Introduction
      There is a story told in China of a man who raised horses for a living.  One day one of his prized stallions ran away, and his neighbors gathered around to offer him condolences over his loss.  But the old man, being a wise person, said, "How do I know whether what has happened is actually bad or good?  We shall wait and see."  A couple of days later the stallion returned leading six other wild horses with him.  The friends gathered once again, now in joy, and said, "Well, what a wonderful thing has happened.  This is good.  Who would have thought it possible?"  But the wise man said, "How do I know yet whether this is a good thing or a bad thing?  We shall wait and see."
      The next day the stallion kicked his son so hard that it broke the boy's leg.  The friends gathered around a third time and said, "Oh, this is so sad what has happened to you."  But again, the wise old man responded, "How do I know whether this is good or bad?  We shall wait and see."  It just so happened that the next day a war broke out in their part of the country, and the son with the broken leg was exempted from having to go into military service.  The friends gathered around once again, and you can guess, the story went on and on.[1]
      So much of life depends upon the way we look at our circumstances. What appears to be a blessing may actually be a curse, and what looks at first like an awful turn of events may prove to be the best thing that could have possibly happened. 
      This morning we look at a passage which relates the scattering of the early church because of a new wave of persecution, but the amazing reality is that what looked bad in the beginning was actually the blessing of God in disguise.  In the course of our time together, I want you to notice three things: a new wave of persecution; a question about the Holy Spirit; and a request that led to a rebuke.

I.  A New Wave Of Persecution
      The passage ends with a joyous event in which many people in Samaria came to Christ.  But before this takes place, persecution breaks out on the early church in Jerusalem in a new way.  Our text reads, "On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria" (8:1).   Try to imagine what this must have felt like to the early followers of Christ.  In Acts 2 we read that the church was an exciting and contagious place to be.  They were eating in one another's homes, no one had any financial needs, and they shared whatever they had with each other.   In addition, they devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to prayer.  There was power in the early church, miracles took place, and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
      Oh sure, there had been a couple of problems along the way.  Some of the Greek-speaking widows had been overlooked, and two people battled with a sense of pride that led to deception.  But by and large, the early church was quite a happening place.  Then the world changed.  Stephen was martyred, and Saul began to arrest Christians and throw them into jail.  Everyone but the apostles had to leave Jerusalem, and the text says that Saul began to destroy the church.  The whole experience must have been very discouraging.
      Have you ever had that happen to you?  Things are going so well, you can see the Lord’s hand working in your life, and you feel His power.  Then your world starts to fall apart, and you wonder what went wrong.  It seems like the wheels have come off everything that was going so well.  It’s in times like these when we can begin to doubt ourselves, and we can begin to doubt the Lord.  I’m sure these early Christians did.
      However, what could have been a shattering experience to the followers of Christ proved to be the means by which God sent them out into the world and furthered the expansion of the gospel.  The persecution of the early church took these early believers to places they had already been told to go, but had not yet gone.  You will recall that Jesus told His followers in Acts 1 that they were to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.  Yet they were content to remain in Jerusalem where the great things were going so well.  Who could blame them?  Isn’t that the way it always is for us?  Good things are happening, we feel close to the Lord, and we want it to last forever.  But God says, “No.  I have other work for you to do,” and He moves us out.
      When Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him up to the Mount of Transfiguration, the Bible tells us that the Lord was transformed before their eyes, and His clothes began to glow brilliantly white.  The disciples saw Christ speaking in this transfigured state with Moses, the great representative of the Old Testament Law, and Elijah, the great representative of the Old Testament prophets.  When the vision came to an end, Peter said, “Let’s stay here on this mountain, and let’s build three shrines – one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (Matthew 17:4)  He wanted the mountain top experience to last forever. 
      But Christ said, “No, we must return to the valley.”  And when they went down the mountain, they encountered someone who needed them, misunderstanding, and the power of evil itself.  How unsettling it must have been for the disciples.  One minute they were caught up in worship with a heavenly vision, and the next minute they were back in the valley slugging it out with THE Devil.
      In what ways do you feel like God is unsettling your world?  How is He allowing your circumstances to push you out of your comfort zone?  Remember, the mountaintop experience is only meant to equip us to return to the valley and do His bidding in a broken world.  The persecution of the early church was not shattering; it was merely a scattering, and God used it as a part of His great plan to win the world to Christ.

