned for the consequence of his sin, rather than sorry for the sin itself. He’s more interested in avoiding God’s punishment, rather than receiving God’s forgiveness. So sad! What a contrast to Stephen; Simon wasn’t consumed by Christ, he was consumed by himself! We are left ‘hanging’ by Luke in what happens next; he doesn’t tell us the end of the story, and I think that is because he wants his readers to examine their own hearts.

REFLECTION

I have been thinking a lot in my preparation for this evening about my own heart response to the work of the Holy Spirit in this passage. The Holy Spirit is clearly at work in Acts 8;
…in how the Samaritans responded to Jesus with joy;
…in how the apostles grew in faith to accept their previous enemies;
…in the unity displayed as divisions are healed;
…in how Peter sees right through Simon’s self-interest and rejection of Jesus through Holy Spirit -eyes.
Transformation… or lack of it, is evident.

God has been teaching me much in this season about the transformation of my heart. I have been challenged particularly by the softening of the heart of the apostle John, who went from being that fiery son-of-thunder, to coming and laying his hands on his enemies for them to receive the same gift he’d already been given. It is so beautiful when we see the fruit of transformation in our own lives and the lives of those around us; a cause for great joy and encouragement! I thought I’d share a bit of testimony to finish before we pray. Some of you already know this story so apologies you’re hearing it again, but I need to keep telling myself how the Holy Spirit does GREAT things, even in me, when I ask him for help and lean in to what he is doing in me!

Some of you will know that I do not do conflict; I would rather run/hide. In my marriage that often looks like the prickly-hedgehog approach to conflict; the silent treatment and avoiding eye contact! I have been working on this for YEARS as it does not honour God or my poor husband! Back in September, we had been gearing our youngest up to start swimming lessons; he’d been highly anxious about it, and we were on egg shells as to how the first session would go. R was in charge of the swimming bag – it was hanging on the front door handle ready to go. We get to the pool in plenty of time, into the changing rooms, open the bag…no swimsuit. NO SWIMSUIT! What???! Called him; he’d forgotten to put it in the bag. I can’t tell you how frustrated with him I was. SO CROSS! We had no time to go and get it, a new one from the desk costed £22, and poor C was so upset after the ramping up of pressure and energy just getting him there. We made the decision just to go home, and in the car I was swallowing down rage and just about stopping myself saying anything negative in front of the boys. Once we started driving, as I started praying out loud “Lord you’re going to have to help me, I’m so so cross”, I began to see the ugliness of the bitter hatred forming in my heart. I asked the Holy Spirit out loud to help me, because in my own strength I knew I couldn’t walk through the front door and not let rip at my husband.

Honestly, it was such a miracle; after repenting of my bitterness, and asking the Holy Spirit to work in my heart because I knew I needed him so badly, I was able to walk through the front door and there was literally no resentment; I was completely floored! God is SO GOOD! It has become a line in the sand for me, and even for the boys who knew how angry I’d been.

I want to say I’ve nailed it and learned that lesson, but no. I have also seen times in the last two months since then, when so stuck in my own self-interest and selfish motives I couldn’t pray, so the prickly hedgehog approach was back with vengeance. I’m not proud of that at all; there are no situations that justify sin in my own heart!

What encourages me though, is all the promises we are given in God’s Word. Scriptures like:
…‘He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion’ (Phil 1:6)
…‘His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life’ (2 Peter 1:3) and
…‘ask and it will be given to you’ (Matt 7:7).

When we ask for something in line with God’s will, he will answer! And it IS his will that we are made like Jesus; 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified” so we can be confident when we ask the Holy Spirit for help we will receive it. Don’t hear me wrong here – we are not sanctifying ourselves; this is not depending on us. As Eddie once said, the Holy Spirit does the work, but we must collaborate with him! And Reinier said yesterday to me, ‘the sword of the Spirit needs to be picked up, in order to slay any dragons!’

So although I’m learning transformation can be a step-by-step slow process in dealing with the sin in my heart, by journeying with the Holy Spirit, and leaning on him, and leaning on the totally-and-utterly-completed atonement of Jesus for me on the cross, I will be made more like him!

