The Gospel Spreads

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AStudying God’s Word

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Studying God’s Word

Introduction

In our last lesson, we looked at the beginning of persecution in the church, starting with a scolding from the Sanhedrin and escalating to the martyrdom of Stephen for teaching the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus as the only hope of salvation.

• Why did these disciples face such persecution? Jesus had explained to the disciples that the world would hate them because it hated him. Just as unbelievers had rejected him and sought to kill him, so they would seek to silence the disciples. The religious leaders feared any loss of power and authority. The gospel of Jesus Christ, which the apostles were proclaiming, directly undermined the traditions their authority was based on. The earliest persecution of the disciples came not from Rome or secular powers, but from their Jewish brothers—the very ones who should have been the first to accept Jesus as the Messiah.
• How did Peter and Stephen address the religious rulers? In both instances, the disciples boldly proclaimed Jesus as the only means of salvation. Further, they both directly rebuked the unbelief of the religious rulers, placing the blame of Jesus’ crucifixion on them.
• How were the disciples able to endure this persecution? They were empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit. He gave them the boldness to stand before their persecutors, guiding their words and actions as they proclaimed the gospel of Jesus, even to the point of imprisonment, physical beating, and death.

  It has been said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Today we are going to look at that statement in light of what happened in Acts 8 and how God used the persecution and other means to spread the gospel.

  As we begin our lesson, I want you to remember the command of Jesus to the disciples on the day he ascended to heaven. Listen as I read Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Alternatively, use this opportunity to reinforce the importance of Scripture memory by allowing the class or a student to quote the memory verse. Let’s learn how that plan was accomplished.

Samaritans Accept the Gospel

Let’s read Acts 8:1–8 together. Have someone read the passage aloud.

• Whose death is being referred to in verse 1? This is referring back to the stoning of Stephen.
• What happened to the church in Jerusalem in the period after Stephen’s stoning? A great persecution arose.
• What happened as a result of this persecution? The members of the church scattered.
• What happened to Stephen’s body? It was buried by the devout men of the church.
• What was Saul’s role in the stoning of Stephen? He was present, in agreement, and oversaw the cloaks of those who stoned Stephen (7:58).
• What actions did Saul take toward the Christians? He was ravaging the church, placing both men and women in prison.
• What does Acts 9:1–2 add to our understanding of Saul’s attitude? Saul was committed to traveling around the region to persecute the Christians and bring them to Jerusalem for trial. Refer the students to the New Testament History timeline where the persecution by Saul and preaching in Samaria are mentioned at AD 34.
• Did every Christian leave Jerusalem? Acts 8:1 indicates that the apostles, at least, were not scattered from Jerusalem. Based on later remarks, it is clear that not every single Christian left Jerusalem. Refer to Acts 9:26–30 where there were still disciples and apostles in Jerusalem after Saul’s conversion. Also, Acts 8:4 says “those who were scattered” went preaching, suggesting it was only some of the Christians, not every single person.
• Where did they scatter to? They went to the regions of Judea and Samaria; north and south of Jerusalem.
• Who did not leave Jerusalem? The apostles remained in Jerusalem.
• What did those who were scattered do as they went? They went about preaching the word.
• What does the phrase “preaching the word” mean? This is a shorthand way of describing the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. (See also Mark 2:2; Acts 8:25, 11:19, 13:5; 2 Timothy 4:2.)
• Where was the word preached? The context makes it clear that the gospel was preached in all of the places the disciples had scattered.
• In the introduction of 1 Peter (1:1–2), how did Peter refer to the Christians who had been scattered? He called them exiles of the Dispersion. From the Greek word diaspora, which means to scatter seeds, we get the picture of people being planted in various areas to grow the church. There were various stages of dispersion and to different areas in the early church.
• Whom are we introduced to in Acts 8:5? Philip. Philip was first mentioned in Acts 6:5 as one of the men chosen as deacons.
• How is Philip referred to in Acts 21:8? He is called Philip the evangelist.
• Where did Philip go? He went to the city of Samaria, the former capital of the northern kingdom of Israel and the region from which the Samaritans came. The location here is not just the general region of Samaria, but the city.
• What did he do there? He proclaimed Christ to them.
• How many people was he preaching to? He spoke to crowds, so there were many people present.
• What did Philip do to confirm his message? He did miracles, casting out demons and healing the paralyzed and lame.
• How did the people respond to the preaching? They paid attention to Philip’s message with one accord.
• What filled the city? Joy.
• Why was there joy? They were joyful in their response to the gospel, presumably that they had found forgiveness in Jesus the Messiah.
• What is the relationship between verses 4 and 5? It seems that verse four is a general statement, and verse 5 gives us one specific example of the preaching and response.
• Glance ahead to verses 14–17. How did the apostles respond to the news of Samaria’s acceptance of the word of God? They sent Peter and John to them to pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit.
• Looking at verse 25, what did the apostles do after the people had received the Holy Spirit? They returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages as they went.
• Thinking back to what we’ve learned before regarding the Samaritans, why was this significant? The Jews despised the Samaritans because they were not entirely Jewish by blood or culture. It is significant that the apostles responded so positively to the Samaritans’ conversions because they responded not according to the law and tradition of the Jews but according to the grace and love of Christ.

