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Acts Lesson 9—Acts 8

The Gospel begins to Spread
Memorize the TRUTH!
“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to
anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” 1
Peter 3:15
DAY 1: Acts 8:1-3—Persecution’s Onset
1. What happened to the believers in Jerusalem the day Stephen was stoned?

2. What role did Saul play in persecuting the church?

3. Can you think of anything good that could come from the believers being scattered? (For a hint, review Acts 1:8.)
How does this thought encourage you when you see Christians today being scattered or persecuted?

DAY 2: Acts 8:4-8—Philip Goes to Samaria

4. Did the persecution stop the believers from sharing about Jesus? Explain.

5. What two things does this passage say that Philip did in Samaria?

6. How did the people respond to Philip’s ministry?

Learn the TRUTH!

Philip shared the good news with Samaritan outcasts. Later in this lesson we’ll see him share the
good news with a man who practiced magical arts. Still later in the lesson we’ll see him tell a
foreign traveler about Jesus. Philip shared about Jesus whenever God gave him the opportunity! Ask God
to give you opportunities to share Jesus with others this week. Be alert for the openings He provides. Plan
to share about this in your small group.

DAY 3: Acts 8:9-25—Simon the Magician

7. Describe Simon. What had he done previously? What did he say about himself? What did people say about him?

8. Why did the apostles in Jerusalem send Peter and John to Samaria? What did Peter and John do there?

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2011.
Acts – Lesson 9 2
9. What did Simon want the apostles to do for him? What was wrong with his request?

10. Why is it important to understand that God’s gifts cannot be earned or purchased?

DAY 4: Acts 8:26-29—The Ethiopian Official

11. Why did Philip travel south? Why did he approach the Ethiopian official’s chariot?

12. Based on your responses to question 11, what seems to be true about Philip’s relationship with God? What can you
learn from his example?

13. What does this passage suggest about the official’s spiritual life?

DAY 5: Acts 8:30-40—The Ethiopian Responds

14. What was the Ethiopian official reading? Did he understand it? Why do you think he was reading it?

15. What did the official ask Philip about the passage? How did Philip respond to his question?

16. How did the official respond to what Philip shared with him? What emotions did he have? What do you think he
might have done after he got back home in Ethiopia?

Apply the TRUTH!

The believers’ lives were turned upside down when persecution broke out against the church.
With no time to plan, many of them quickly packed up and moved to strange places far from
home. But God used their hardship. By moving the new Christians where He needed them to be, the good
news about Jesus began to spread around the world. Have you ever been moved out of a familiar and
comfortable place? What good purposes do you think God may have had for allowing you to be moved
like that? Maybe He’s even moving you now. Ask God to give you His perspective on your situation. Talk
with your small group about this.

DAY 6: Participate in Class

Acts – Lesson 9 3

Lesson 9 Commentary

The Gospel begins to Spread

Acts 8
Believers Flee from Jerusalem
Stephen’s execution was the stimulus that set off a wave of persecution of the early church. Many believers
were afraid that they also would be killed. So they fled from Jerusalem. They became refugees in Judea and
nearby Samaria. Satan was trying to crush the church. However, instead of crushing it, persecution actually
helped to grow it! Jerusalem was no longer the only city with a Christian church. The gospel moved into
Judea and Samaria, just as Jesus had said it would.

Although many good people mourned Stephen’s death, Saul did not. He persecuted the church with increased
intensity. He thought that by imprisoning Christians he was honoring God.

The Gospel Spreads to Samaria

The people who fled from Jerusalem continued to preach the good news about Jesus. One of these was Philip,
who shared the gospel in Samaria. Samaria was located north of Judea and south of Galilee. At the time when
Israel divided, this region was the center and most prosperous part of the northern kingdom. The Assyrians
conquered it in 722 BC and carried all the leaders to Assyria. Assyria repopulated the area with people from
other conquered areas. Over time, the remaining Jews mingled with the newcomers. A unique people, the
Samaritans, emerged. The Samaritans were religiously distinct from traditional Jews. The Jews regarded the
Samaritans as half Jew and half Gentile.

Over time, hostility developed between the ethnically mixed Samaritans and the unmixed Jews. This tension
continued until Jesus’s time. But Jesus chose to break down those walls of division. He intentionally
ministered in the area, sharing the good news of the kingdom with Samaritan outcasts. Here in Acts we find
Philip continuing that fruitful ministry. The Samaritans listened and believed. Many were healed and
delivered. The city was filled with joy.

