MPC, 24th June 2001.Acts 8 - "Multicultural Miracle"
Phil Campbell MPC, 24th June 2001.
My friend Archie Poulos is the pastor of an unusual church. It's called the GREEK BIBLE FELLOWSHIP. We were there one Sunday, and it’s a church in one way exactly like ours. But look around, and you’ll notice one significant difference.
This is a church full of second generation migrants. It was started by Archie, who comes from a Greek background; and Archie's goal was to reach other people with the Gospel from that same Greek background. Which is why it was called the GREEK BIBLE FELLOWSHIP. But people from other ethnic backgrounds have joined as well. The guy leading the service was Egyptian. Just over the aisle from where we sat, there was a guy from New Guinea. Right next to us was an Argentinian. And in among them all there was us. Out and out Aussies.
And you know what? We’ve never felt more at home.
I guess in one way it’s a sort of a miracle. Afterwards at morning tea, people made us feel right at home – part of the family. And the reality is – WE WERE.
I mean, here we are in 21st Century Australia, the ONE NATION PARTY bubbling away under the surface; and here’s a bunch of people from every place you can think of. Singing together. Praying together. Listening to the bible together. LOVING ONE ANOTHER. With never even a THOUGHT of who comes from where. Because they’re not so much ONE NATION – they’re ONE FAMILY. A family brought together by a common faith in Jesus Christ.
Ancestral enemies are now friends. Feuds that have lasted generation after generation – all gone. In a way that when you see it, you know – it’s a MIRACLE.
We’re looking at a passage this morning that’s got a lot to say about MIRACLES. But as we start out, I want to point you to a particular miracle that otherwise you might just NOT NOTICE.
Chapter 8, after the stoning of Stephen, a huge persecution breaks out against the christians in Jerusalem. And we’re told there at the start of chapter 8, everyone except the apostles was driven out of Jerusalem and scattered through Judea. And SAMARIA.
And so they spread; all around the state. And then ACROSS THE BORDER AS WELL. And here’s where I want you to keep your eye out for the miracle. Because this isn’t just like crossing the border into New South Wales where in spite of all the jokes things are pretty much the same. They’re going to SAMARIA. And the SAMARITANS, you might remember, were the SWORN ENEMIES of the Jews.
It was a feud that goes back a thousand years. The Jews and the Samaritans were related. And I guess if you’ve ever seen a family feud, you’ll know they’re usually the worst kind. There was a family split 1000 years before. And the Samaritans had broken away; they built their own temple on Mount Gerazim; and from there on, the two nations were like OIL AND WATER.
Pick up the story in verse 4. Because do you notice, Philip and the rest of the Christians who’ve been scattered, PREACHED THE WORD WHEREVER THEY WENT. Borders or not. Wherever they go, the GOSPEL goes with them. (Are YOU like that?)
Verse 5, the spotlight falls on Philip. And the spotlight’s on him because of WHERE HE'S GONE beyond the borders of Israel.
Read from verse 5. Philip went down to a city IN SAMARIA and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, THEY ALL PAID CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHAT HE SAID. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So… there was great joy in that city.
Here’s Philip. In Samaria. Doing exactly what THE APOSTLES have been doing in Israel. Doing exactly the things JESUS USED TO DO IN ISRAEL. Healing cripples, driving out evil spirits. Paralysed people walking again. In other words - and if you're a Jew, this'll blow your mind - GOD IS AT WORK IN SAMARIA. Just like he was in ISRAEL. And Philip’s PROCLAIMING THE CHRIST – in exactly the same way. And more than that - these Samaritans are PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION.
And in verse 11, they BELIEVE Philip as he preaches the good news of the Kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ. And they’re baptised.
And word gets back to the Apostles who have stayed back in Jerusalem. Of the fact that there are SAMARITANS. Who want to become followers of Jesus. So Peter and John head down to Samaria to investigate.
Now if you take a look at verses 14 to 17, you need to take on board the fact that these are some of the most debated verses in the whole book of Acts. Because people want to say WHAT HAPPENS HERE IN SAMARIA is meant to set the precedent. That what happened HERE is like a general rule. For all time.
Have a look. Verse 14. “When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that SAMARIA had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they’d simply been baptised into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then PETER AND JOHN laid their hands on them – and they RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT.”
Now let me tell you, this sounds like a funny thing. It’s a bit like you’re watching it on video and someone’s pressed the PAUSE button. They’ve believed in Jesus. They’ve been baptised. But everything stops. NO HOLY SPIRIT. Until Peter and John turn up and put their hands on them.
And so if you want to GENERALISE from that, you'll get people who say, well, a BISHOP has got to be there to lay his hands on your when you get baptized or confirmed. And at that point you get the Holy Spirit. Or the Charismatic churches. Who tell you that on the basis of these few verses, BELIEVING IN JESUS ISN’T ENOUGH. That you need a SECOND BLESSING. And they say, this passage PROVES IT.
Look at it again. Verse 12. They believe Philip as he preaches about Jesus. And they’re baptised. But they HAVEN’T GOT THE SPIRIT YET.
