Acts 8 Summary - Great Joy - Give Heed

Observation

v1-4 There Was a Great Persecution
v5-8 There Was Great Joy
v9-13 Simon Himself Believed Also
v14-24 Your Money Perish With You
v25-38 He Preached Unto Him Jesus
v39,40 He Went on His Way Rejoicing

v4 This chapter talks again and again, about how they preached the Lord Jesus Christ, to many people, in many places.

v37 "...I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." This is a great example of a confession of faith.

Meaning

v2 I think that burial is important. And I think that great lamentation, over the right thing, is actually good. That's because this verse teaches that devout men did these things.

v6 This verse teaches that there were people that believed. v31 This 1 even desired the preacher to come to him. There may be some that will even desire us to come to them. We need to be ready to follow through when people are open.

v35 Sometimes I don't understand what I read in the Bible. We can, better, if we realize that Jesus is the point.

Application

v8

And there was great joy in that city.

v39

...he went on his way rejoicing.

I found these verses very striking when I read them. I wish I had "great joy", and joy that isn't empty, deceitful, or about nothing worthwhile. So I wanted to see how this came about.

v5

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.

v35

Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

Both of the times there was joy, were when somebody preached Jesus Christ to them. My application is to be like the people in Samaria, and like the Ethiopian. To give heed (v6,) observe the things the Lord does, and believe (v12) "the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ," with (v37) all my heart.

I originally took these notes at 2006 03 14 0953.