A man named Simon lived in the city. He was famous among the people. Prior to the time Philip came to
Samaria, Simon had practiced magic. He boasted about himself. And the people praised him, too. They
mistakenly thought that his power came from God. But when Simon heard about Jesus, he, too, believed and
was baptized. When he saw the miracles that God enabled Philip to do, he was amazed.

Samaritan Believers Receive the Holy Spirit

When the apostles in Jerusalem learned the Samaritans “had received the word of God” they sent Peter and
John. The Samaritans had been baptized only in the name of the Lord Jesus. When the apostles arrived they
“laid their hands on [the new believers], and they received the Holy Spirit.” Now the Samaritans had received
the Holy Spirit just as the Jewish followers of Jesus did. God’s kingdom was growing!

When Simon saw this, he was again amazed. He wished that he could have the same kind of power the
apostles did. So he tried to buy that power from the apostles! Peter gave him a strong rebuke. “May your
silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! … Your heart is not
right before God.”

Peter urged Simon to repent of his self-serving, evil intentions. Simon responded by asking Peter to pray for
him. It is unclear whether he truly repented or not. But certainly, if he did, God forgave him.

Think about motivation. Simon the magician obviously enjoyed the crowd’s admiration. But the
power God gave to His followers was far greater than any power—real or counterfeit—that he
ever had. We cannot be sure whether Simon had true faith in Jesus or not. But when he tried to
buy God’s power, he revealed a serious flaw in his heart. Was he hoping that he could become popular
with the crowds again by demonstrating God’s powers as the apostles did? If so, his intentions were purely
Acts – Lesson 9 4

evil. God invests His power in the weak and humble. He opposes the proud. Think about why you decided
to follow Jesus. If it’s because you know you’re a sinner who needs a Savior, that’s good! But if it’s because
you think it will make you look good in the eyes of others, take a warning from Simon. Ask God to give you
a humble heart.

As Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, they preached the gospel throughout Samaria. Earlier, they had
wanted to call down fire from heaven to destroy a village there (Luke 9:54)! But Jesus had completely
changed their hearts. Now they wanted God to pour out His Spirit on Samaritans and Jews alike.

An Ethiopian Official Is Baptized

Philip had been involved in evangelizing multitudes successfully in Samaria. Now God was clearly directing
him to leave that fruitful ministry to go elsewhere. An angel directed Philip to go south to Gaza. Philip
obeyed. As he walked along the desert road, a chariot came by. In it was a man reading aloud. The Spirit
directed Philip to join the chariot, and again Philip obeyed. The traveler was a high-ranking Ethiopian
government official. He was a eunuch who served as treasurer to Candace, Ethiopia’s queen. Philip
recognized that the man was reading Isaiah 53.

“Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. The Ethiopian responded, “How can I, unless
someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to sit with him in the chariot. As they read the passage together,
Philip showed him that the Man Isaiah wrote about was Jesus, the Christ.

Think about the power of God’s Word. One short passage of Old Testament Scripture + a willing
servant + the Holy Spirit’s power = a new child of God. Isaiah isn’t necessarily the book most of
us would choose to tell the story of Jesus. But 2 Timothy 3:16 says that “All Scripture is breathed
out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” When
you put together God’s Word, God’s Spirit, and a willing Christian, God can do wonders!

As they were going along, they came to some water. The Ethiopian official, who apparently had come to
believe in Jesus, said he wanted to be baptized. He commanded the chariot to stop, and Philip baptized him.
As they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away. But the Ethiopian went on his way
rejoicing. The very first followers of Christ were Jews (2:1-8:4). Then Samaritans became Christians (8:5-25).
Now, a Gentile became a Christian. Church tradition suggests that this man shared the gospel back in his own
country, making it one of the first countries outside Israel to hear the good news about Jesus. The gospel was
indeed spreading “to all nations” (Acts 1:8)!

Personalize the TRUTH!

In God’s eyes, no one is an outcast. People from every country, every ethnicity, and every
religious background are welcome in His kingdom. No sinful background, no physical defect
can ever exclude someone from knowing Jesus and receiving eternal life. Philip understood this. God had
changed his heart so that he, too, could love others the way God did. How about you? Do you see
everyone as equally loved by God? Or do you find it hard to love certain types of people? Ask God to reveal
any individuals or groups of people that you dislike, disrespect, distrust, or otherwise have bad feelings
about. Ask Him to help you see those people from His perspective. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill your heart with
God’s supernatural love for them.