Monday, November 9, 2026

Opening Scripture

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. Philippians 1:12-14

Opening Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, you are holy and exalted! May your kingdom come and your will be done in my life, home, and community just as it is in Heaven. Help me to trust you today to meet all of my needs. Help me to forgive others just as you have forgiven me. Help me to resist temptation and overcome the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Acts 8:1-25

And Saul approved of (the Sanhedrin) killing (Stephen). On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.

Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 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. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

Reflection  

Today’s passage marks another significant shift in the development of Christianity. Acts 8:1 describes the second phase in the fulfillment of Jesus’ declaration in Acts 1:8. “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.”

Persecution after Stephen’s death scattered all the believers, except the apostles, into Judea and Samaria. This rapid distribution of Jesus followers was not by choice, but by necessity. Like our Opening Scripture, it serves as a powerful example of God’s ability to use painful circumstances for His divine purposes. The Greek word for “scatter” – (diaspeiró) – comes from the verb that means to purposefully sow seed. This diaspora was a God-ordained scattering of the Gospel.

In today’s text, Luke introduces us to a zealous young Pharisee named Saul, who not only “approved” of Stephen’s murder, but he also cheered for it. Saul soon began to function as a one-man “death squad” in his effort to destroy the Church. He went door to door looking for Christians he could have arrested and imprisoned, and he persecuted followers of the Way to their death (Acts 22:4).

Deacon Philip – one of “The Seven” in the Jerusalem Church – was scattered to an unlikely mission field in Samaria and began to preach there. For this “evangelist,” the historic prejudice and hatred between Jews and Samaritans proved to be no obstacle to the spread of the Gospel. Doctor Luke chronicles Philip’s ministry as he followed the example of Jesus, healing the sick and casting out demons, while proclaiming salvation through faith in Jesus as Lord and Messiah – and people responded!

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

The events of Chapter 8 represent a sad consequence of Israel’s collective rejection of Jesus – the Divine Suffering Servant – as God’s promised Messiah and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Along with the religious leaders, it seems that public opinion has now shifted against the Church. The initial “favored status,” which helped the ecclesia take root, has evaporated.

The fact that Stephen, one of the Greek-speaking leaders in the Jerusalem Church, was the first to be killed may signal a continuation of historic prejudice against Grecian Jews that carried over to Greek-speaking Jewish Christians. The Hellenistic Jews in the Church – especially leaders like Philip – would be easy to identify and connect to Stephen. It seems the Hebraic Jewish Christians (like the apostles) were perceived as more “Zionist” and therefore able to remain in Jerusalem.

If the Hellenistic Jewish Christians were the primary target of persecution, and thus the majority of those that “scattered,” the Jerusalem Church would have quickly become more Hebraic in composition. That cultural shift back toward Aramaic-speaking Judaism helps explain why the apostles were able to remain in the city.

Peter and John’s trip to Samaria to see what Philip was up to reflects a lingering uncertainty about the nature of salvation beyond Judaism. This comes into play more definitively with the Jerusalem Council’s decision in Chapter 15. The ecclesia is being challenged to continually adapt to major changes both inside and outside the Church, which requires constant attentiveness to the Spirit’s leading.

There are two additional insights from today’s reading. First, Simon the Sorcerer offers an example of the misuse and distortion of the Christian faith. Some who witness the power of God want to misappropriate it for their own purposes. They desire the blessing of God without self-sacrifice and devotion to God. They are “captive to sin” with questionable motives – and that is still a problem today.

Second, it was not in spite of, but because of opposition that the Gospel spread and the Church grew. As a result of the mounting persecution, the believers who had, not long before, experienced the blessing of public favor and abundant fellowship (koinonia) – eating and praising God together, enjoying the favor of all the people – were now under attack and forced to leave their homes. All they had learned in those early days would now inform and sustain them as they fled to new places.

Interestingly, Philip’s faithful witness among the Samaritans, which prompted the Jerusalem Church to investigate, resulted in multiplied ministry. When Peter and John saw what God was doing among despised Samaritans, they not only blessed it, but also joined in on their way home, “preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.” A seismic shift is occurring in God’s great plan of redemption!

How are your assumptions about God and His Church being challenged?

What uncomfortable changes are occurring around you that can serve as opportunities for ministry in Jesus’ name?

This week’s collective prayer: Lord, deepen my love for all people. Amen.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!