And so in a lot of Charismatic or Pentecostal churches, you might be taught this. That people like Presbyterians, they’ve just believed in Jesus. And they need a SPECIAL SECOND BLESSING. To receive the Spirit. Just like here in Samaria.
Now can I say to you, THIS IS A BIG ISSUE. And there are more Christians who are confused at this point than you can ever imagine.
And so we need to ask a big question. Are these events in Samaria recorded because THEY’RE SO TYPICAL. Or are they recorded because they’re so UNIQUE?
The Samaritans have believed in Jesus. And then everything goes on hold 'til the apostles arrive. Then they get the Spirit. Is that a general rule? Or is this something that we’re meant to notice – is it something that’s recorded here - because it’s SPECIAL?
Well, there are some very good reasons to go for option number 2. First of all, Peter said back in Acts 2, and I’ve printed the verse there on the service sheet, he said if you REPENT and you BELIEVE IN JESUS, that you’ll RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT. Package deal. Just like that. And the rest of the New Testament says that as well.
Peter says, REPENT and BELIEVE and you RECEIVE THE SPIRIT. If you’re a Christian, it’s a promise. The Holy Spirit is part of the deal – and the Spirit is at work in you, growing fruit, bringing change, fighting off the selfishness of your old human nature. Absolutely guaranteed.
Except, for some reason, if you’re one of these Samaritans. And there’s no apostle handy.
I want to suggest to you that what's going on here is UNIQUE. And that the thing that makes it unique is that a very important BOUNDARY has just been crossed. There’s a MIRACLE HAPPENING. More to the point, it’s exactly what Jesus SAID was going to happen. He said it back in Acts 1. The Kingdom’s going to be preached in Jerusalem. And Judea. AND IN SAMARIA. And the the ENDS OF THE EARTH.
And it’s almost like CROSSING THE BORDER INTO SAMARIA is too big an event for the Apostles not to be in on. And so it's like when they'd finished the new motorway down to the Gold Coast last year. Everything done. But they left the plastic barriers up in the new lanes so no one could use them for weeks - UNTIL THE PREMIER CAME for the official opening.
The fact is, what you're seeing here in Samaria is THE START OF SOMETHING NEW. It’s BIG. And the Apostles have got to be there for the opening. What we're looking at here is the very beginning of what we saw in the church I was talking about before. A church made up of people of every different race you can think of. The fact that THE KINGDOM OF GOD isn’t just for a bunch of Jews. It’s FOR EVERYONE.
And the apostles need to be there. The apostles who were given the task of being FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH – it’s particularly important that at this point they get their hands dirty. That they’re INVOLVED. Up til now they’ve been sitting back in Jerusalem – now the church has gone MULTI-CULTURAL. And they’ve given it their blessing.
And will you notice in verse 25, when they’ve finished, when they’ve testified and they’ve proclaimed the word, they head back to Jerusalem. And the Apostles join in PREACHING THE GOSPEL … in many Samaritan villages.
Let me sum it up before we move on. What I’m saying is this. When the apostles come and lay their hands on the Samaritans and the receive the Spirit, it’s not to start a tradition for Bishops at CONFIRMATION SERVICES. And it’s got even less to do with an idea that when you become a Christian, you’ve got to move on to a second stage and get a second blessing.
It’s got to do with the fact that the GOSPEL HAS JUST GONE OUTSIDE OF ISRAEL. And if there’s anything the Apostles are confirming, they’re CONFIRMING THAT. And the HOLY SPIRIT is confirming it as well. And from here on in the book of Acts, the web grows bigger and bigger and bigger. Which ultimately is WHY WE’RE SITTING HERE TODAY. And as we keep reading through Acts you'll see it's no small thing. In fact, it's the start of a TENSION in the church that nearly tears it apart. As the JEWISH CHRISTIANS want to keep saying, THIS IS JUST FOR US. And the apostles keep saying, NO, THIS IS FOR EVERYONE.
Now there’s another issue going on in this passage, isn’t there. Because alongside that BIG MIRACLE I’ve been talking about; alongside the MULITCULTURAL MIRACLE, we’ve already noticed there are some other pretty amazing MIRACLES going on as well.
Verse 4 to 7, Philip’s been healing the sick, making the lame walk, driving out demons. But it’s interesting that MIRACLES are nothing particularly NEW for the Samaritans; when they see Philip doing miracles, in a way it’s not exactly new. Because there’s a guy there called SIMON. Who’s a SORCERER. A magician. Who’s been impressing them for ages.
In other words, Simon is a MIRACLE WORKER AS WELL. Whether it was by trickery, whether he had some sort of supernatural powers; we’re not told. But we ARE told he had plenty of fans.
And in contrast to PHILIP and the APOSTLES – who only ever want to glorify Jesus – we’re told that SIMON loves to GLORIFY HIMSELF. Verse 8, he BOASTED THAT HE WAS SOMEONE GREAT. And not only that – everyone believed him. All the people, from the mayor to the street sweeper, they agreed with him. They call him THE GREAT POWER. They're totally sucked in.
They follow him, it says in verse 11, BECAUSE HE’S AMAZED THEM FOR A LONG TIME WITH HIS MAGIC.
