Year 1, Day 241: Acts 8

Saul

I love the first sentence of Acts 8.  “And Saul approved of his execution.”  You know what?  I love the Apostle Paul.  And I think the reason I love him is because we can look where he came from. Look where he was and what God did with him.  Paul was approving of the death of Stephen.  And who is this Paul?  This is the same man to whom every Gentile Christian can thank for bringing Christianity to us.  Of course, it was God working through Paul; I don’t want to miss that obvious point! 

You think you’ve got obstacles to overcome?  The first word mentioned of Paul in the Bible is how he approved of the death of a Christian.  The second word mentioned of Paul was how he was ravaging the church afterwards.

Now that’s a barrier to get over, folks!  You think you are unreachable or know someone who does?  You think your thoughts are impenetrable or know someone who does?  If God can get through to someone who absolutely despises the very work of His hands, then God can get through to anyone.  I think this is why I love Paul.  He isn’t just someone like Peter who is known for making simple mistakes.  I love the Apostle Paul because he shows us that someone who loathes the very work of God can turn around and become a great evangelist!  What an incredible testimony!

{For the record, I will refer to him as Paul and not Saul.  Please don’t let that confuse you.  It’s not a religious thing … it is just more that my mind associates the name Paul with him.  So when I call him Paul and the Bible says Saul, no, I’m not actually making a statement.  It’s just how my mind works.}

Self-Testimony

Don’t forget that Luke was a disciple of Paul.  Therefore, most of the book of Acts – especially these points forward – likely came from Paul’s own recounting.  What does this mean?  It means that when Paul told his story, the words “Saul approved of his execution” came out of his mouth.  It is a highly confessional moment.  Paul shows us what it means to be a true disciple of Christ.  It means confessing and owning our brokenness.  From there we are in the best position to give glory to God for what He has done in us!

Product of Persecution

What is the product of this threat against the Christian church?  The product is simple: the Gospel spreads.  But think about how it begins to spread as it is laid out in the Bible.  Acts 8 is the Samaritans, but it is also the first step to the Gentiles.  Acts 8 is a huge moment in our own history as Gentile worshippers of God!  The word spreads to the Samaritans – a people who the Jews loathed because they were a strange half-breed hybrid of Jewish heritage and Gentile heritage.  But Philip certainly doesn’t seem to have a problem going to them!

For the record, Philip also takes the Gospel to the Ethiopian eunuch.  While not being too graphic, remember that in the Hebrew Scriptures being a eunuch was enough to keep one out of the presence of God (see Deuteronomy 23:1).  So what does Philip do?  Philip tells this eunuch that in Christ he can have complete fellowship with God.  Under the Hebrew Scripture this man was banned from being in the presence of God in the temple.  In Christ, this eunuch can know God intimately!

Here we see two examples of how the first step in reaching the world is taken.  Acts 8 gives us two stories about the destruction of what traditional Jewish belief argues is required in order to be in the presence of God.  Acts 8 is about setting a new standard for God.

What is required of a person in the Christian era?  It is not heritage, genealogy, gender, education, or socio-economic status.  That is the very door that Acts 8 begins to kick down.  What is required is that the heart is rent, repentance is declared, and we humbly follow our Lord.  Who is it that takes that very first bold step?  It is Philip the evangelist; and he is driven there by the heated threats and loathing of Paul.  Nothing is impossible for God!

Humbleness and Desire to Learn

I want to look a little more at the interaction between Philip and the eunuch.  Philip asks, “Do you understand?”  The eunuch is honest, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?”  Wow.  What a confession!  The eunuch is a proselyte – which means that he’s no immature follower of God.  Yet his humbleness is impressive. 

He doesn’t want to go around toting how much he knows.  He goes around looking for someone called by God to explain it to him.  He may be a eunuch – and according to the Hebrew Scriptures be blocked from the true presence of God – but I daresay that a more honest seeker of Christ may never have been found.  He has earthly power, access to human wealth, and a good education.  Yet he is incredibly humble. 

How can he learn unless someone teaches him?  What an incredible testimony to us!  His focus is not on himself, but on becoming the person God wants him to be. 

Philip is there; Philip is there because of Paul’s heated threats against the church.  How good is God to take such loathing and turn it into the very plan to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles!

Simon

In contrast to the Eunuch, let’s return to Simon.  Here was a man that was accustomed to having the people’s amazement.  Here was a man who was accustomed to having the eye and admiration of the people.  Here was a man that was being outclassed by a humble servant of God.

Look at how he approaches God.  He wants the eye of the people.  He is willing to even buy power!  Unlike the humbleness of the eunuch, who is content with the presence of God, Simon wants the spotlight.  He wants God on his own terms.  He wants control.  Simon doesn’t ask God how he will fit into God’s kingdom.  Simon want to use God to his own glory.

To make this point drive home, look at what happens when Simon is rebuked.  He is told to repent, but he does not!  Instead, Simon asked Peter and John to pray for him!  Furthermore, notice the subject of his desired prayer.  He doesn’t ask them to pray for his relationship with God at all.  What he asks them to pray for is that he might avoid the consequences of his actions.  He’s afraid of the consequences, not desiring a genuine relationship with God.

When we go into the world, we’ll find many people who are curious about what God is doing within us.  Some will humbly come like the eunuch and desire to do what the Lord asks of them.  Others will come like Simon looking for the power and the glory that they can use for themselves. 

It is inevitable.  It will happen as God works through us.  But the good news is that it also happened to Peter and John and Phillip.  If it can happen to them, then it can happen to us, too.  When we come upon someone who wants to use us to tap into God’s power for self-serving reasons, it doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve done anything wrong in attracting them to our side.  It’s between them and God, not us and God.

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