Thursday: The Spread of the Gospel
The triumph over Stephen ignited a massive persecution against the believers in Jerusalem, no doubt instigated by the same group of opponents. The leader of the group was Saul, who caused no small damage to the church (Acts 8:3, Acts 26:10). The persecution, however, was turned to good effect.
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Indeed, scattered throughout Judea and Samaria, the believers went about preaching the gospel. The command to witness in those areas (Acts 1:8) was then fulfilled.
Read Acts 8:4-25. What lessons are revealed in this account?
The Samaritans were half-Israelites, even from the religious standpoint. They were monotheists who accepted the first five books of Moses (the Pentateuch), practiced circumcision, and expected the Messiah. To the Jews, however, Samaritan religion was corrupted, which means the Samaritans had no share whatsoever in the covenant mercies of Israel.
The unexpected conversion of Samaritans astounded the church in Jerusalem, so the apostles sent out Peter and John to assess the situation. God’s withholding the Spirit until the coming of Peter and John (Acts 8:14-17) was probably meant to convince the apostles that the Samaritans were to be accepted as full members of the community of faith (see Acts 11:1-18).
It didn’t stop there, however. In Acts 8:26-39, we have the story of Philip and the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who after a Bible study requested baptism. “Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him” (Acts 8:38, NIV).
First there were the Samaritans, then the Ethiopian, a foreigner who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was now on his way home. The gospel was crossing the borders of Israel and reaching the world, as predicted. All this, though, was just the beginning, as these early Jewish believers would soon travel all over the known world and preach the great news of the death of Jesus, who paid the penalty for their sins and offers everyone, everywhere, the hope of salvation.
| Peter told Simon that he was “poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity” (Acts 8:23, NKJV). What was the solution for his problem, and for anyone who might be in a similar situation? |
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The Jews could not bear the doctrine of Christ's resurrection; for this point being proved demonstrated Jesus' innocence and their enormous guilt in his crucifixion.
Jesus himself had said, "you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."
This they did, wherever they went, they proclaimed the gospel though at the risk to their lives.
True, they were propelled by their inner convictions and not by the outward dangers,
In this life there are occasions where without effort we learn what disappointment, jealously, self-indulgence, covetousness and bitterness are. The sin problem affects everyone. The good news of Christ, the sacrificial Lamb of God is the remedy for healing deep wounds that cause anger, jealousy, evil speaking, bitterness, spiritual self reliance and sins of every kind.
The Bible encourages us to come boldly to God in the name of Jesus for help and healing (Hebrews 7:25). He is our Helper (Hebrews 13:6). A priest in Heaven Who will send His Spirit to make the necessary changes in us. An older Brother Who understands what it’s liketo be in a sinful world by experience yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:14-16).
If you were asked by the Sabbath school teacher, "What is the gospel?' how would you answer?
The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ God's eternal Son paid the price of our sin by His death on Calvary's cross and that any and every person who accepts and believes God's action in Jesus Christ has salvation and is therefore spared eternal death, eternal punishment.
I believe that the Everlasting Gospel is the Good News about the Everlasting Covenant that God the Father, Son & Holy Spirit offers us : It is seen throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation : God says: "I will be your God, you will be My people and I will dwell with you"
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
While reading all that happened with the first members of the christian church we may feel shaken thinking "will my life be subject to such a great and crazy change too?"
We need to be in such a relationship with Jesus and conscious of His nature that all fear should be drawn away. Afterall, He is the Creator and Owner of all that exists!
"What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romanos 8:31.
The story of Simon the magician and the life of trickery to get financial gain that he used in Acts 8:9-25, was a lie that he used, to claim that his power came from God. When peter and John received the Holy Spirit and Simon tried to buy some of the Holy Spirit, Peter made Simons iniquity known, and ask for God to pray for him. --- The question that comes to mind, when we pray,do our prayers need to be specific, or blanket type to cover all our sins? What if there are none that come to mind? Opinions are usually forth coming. What do you think?
Hebrews 10:14
"because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy"
Read on to verse 18, and even further if you wish; essentially, you are already perfect in Gods eyes.