Now it’s interesting, isn’t it. Because the temptation is, when you see someone doing something you can’t explain, you sort of automatically think THEY’VE GOT POWER FROM GOD. And you automatically give them CREDIBILITY. As if they’re something SPECIAL.
Ever watched Benny Hinn? He's a TV evangelist. Watching Benny is almost exactly like watching Oprah. Special guests; interviews. But the most striking thing is the way Benny Hinn swaggers around, and after he’s apparently healed all these people, he gets them up on the stage, then he KNOCKS THEM DOWN – just by waving his hand at them. Which he says is THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT.
And Benny prances round the stage and he goes WHAM. Knocks them down. Wham. Over and over again. And he says he’s ANOINTING THEM WITH THE SPIRIT.
When you see that, you want to say, WOW! This is SOMEONE GREAT. This guy’s SPECIAL. Which is what Simon said about himself. And people believe him – because of the stuff he's doing.
Now make sure you see the contrast here. And it’s coming up in the very next verse. Because incredible as it might seem, just doing MIRACLES counts for nothing.
The people of Samaria follow Simon because he’s amazed them for a long time with his magic. They called him THE GREAT POWER. But look at verse 12. They drop Simon like a hot potato. And start following Philip. And it’s not the MIRACLES that Philip does that make the difference. It’s something else. And at this point they actually get it right… follow what it says. “But when they believed Philip as HE PREACHED THE GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD and the NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, they were baptised. Both men and women.
See, it’s one thing to believe in some impressive stunts. But that’s missing the point. GOD’S AT WORK THROUGH THE GOSPEL. He always has been – and he always WILL BE. The MESSAGE OF THE KINGDOM. The message that JESUS IS KING. The message that if you turn from your sins, that if you come to him asking for forgiveness, you’ll be washed clean. That’s the message that Philip’s preaching. AND THAT’S WHAT THEY BELIEVE. Not in the miracles. But in the message.
Except for Simon. Who gets it wrong. And we’re told in verse 13 that he believes and he’s baptised and he follows Philip around – for exactly the wrong reason. He’s following Philip because he’s ASTONISHED BY THE GREAT SIGNS AND MIRACLES.
Simon the Sorcerer knows when he’s been licked. The Great Power has been OVERPOWERED. So he says, if you can’t beat em, join em. But instead of taking in the gospel, instead of listening to the message, all Simon is looking for is a BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY. And a POWER TRIP. And so when he believes, he’s believing for all the wrong reasons.
And so when a few verses later he sees the Apostles come down to Samaria and lay their hands on people, when he sees people receiving the Holy Spirit – Simon gets out his chequebook.
End of verse 18. He offers them money, and he says “Give me also this ability, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” Simon’s made a terrible mistake. I mean, AS IF you can buy something like that. And in the end, he’s missed the point, hasn’t he. Because THE REAL POWER FOR CHANGE lies in the GOSPEL. Which if he wanted to, he could have started preaching straight away. But he wanted something more than that.
Well, Peter puts him right. And he calls on him to repent. Or face the consequences. He says, MAY YOUR MONEY PERISH WITH YOU. As if YOU CAN INFLUENCE GOD – with MONEY. As if you can BUY THE GIFT OF GOD. And the last you see of Simon, he’s retreating with his tail between his legs.
You know, we need to be careful. Because it’s not that hard to find guys like Simon everywhere. Big reputation. Draw a crowd. They present themselves as ambassadors of Jesus. And yet in the end they’re CON-MEN. Who just want to build a reputation. Build a business. And the trouble is, among Christians, THERE’S A SUCKER BORN EVERY MINUTE.
And we’re instinctively more impressed by a bloke who says he can get people out of wheelchairs – than by a message that can BRING TOGETHER PEOPLE who have been enemies for a thousand years. We are instinctively more impressed by a bloke on TV who says “God’s telling me there’s someone in the audience who’s troubled by SWEAT AROUND THE EYES” – that we are by a simple preacher who tells you the way to have your SINS FORGIVEN. By trusting Jesus. We’re instinctively more impressed by someone who swaggers round a stage PUSHING PEOPLE OVER IN THE SPIRIT – or so he says – than by a gospel that can bring together greeks and egyptians and argentinians and papua new guineans and you and me. As a family.
Let me tell you, sometimes we make Simon’s mistake, don’t we. We’re fascinated by stuff that looks like power. I guess we’d LOVE to have some of that same sort of power God gave the apostles, too, wouldn’t we. And so we miss the point. That THE GOSPEL IS ALL ABOUT PREACHING JESUS. That’s what brings the bigger miracles. His DEATH FOR OUR SINS. His Kingdom, that’s a kingdom for every nation. That breaks down barriers that can run so very, very deep.
So when it comes to signs and wonders, when it comes to miracles, be careful. Don’t pay so much attention to what’s supposed to be the miracle. Pay attention to WHAT’S BEING SAID. To make sure it’s NOTHING BUT THE GOSPEL. Pointing people to NOTHING BUT THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS. Which brings people together in a way that no end of politics ever will. As forgiven brothers and sisters. Who are followers of Jesus.