II.  A Question About The Holy Spirit
      The text tells us, "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.  ...So there was great joy in that city" (8:5,6,8).   The word that is translated "proclaimed" literally means "to herald."  Later on in this chapter Luke, the author of Acts, uses the verb euangelizo five times, which means "to bring good news."  Philip the deacon became Philip the evangelist.  He proclaimed Jesus to the Samaritans, and the result was that many people came to Christ in that city.
      Before Philip arrived, this city in Samaria had been under a very different kind of influence.  A man named Simon practiced sorcery there, and he amazed all the people of Samaria with his magic arts and extravagant claims.  He boasted that he was someone great, perhaps a god.  Even Simon professed faith in Jesus Christ and wanted to embrace the good news of God’s love.  It was an amazing time for the people of that community. 
      When the apostles heard about the conversion of the Samaritans, they sent Peter and John to check things out.  It was particularly appropriate that John should go since Luke relates in his gospel that on one occasion John asked Jesus if he should call down fire from heaven to consume a Samaritan city when they rejected the gospel (Lk. 9:51-56).  The very disciple who previously wanted God to pour out His judgment on the Samaritans was there when God poured out His Spirit and His blessing. 
      When the apostles arrived, they discovered a problem.  Even though the Samaritans had received both the gospel and Christian baptism, apparently they had not yet received the Holy Spirit.  Peter and John placeD their hands on them, prayed for them, and in answer to their prayers, the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit.  Presumably this was confirmed by speaking in tongues as had occurred on the day of Pentecost. 
      New Testament scholar I. Howard Marshall has said this is perhaps the most extraordinary statement in the book of Acts.[2]  You will recall that Peter had promised the gift of the Spirit to all those who repented and were baptized (2:38).  How, then, could the Samaritans have believed and been baptized and not received the Spirit?  The answer is that what happened in Samaria was a new in-breaking of the work of God in the world.  The delay of the gift of the Holy Spirit here is because this was the first occasion in which the gospel had been proclaimed not only outside Jerusalem but inside Samaria, and an act of authentication by the Spirit was necessary to validate this new work of the Lord. 
      Remember, hostility had existed between the Jews and the Samaritans for centuries, and a schism resulted because of racial and theological differences.  The animosity was intense.  But now the Samaritans were responding to the gospel.  It was a significant moment for the advancement of the Kingdom that also had the potential for significant problems.  What would happen now?  Would the long-standing rift between Jews and Samaritans continue in the church?  Would the Samaritans be welcomed into the fellowship?    Or would Christ be torn apart into two different churches as a result?  In order to avoid these problems, it seems the giving of the Spirit was delayed in order to give the apostles the opportunity to be a part of the blessing.  This would be the best way to bring a unity to the body of Christ where there was potential for profound racial conflict. 
      This text reminds us that God has no favorite color.  The Jews with their racial purity were no better than the Samaritans who had intermarried.  The passage says that all people - white, black, red, yellow, and brown - belong in the kingdom of God. 
      Last week we enjoyed our annual pulpit/choir exchange with the folks from Second Baptist Church.  It is always a highlight to have Hansford preach and see the way he and their choirs can help thaw “the frozen chosen!”  And I like having the opportunity to let my Southern roots come out, where I can get down and cut loose over there.  However, our annual exchange is about something more.  It’s about bringing down the walls of separation that exist all too often in the church of Jesus Christ.  It’s about bringing down the walls of racism and prejudice and segregation.  And it’s about overcoming our own sin of prejudice.  We better get used to worshipping with each other here in Boulder, because we’re going to spend eternity together!
      We all have to battle against prejudice and fear that creeps into our hearts whenever we encounter people who are different from us.  As Christians, we are called to repent of racism in all its ugly forms.  We are to remember that the Bible says in Christ there is no Jew or Greek, male or female, slave or free, black or white, young or old, or rich or poor!  Rather, we are all one in Christ Jesus our Lord!

III.  A Request That Led To A Rebuke
      We read in verse 18 about Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money in exchange for the power to impart the Spirit to people by laying on his hands.  Peter immediately rebuked Simon publicly for thinking that the gift of God could be bought.  Peter added that Simon could have no share in this ministry because his heart was not right before God, and he called upon Simon to repent and pray to the Lord.  Perhaps the Lord would forgive him for entertaining such a thought.  Peter also discerned that Simon's heart was full of bitterness and captive to sin.