You neednt specify individual sins to be forgiven. God isnt with a stick waiting to strike when you forget a sin. Truly seek God in your heart, repent sinful acts, and pray from the heart, your deepest feelings. Even wrong feelings, I advise to tell him of them, and ask him to change them, because you can not hide them.
Some christians use the above verses as license to sin. Remember the proverb,"the furnace for gold and the crucible for silver, but the Lord tests the heart" as well as "faith without works is dead".
In.. Ecclesiasties? "God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few" and finally another part proverb "a fool multiplies words". Jesus said about prayer Matt 6:5-15, not to keep babbling like pagans,for our father already knows what we need before we ask him.
Psalms 1:1-2 are good advice to seek the Lord, reading the bible prayerfully daily is a solid prevention to sinning, which builds over time.
Jared, you do see the condition there in Heb 10:14 don't you? "Those being sanctified" describes people who have yielded to the Lord by confession and repentance. Without this action of faith, there is no sanctification in the life. (see Ps 32:5, Prov 28:13, 1 John 1:9, Mark 1:15, Luke 24:47, Acts 2:38)
The solution to Simons problem is: Recieve the gospel message. 1. Desire the Truth, Simon needs to say, what must I do to be saved. 2. Believe on the Lord Jesus. 3. Soak in the gospel message, as they speak the Word of the Lord. 4. Immediately become baptized. 5. Rejoice in the Lord. Acts 16:31-33. Then follow Peter, James, and Johns advice. 1 Peter 4:7-11. James 3:38. 1 John 3:16-23.
I think I may have missed the purpose of the question. The question being, If and when we approach God with our prayers, is it important how and what we pray about? Are our prayers sincere and meaningful, or in vain like Matt 6:7.8? We are told that the holy Spirit tells us what we should pray for and makes our prayers acceptable To the Father. Romans 8:26,27. When Simon the magician ask to be prayed for he was concerned about the penalty he may face because of his dishonesty. Acts8:24
Above are 3 replies as to what the gospel is.
If you shared any of those three answers/replies/views with an unchurched person on the street would they think that it is good news for them?
What way can you share the gospel without using ambiguous religious lingo that most do not understand?
Are you discounting the working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who God's servants are led to encounter? Your question was what would we reply to a SS teacher, not a stranger who is unchurched. Wouldn't that require a different response? To one who knows the law and it's wages for sinners, the simple bible definitions are good news. To the one who doesn't know the law, or feel condemnation, it's like telling someone who doesn't have cancer, "you can be healed of your cancer!". It means nothing.
Perhaps this is why the law is to be preached/taught with the gospel. Until one feels the condemnation of their sin and guilt, the "good news" is irrelevant.
Still, the servant of God who is faithful, will be filled with the Holy Spirit who will give them the right words to whomever the Spirit will bring them to witness too. Trying to have a perfect answer for any situation just doesn't work. If we possess the truth in our life, God will lead those seeking the truth to us(yes, a paraphrased quote).
Jim, your questions/observations are pertinent and I think we need to consider what we are saying, and how we are saying it.
1) Firstly we need to understand that just doing a heap of "Jesus talk" does not do a lot to convince an unchurched person that they need to be saved. For many of them, religious terminology has long been forgotten and regarded as anachronistic if they even recognise it. We are essentially in a foreign country and do not speak the language.
2) The most effective way of communicating the Gospel has always been by living it. If you are living a "saved life" it should be such a powerful witness that others will say, I want some of that too! I don't mean that life has to be all fun and froth, but rather it should be the sort of life that shows that Christians are enjoying the fulfilment of a saved life. You do not give that picture from going to church for a couple of hours a week and refraining from drinking beer!
3) Converting unchurched folk is not something that can be accomplished with a few quick Bible studies and putting together a few proof texts. It only happens when we make friends with people and listen to them. "Sharing the truth" is as much about listening as it is about talking. If we think of ourselves as a jug full of the water of truth filling up the empty glasses around us, then we have the wrong model. Jesus has told us to be the "salt of the earth", changing the flavour of the world around us.