Discover the Truth

The command Jesus gave the disciples was being fulfilled. They had preached Christ in Jerusalem, and now the message was spreading to Judea and Samaria. As a result of Philip’s preaching, many believed in Christ, and Peter and John went to the Samaritans and laid their hands on them to give them the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14–17). Then they continued to testify and preach in the name of Jesus to other Samaritan villages. This was a major point of unity within the church as the Jewish Christians from Jerusalem acknowledged God’s work among the Samaritans whom they would have previously seen as their enemies. And this was happening all over the region as those who were scattered by the persecution preached the word.

• What two attributes of God are evident as we think about the circumstances God used to spread the gospel in Judea and Samaria? Refer to the Attributes of God poster. God demonstrated his wisdom and sovereignty in using the circumstances of persecution to take people from Jerusalem to the surrounding regions to proclaim the gospel.

  God often uses what we would think of as negative circumstances to bring about his plans. But in those times, we must remember that he is faithful to bring about his perfect will. The preaching of the gospel is powerful to save all who hear it. It has nothing to do with who the preacher is but everything to do with the Savior’s work of redemption and the Spirit’s work of conviction enabling the sinner to repent and believe in Jesus Christ.

Philip Shares with an Ethiopian

Let’s move down to Acts 8:26–40 and examine another opportunity Philip had to preach the gospel. Have someone read the passage aloud.