      We have all been tempted to bargain with God and think, “If I make this sacrifice for God, then He will bless me.”  “If I work hard at living the Christian life, God will protect my kids.”  But the grace of God is not something for which we can bargain.  It is a free gift that is unmerited and undeserved.
      This may be the first time, but it is certainly not the last, that someone has attempted to turn the spiritual into the commercial, and throughout the centuries people have sought to turn a profit with the things of God.  It has been said that Christianity started off as a way of life in Palestine.  It moved to Rome and became an institution.  It moved to Europe and became a culture.  And it moved to America and became a commercial enterprise!
      I can remember a number of years ago watching a television evangelist who had achieved some popularity in the Dallas area.  He promoted success in living through his ministry.  Since then he has been exposed for fraud as he bilked people of their money, and he went to prison for it.  Back then a college student in our ministry back in Dallas used to watch the TV program for laughs.  One day he ordered two prayer cloths which were anointed with oil and purportedly prayed over this man, and the student gave one to me as a joke.  I read the instructions, which said, "Apply this prayer cloth to your point of need, and receive the blessing of God!"  Well, I applied it to my point of need (I put it on my head one night and slept with it all night), but I still woke up bald!
      Or it's like the evangelist who said, "If you send me $50, I'll send you 20 soul winning booklets.  If you send me $500, I'll send you a book of my life's story, Turn or Burn, and 100 soul winning booklets.  And if you send me $5,000, I'll send you a postcard from Acapulco!”
      The things of God cannot be bought, and the gospel of God and the gift of the Holy Spirit should never be sold. The grace of God is free for the asking.

Conclusion/Application
      What does this passage mean to you and me?  What can we take home from a sermon like this?  Let me ask the following questions.  First, is your commitment to Christ genuine?  Simon the sorcerer made a profession of faith.  He publicly identified with Christ and was baptized.  He was enrolled in the membership of the church there in Samaria.  But he wasn't genuine in his commitment.  Peter said to him sternly, "You have no share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.  Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord.... I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."  
      Continuance is the test of reality in the Christian life.  If we are in Christ, our lives will show it.  Jesus said you will know a tree by its fruit, and a Christian will bear the fruit of righteousness -- not perfectly, not completely, but we will do it sincerely.  Our greatest prayer should be that we bear fruit for Christ, and our greatest sadness should come when we fail to honor Him.  Is your commitment to Christ genuine?  Paul reminded the Corinthians to test themselves, to examine themselves to see if they were in the faith.  Where are you with Christ today?
      And finally, do you understand that God works all things together for your good in your life?  What could have been a shattering experience in the persecution of the early church was merely God's means of scattering believers to the places that He had already told them to go.  Things were so amazing, so powerful, so intimate in Jerusalem.  Do you think the disciples would ever have left of their own volition? 
      We can always find a reason to wait a little bit longer before we get involved in ministry, in missions or in sharing our faith.  We say,
            I don't know enough yet; 
                  I can't afford to;
                        I am too busy;
                              the children are too young;
                                    I'm getting too old;
                                          I can't quite do it yet. 
      Be careful, my friend.  Whenever you say that kind of thing, God may push you out of your comfort zone.  When we are reluctant to move, God sometimes has to give us a push, and our reaction to that nudge of God will make all the difference in the world.
      I close with this story.  I am told that if you go down the Diagonal to Longmont, there is a plaque on a street in that city which marks a spot where a butcher shop opened and then the owner went bankrupt.  Now, why do you suppose that there would be a plaque on a street of Longmont for a butcher shop that went bankrupt?  Well, the plaque goes on to say, "The owner of this shop moved to Wyoming and opened a dry goods store and enjoyed a measure of success."  The man's name was J.C. Penny, and, as Paul Harvey would say, now you know the rest of the story.   J.C. Penny was a believer, and he did not let the disappointment of his failure in Longmont keep him from serving the Lord to the best of his ability.  He trusted God that if things didn't work out in his first enterprise, God had something better in store for him.
      Have the recent events of your life been shattering, or have they been scattering, putting you in just the place where Christ wants to use you?  Trust in Him, and look for the ways in which God will use even the disappointments and set-backs of your life for His glory.  Amen.