We can’t do any of this in our own strength; but we can choose to give our hearts fully to the God who made us for relationship with him. Have you allowed him the space to reveal what he wants to do in transforming your heart? Let us not shut him down as Simon did, but joyfully embrace the gift of our salvation as the Samaritans did. The same Spirit that was at work transforming the hearts of those in Acts 8 is still working today; what is he revealing to your heart?

Acts 8:1-25

This month’s study covers the spread of the gospel following Stephen’s death. We will see the different heart-responses of those who hear the good news of the salvation of Jesus for the first time. There is a challenge in here for us to invite the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts into the likeness of Christ, rooting out sin, so that we can be effective in continuing that great commission set by Jesus to spread the gospel to ‘the ends of the earth’.

Read Acts 8:1-8

Acts 8 begins with the scattering of believers, as the persecution following Stephen’s death ramps up. Wherever these Christ-followers went, they took the saving gospel of Jesus Christ with them.

1. Compare Acts 8:1,4-5 and Acts 1:8. How are the believers already fulfilling the commission Jesus gave? Where do we fit within this instruction Jesus gives his followers?

After fleeing Jerusalem, Philip proclaimed Christ in Samaria. This is significant!

2. Read Luke 9:51-56 and John 4:5-9. How does seeing the attitude of the apostles toward Samaritans in these passages help us understand the significance of what we read in Acts 8:5-8? How does this challenge your heart about sharing Jesus with others?

The Samaritans receive the salvation offered to them in Jesus with joyful hearts (v8). Now we are introduced to a man called Simon, a highly influential magician living in Samaria.

Read Acts 8:9-25.

3. Looking at Acts 8:5-6 and 9-13, what are some key differences between Simon and Philip? Consider the words and concepts used to describe them, and how the crowd react to them.

Simon appears to believe and is baptised (v13). He is amazed when he sees the Holy Spirit being received by the Samaritans (v17); clearly there was something different about them, and this power was more powerful than his own sorcery otherwise he would not have sought it for himself.

4. Simon’s request to buy the Holy Spirit brought a sharp rebuke from Peter (v20-23). According to Peter, what was wrong with Simon’s attitude and his offer, and ultimately his view of God?

5. What did Peter call Simon to do to get right with God?

Luke leaves us ‘hanging’ in our understanding of Simon’s response to Peter; it is not clear if his request for prayer is the start of genuine repentance or another self-interested attempt to bargain with God. However, the offer of salvation through repentance and faith, and the transforming of the Holy Spirit remained open to him, as it does to us.

Take some time to reflect on your heart.

• Identify the areas in your life where you are resisting the work of the Holy Spirit; it may be callousness to a particular sin, or where you may be trying to bargain with God, or an area you know you need to repent of.
• Share with your buddy, and then pray together, inviting the Holy Spirit to transform you into the likeness of Jesus.
• Thank our Father for his love and forgiveness, and that he is not finished with us yet!
• Close by reading Philippians 1:6 together.

Acts Chapter 6 and 7

Let’s just remind ourselves or for those of you who are here for the first time this term or even the first time to this ladies’ bible study. The book of Acts doesn’t make much sense without the book of Luke, they go together. Luke tells us how Jesus began to teach – Acts picks up with Jesus ascension it tells how Jesus worked through the Holy Spirit continuing His ministry. Acts is not a how to guide or how we do church today. Acts is the story of the Holy Spirit weaving through lives allowing us to see how they encountered Jesus through such a real way. Tonight, we are looking briefly at chapter 6 but mostly at chapter 7.

So far in the book of Acts there has been explosive growth in this young church. We heard from Anne last week in Ch 2 about the dramatic arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost just as Jesus had promised. Peter preaches a message about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, declaring Him as both Lord and Messiah; this message cut to the hearts of the people – that day about 3,000 people were added to the church. Chapter 2 ends with a beautiful picture of the early Christian church.