• How did Philip receive this assignment? He was told by an angel of the Lord.
• Where was Philip to go? He was to go to the road that went south from Jerusalem toward Gaza.
• What was this area like? It is a desert.
• How did Philip respond? He rose and went. It seems he did not delay but obeyed immediately. It is unclear if he had returned to Jerusalem after preaching in Samaria, but that seems likely.
• Whom did Philip encounter on the road? He encountered a man from Ethiopia in a chariot.
• Who was this man? He is described as a man of great authority in charge of the treasure of the queen of Ethiopia.
• What office would this be similar to in our context? He would be the Secretary of the Treasury or Minister of Finance of a nation in a modern context.
• What does it mean that he was a eunuch? This likely refers to the fact that he had been emasculated or castrated, though the term can also refer to a government official. Being unable to have children, eunuchs were trusted to have power in a kingdom with no threat of raising a dynasty to overthrow the leader.
• Why had he been in Jerusalem? He was there to worship God, but we are not told which festival he may have been there for.
• What was the eunuch doing? He was in his chariot, reading from the book of Isaiah.
• How did Philip know to talk to him? He had not heard what the man was reading yet, but he was directed by the Spirit to approach the chariot.
• How did Philip respond to the Spirit’s direction? He ran to the chariot, indicating immediate obedience as before.
• What did Philip hear as he approached the chariot? He heard the eunuch reading.
• How did Philip engage the eunuch? He asked him if he understood what he was reading.
• What does the eunuch’s response indicate? He could not understand what the prophet was saying and needed guidance.
• What passage was he reading? He was reading what we refer to as Isaiah 53:7–8.
• What specific question did the eunuch have about the text? He did not understand if the prophet was speaking of himself or someone else.
• How did Philip respond to this question? He used the passage as a starting point to preach about Jesus.
• How did Philip preach Jesus from this passage? While we are not told directly, we can assume that Philip explained how Jesus was led to the slaughter of the cross and died as the sacrificial Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. Since the text says “beginning with this Scripture,” Philip surely used other passages and ideas from elsewhere in the Old Testament to teach the Ethiopian about the gospel.
• How did the man respond? He believed what Philip preached, and he asked to be baptized. (Note that verse 37 is not included in some translations, including the ESV, as it is not found in the oldest manuscripts and appears to be a later addition by a scribe. Some translations, like the NKJV, will include the verse.)
• What happened to Philip after the baptism as they were coming up out of the water? He was carried away by the Spirit and taken to Azotus (modern-day Ashdod, about 20 miles north of Gaza).
• What did this indicate to the eunuch and those who would have witnessed it? It was a supernatural confirmation that Philip was indeed a messenger from God.
• What biblical imagery might this have evoked for the eunuch? He may have connected this to Elijah being taken away.
• How did the eunuch respond to all of this? He was rejoicing as he went on his way home.
• What might the eunuch have done along the way and once he reached his homeland? He likely told others of the good news that he had learned, spreading the gospel into northern Africa.
• What did Philip do from that point on? He preached the gospel from Azotus to Caesarea as he moved north along the coast.
• What connection does this passage have to Paul’s explanation of the spread of the gospel in Romans 10:14–17? It was necessary for a preacher to be sent to proclaim the gospel so that the Ethiopian could respond to the message.

Discover the Truth

Just as God had used Philip to proclaim the gospel to the Samaritans, the word of the Lord was proclaimed to the Ethiopian. Directed by an angel and led by the Spirit to this man, Philip was faithful and obedient to preach the same message that had brought him freedom from his sin. Undoubtedly, as the eunuch returned to the queen’s court, he carried that same message of hope in Jesus as the Savior of the world. He may have used the same scroll he was reading as he encountered Philip to teach others about Jesus.

The gospel had been proclaimed in Judea and Samaria, and now it was on its way to the ends of the earth so that all nations could hear of the redemption bought for them through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ—the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the world.

Providential Outcomes Activity

As we see in the book of Acts, God providentially directs the events of man in a way that brings about his purposes on the earth. Sometimes those events are desirable, but God also uses what the Puritans called “bitter providences” to work his plans in the world. While we often think of Romans 8:28–30 as a passage that talks of overcoming personal trials, there is a much broader application to consider.

In your Student Guide you will find an activity titled Providential Outcomes. There are some questions for you to consider in light of God’s providential guidance of the persecution and spreading of the gospel that we have been discussing. Have the students work through the questions in small groups.

Connect to the Truth

Let’s talk about what you discovered in these verses.

It is important for us to remember that God works all things according to the counsel of his will. Even through trials and persecutions, he is working out his plans, bringing about the ends he intends. For those of us who are in Christ and called according to his purpose, we can have absolute confidence that our all-knowing, all-powerful, all-wise God can bring about our ultimate glorification even though it may mean we personally face some bitterness in his providence.

