Acts 8 — Persecution, Prophecy, and the Move of God
Acts 8 opens with a turning point in the life of the early church. The death of Stephen ignites a wave of persecution, and at the center of it all is a man named Saul of Tarsus — a man who believed he was defending truth but who was actually resisting it.
Saul of Tarsus: The Enemy of the Church
Acts 8:1–3
“And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem… But Saul was ravaging the church, entering house after house, dragging off men and women and committing them to prison.”
Saul was a highly educated, Greek-speaking Jew trained in Pharisaic tradition. He did not accept Jesus as the promised Messiah and viewed Christians as dangerous. In his zeal he hunted believers, imprisoned families, and approved the death of the faithful, including Stephen.
Ironically the man who imprisoned others for Christ would later call himself a prisoner of Christ. Even in this season of chaos prophecy was being fulfilled. Jesus had said the gospel would spread from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Persecution scattered the believers, but their scattering became God’s strategy. What the enemy meant for harm became divine expansion.
Philip: Ministry in Motion
Acts 8:4–8
“Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ…”
As the believers fled, Philip — one of the seven appointed in Acts 6 — found himself in Samaria. Samaria was a place despised by many, a mixed people of partial Jewish and partial Gentile ancestry. They belonged nowhere and were rejected by both sides. They also had their own expectation of a Messiah, not the Christ Philip proclaimed.
When Philip preached, light met darkness. John tells us, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). The power of God exposed the counterfeit and brought healing. The Samaritans listened. Demons fled. The paralyzed were healed. Joy filled the city. What man despised, God embraced. The gospel broke barriers, and the outcast city became a place of revival.
Simon the Magician: Confronting Counterfeit Power
Acts 8:9–13; 18–24
Simon had amazed the people for a long time with his magic. When Philip preached, many believed and were baptized, and even Simon believed and followed Philip. But when he saw the Spirit given through the apostles’ hands, he tried to buy that power.
Peter rebuked him sharply, saying his heart was not right before God and urging him to repent and pray. Simon’s desire exposed a common temptation: to seek God’s gifts for prestige and control rather than for transformation. Philip corrected him with grace and truth. Correction here is loving and necessary. In a world where rebuke is often equated with hatred, this moment reminds us that correction can be a pathway back to honesty and healing.
The Eunuch: Humility, Scripture, and Baptism
Acts 8:30–39
Philip ran to the Ethiopian eunuch and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The eunuch confessed he could not unless someone guided him. Philip opened the Scripture and explained that Isaiah’s passage pointed to Jesus.
The eunuch asked to be baptized immediately. His response shows the posture the kingdom requires: humility and childlike openness. Jesus said we must become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3). The eunuch’s readiness to learn, to believe, and to be baptized is an example for us all.
After the baptism the Spirit carried Philip away, and the eunuch went on his way rejoicing. God had used a brief road meeting to open another door for the gospel.
Throughout Acts 8 we see God reach the excluded and the broken. Scripture reminds us that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). The Ethiopian, a foreigner and an outsider, came to God with an open, humble heart, and God welcomed him. Likewise Isaiah promised that the Lord would give a special place to faithful outsiders who draw near in truth.
Acts 8 teaches that persecution cannot stop God. When the church was scattered, the gospel spread. Darkness met light, and light prevailed. Simon’s story reminds us that not every encounter with power is a pure encounter, but correction, repentance, and teaching restore true devotion. The Ethiopian’s story reminds us that humility opens heaven’s door. And Philip’s obedience reminds us that God still uses ordinary servants to accomplish extraordinary things.
Even when life scatters us, God is strategic. The same Spirit who filled Philip moves today to reach the outcast, heal the broken, and bring the nations near.
Prayer
Father, thank You that Your light shines in the darkness and is not overcome (John 1:5)
Thank You that You draw near to the brokenhearted and save those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18)
Teach us to be humble and childlike in faith so we may enter Your kingdom (Matthew 18:3)
Give us boldness like Philip, hearts open like the Ethiopian, and honesty like Peter who calls us to repent
Use our lives to carry Your gospel beyond our comfort zones
Turn persecution into a pathway for Your spread and glory
In Jesus name
Amen