In chapter 6 we see that there was some unrest in the church – the Hellenists (Greek speaking Jews) believed their widows were being neglected by the local Hebrews in the church. To resolve this issue seven men were chosen from within the church to coordinate provision to the widows. One of the men was named Stephen who was described in both v5 and v8 as a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit and a man full of Gods grace. He was mature in his faith but may have only been a follower of Jesus for a short time. Stephen would go to the Jewish synagogue and share his faith, although for Stephen following Jesus was more than just doing the right thing; his life was devoted to following Jesus – he ordered his life around Jesus filled with the Holy Spirit. The Jews of many provinces became angry and began to argue with Stephen; v10 they couldn’t stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. Interestingly it wasn’t them who brought Stephen before the Jewish court (the Sanhedrin), they persuaded some other men to say that they had ‘heard’ Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. Stephen was brought before the same court who convicted Jesus and had him crucified around 2-4 years prior. This is the most powerful court in the land, the supreme Jewish council and high court around 71 members, chief priests’ scribes and elders. Stephen is accused of speaking against Moses, against the law and against the temple. I don’t know about you, but I would be feeling very defensive by now, I would want to fight my corner – I would like to think I would remain calm – trying to get my words out. In Acts ch6v15 we are beginning to get a picture of a man who, through Jesus, by the Holy Spirit dwelling in him, is continuing to build God’s kingdom.

Chapter 7 is a long sermon which can look a little overwhelming, and is on the face of it just a history lesson, but Stephen is very strategic in retelling the story of their history with specific points that address the core tenants of belief. The Jewish leaders have a long history of rejecting God and the Holy Spirit and his chosen deliverers; they also believe the temple is not where God dwells. Through this sermon Stephen is emphasising God is with his people wherever they are at – God was never confined to the temple but this was blasphemy to these leaders. God is bigger than the temple. As believers we receive the Holy Spirit, so this means God is with us wherever we are – he dwells with us by his Spirit.

Stephen could have denied the charges but instead gives a history lesson to the experts in history. Stephen would have learned Old Testament history as a Jew; he now has the Holy Spirit in him bringing the truth, but he is not a scholar, and he is faced with these 71 people of the Sanhedrin who claim to know history inside out they are all round him from all sides. At the beginning of Ch 7 the high priest asks Stephen “are these charges true”; at once Stephen refers to them as brothers and fathers, he is starting with a soft heart not a defensive heart. Stephen identified with them as much as he honestly could, he was not up for a fight. He then says to them “Listen the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham in Mesopotamia” – Stephen starts with the call of Abraham and Gods promises to him (Genesis 12 v 1-3). Stephen is highlighting that God is the one who initiated the promise with Abraham appearing to him in a glorious majestic way to begin his redemptive plan. He then in turn mentions Joseph, Moses and David; all chosen prophets who have been mistreated by the Jewish leaders of old. In Stephen’s speech, God’s redemptive plan starts with his promises to the patriarchs in Genesis to give an inheritance to the offspring of Abraham. All the men in the Sanhedrin that Stephen is addressing prided themselves on the fact that they followed the law of Moses and yet they missed the foretelling of the Messiah (Acts ch7v37 and Deuteronomy 18v15).

At the end of his sermon, he turns the accusation round and says ‘I am not the one blaspheming against the law and the temple; you are rejecting Jesus’ – this was a huge challenge to this group of people just like Jesus said in John ch 5 v 39-40.

Let’s read Acts 7 v 51-53 – Stephen is saying that though they have undergone physical circumcision to mark themselves as belonging to God (which was the Jewish requirement), their hearts are far from Him. Verse 51 uses the uncircumcised heart phrase which refers to their spiritual state despite being physically circumcised. Stephen is using language familiar to them straight out of the Old Testament, from the rebellion of Israel in the desert. In Deuteronomy Ch 10 v16 Moses says to the Israelites ‘Circumcise your hearts therefore and do not be stiff necked any longer’ – it is a call to change, urging the Israelites to move past spiritual stubbornness and have a circumcised heart before God. It’s like Stephen is saying ‘can’t you see, you are just like our ancestors! You fell into the same trap’. Stephen is trying to warn them not to miss the blessing of Abraham – the PROMISE of the Holy Spirit. They refused to listen then, and they are refusing to listen to Stephen now.