• When you consider the persecution of the early church in Jerusalem, how do the principles of Romans 8:28–30 apply to what was happening? There are two basic applications. First, God uses those things that seem bad to us to bring about good things in the end. The goal is the sanctification of those God is calling to himself. God intends to make them more like Jesus, and he may use persecution to do so. Second, there must be a hearing of the gospel message (the call) so that those who are predestined can respond to the call. The persecution of the church in Jerusalem caused them to spread so that they could go “about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). Those in the surrounding areas were able to hear the gospel as a result of the persecution.
• How does this principle relate to Joseph’s words in Genesis 50:20? Joseph’s brothers had intended to harm Joseph by selling him, but God orchestrated the events to bring about good by saving the lives of many from the famine, including the children of Israel who would later inherit the promised land. If this had not happened, the Messiah could not have been born of the tribe of Judah. In the same manner, the persecution from the evil Jews in Jerusalem was used by God to spread the message of the gospel to Judea, Samaria, and the end of the earth (Ethiopia) just as Jesus had directed them.
• How does the spread of the gospel through persecution connect to the words of Jesus in John 10:16? Jesus knew that there would be many who would respond to the gospel outside of the Jews (“this fold”), who would be unified under the one shepherd who died for all of them. These sheep from other folds would respond to his voice when they heard the call of the gospel (John 10:25–30).
• As you consider all of the circumstances and all of the people involved in the different aspects of the spreading of the gospel in the early part of Acts, how does this help you to understand the sovereignty and wisdom of God? It may be helpful to consider how little control we have over the situations we try to direct in our own lives. Just trying to direct a family of five, for example, has so many variables that we cannot actually consider ourselves as having control to direct things to ends we would like. God can direct the interactions of billions of people and their circumstances to bring about the ends he intends—all according to the counsel of his will. God is awesome in his wisdom and sovereignty.

Application

God intended for the gospel to spread. He wasn’t going to let it be confined to Jerusalem. To accomplish his plans, he brought persecution to those Christians living in Jerusalem so that they would scatter and take the hope-giving message of the gospel with them. He caused a wind to blow that scattered the seeds of truth far and wide. Just as securing salvation was a costly endeavor—requiring the death of the Son of God—so is spreading the message of the gospel. It costs comfort, security, and sometimes even the lives of many people.

In Acts 8, we have an example of someone who left his comfort to do the things that God had called him to do. Philip went to the Samaritans even though he had probably been raised to hate them. He then set out on a journey, not knowing where he was going or what he would do, only to be directed by the Spirit to talk to a man of great influence from another nation and see God bring him to salvation. Through Philip’s acts of obedience, the gospel was proclaimed and received with joy by many. Those people were then able to share with others who would share with others until one day the glorious gospel was proclaimed to each of us. And that continues today, even in places where there is persecution and martyrdom.

Just as God uses the “foolishness” of the gospel to call many to himself, he uses persecution to spread the message. While we would not choose these methods for ourselves, we can trust in God’s wisdom and know that his plans and ways are perfect to accomplish all he desires.

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  Think about our world today. Where do you see the gospel spreading as the result of persecution or simply by faithful witnesses proclaiming it to others? Discuss various answers, drawing from current examples. For example, the church is growing in China in the face of government persecution. There are many examples of faithful missionaries and evangelists speaking the words of life to those in foreign countries or even in their own communities.
• Many people today believe that the gospel cannot be preached unless you first build friendships with people. How do these accounts of Philip show that idea to be false? While there is nothing wrong with building relationships with the hope of sharing the gospel, it sometimes leads people to procrastinate in doing so. These accounts show that the proclamation, both publicly and personally, of the gospel is an appropriate method. Philip was able to interact with the Ethiopian with just a simple question, opening the door for sharing the truth. There are many people who believe in God, as the eunuch did, but have not had the gospel explained to them. We have the privilege and responsibility of carrying out that task.
• How have you seen God at work in you to spread the gospel? Discuss various answers, encouraging the students to be intentional in this area as they interact with people at work, school, while traveling, etc.
• How do you identify with Philip? Are you ready and willing to go where the gospel needs to be proclaimed? Discuss various answers.
• As you understand more about how God has providentially worked in history, how should you respond to that understanding? God’s providence should lead us to offer him worship and then move us to share all that he has done with others.

Group Prayer

Be sure to pray with your class before you dismiss them.

• Praise God for his wisdom in orchestrating the spread of the gospel.
• Ask God for wisdom to hear the call of the Spirit to share the gospel at every opportunity.
• Thank God for the trials that come to our lives, giving us opportunities to share the gospel.