Being an authentic follower of Jesus with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit demands an open tender heart. This has been a personal challenge for me. Do I have a tender heart? This has made me ask myself ‘do I just hear and talk about spiritual things? Or do I live up to what I talk about? Where in my life am I not reflecting Christ?’ – for me I know when I’m neglecting my daily time in his word, I drift. The Holy Spirit works in us though his word it; becomes locked in our thoughts, speaking to our hearts. Spending time with Jesus in the word clothes us with the Spirit becoming more like him. Stephen finishes his speech with a direct challenge to the Jewish authorities who think of themselves as holy, Stephen argues that they are just like the Jewish leaders of old who persecuted and rejected God’s prophets – including Jesus, although the difference is the prophets of old spoke of the righteous one to come whereas Jesus IS that righteous one. It was through his persecution and death that our sin was removed, and we can now share in his righteousness in fact we do (Corinthians 5 v 21).

So when the Sanhedrin hear this (ch7v54-56), they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him – imagine this crowd of leaders all around facing Stephen with gritted teeth. So angry at what Stephen has accused them of. At this point Stephen knows his life is about to end and yet he is full of the Holy Spirit. What does he do at that moment? Is he looking at the people about to kill him? No, his eyes are not on his present situation but on the one who put creation in place – as he looks to God, he sees a vision of what is happening in heaven. Stephen sees something beautiful; he sees God in all his glory, which is amazing, but then he sees something more spectacular – he sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He says to the angry crowd ‘Look I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God’.

This is how Jesus referred to himself; ‘the Son of Man’ (Matthew 26 v64-66). In this passage we see the response from the high priest to Jesus – he tore his clothes in rage. This is what Stephen is presenting to the angry crowd of leaders; although Stephen is not copying Jesus, he had become like Jesus with the Holy Spirit guiding him. So, what is so special about what Stephen is saying? Whenever the Bible talks about Jesus in his relationship with the Father, the position in those situations every single time is that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father – but here for the first time in history of the first martyr of the church, Jesus is standing. There is no direct explanation in the text for this, but the image for me is Jesus standing up to welcome Stephen into the kingdom – the picture is amazing – he stands up from his throne to cheer Stephen on as he welcomes him. Even now Jesus is at the right hand of the Father cheering us on.

By now the Jewish leaders are so angry, they rush at Stephen with their fingers in their ears – these are very dignified men, they are the 71 top religious leaders of their time, the most respected scholars consumed with murderous rage towards Stephen at this point. I imagine them picking up their robes and rushing forward to Stephen. Just as a side note v 58 says they laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul who approves of what’s happening. v60 keep an eye out for Saul you will hear more about him later in the series. They drag Stephen outside the temple ignoring any legal process and begin stoning him with stones of all sizes. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed “Lord Jesus receive my spirit”, then he cried out “Lord do not hold this sin against them”. Just before Stephen’s death, or as written ‘fell asleep’, what pours out of Stephen is his heart toward his enemies. Stephen has his eyes on Jesus right until the end.

There is something amazing about seeing Jesus and seeing his work everywhere; maybe you are wondering where Jesus is working in your life right now, but you can’t see. Do you have an open tender heart? You might even be crying out for him. You may have a discouraged heart tonight and wonder where Jesus is. In the middle of what you are going through or what you may be facing Jesus is closer than you ever imagine; just because your eyes have been unable to see him don’t believe he is not there – just as Stephen saw Jesus – Jesus is with us now. He knows how weak we are. He knows about our relationships with our family, or the grief we bear from the loss of loved ones or the desire to be in a loving relationship. He knows the struggles we have with parenting or maybe the desire to be a parent. He knows about that health issue which is overwhelming or the concern for a loved one with ailing health. He knows about the days we wake up and feel like we just can’t face the world and the times when we are surrounded by people but cripped by isolation and loneliness – you may have struggled to get here tonight – Jesus knows.