Although baptised, the believers in Samaria have not yet received the Holy Spirit. Only through the prayer of the apostles from Jerusalem do they receive the Holy Spirit.

This is where something new begins: not only Jews believe in Jesus, but also half-Jews.

This could have been the reason why the Holy Spirit only came to the believers in a conscious step and through the apostles Peter and John. The laying on of hands by the apostles connects the Jesus movement in Samaria with the church in Jerusalem.

Paul describes the sign of the Holy Spirit as follows: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy and peace; patience, kindness and goodness; faithfulness, forbearance and self-control“ (Galatians 5:22-23).

The Holy Spirit also gives us a longing for God: “Lord, I long for you!” (Psalm 25:1).

He gives a childlike trust in God. Galatians 4:6: “But because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!”

And an inner certainty (Romans 8:16: “God’s Spirit himself gives us the inner certainty that we are God’s children.”)

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In Samaria, there is an influential and respected man named Simon who uses magic powers. However, his motivation is not to serve the people, but to gain power and honour. Simon is enthusiastic about the power that emanates from Philip. That is why he is baptised with others (Acts  8).

Simon does not seem to have received the Holy Spirit. It is possible to believe with the head without the heart being touched by the Holy Spirit. A renewal of the heart is needed.

By Simon, it is clear that his thinking has not been renewed. He remains in his magical thinking. He wants to use God. He is jealous and wants to buy spiritual gifts with money. But Jesus teaches: ‘Freely you have received, freely give’ (Matthew 10:8). Simon is not interested in serving, but in earning.

When Peter uncovers his misbehaviour, Simon only wants to be spared the consequences of his transgression. Although he is baptised, he does not repent. Justin, the martyr (100-165 from Samaria), later reports that Simon separated from the church and founded his own movement.

Faith is more than intellectual acceptance. Faith means receiving the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit and being changed by him.

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The kingdom of God does not spread through planning and strategy, but through persecution (Acts 8:1-25).

Philip is one of the seven deacons (Acts 6:5) who were expelled from Jerusalem.

Philip comes to an important city in Samaria. It is possibly Sebaste, the capital of Samaria, or Sychar, the “religious capital” of the Samaritans on the eastern slope of Mount Ebal. Jesus was also received there a few years earlier (John 4:5-42). It is an area shunned by the Jews, where believers in Jesus find peace from their persecutors. Others probably go to relatives in Judea.

Instead of resigning and doubting God’s love, the exiles see their persecution as an opportunity to proclaim their faith.

Wherever they are, they live and proclaim their faith.

Jesus’ promise is fulfilled: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses (martyrs) in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

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Stephen’s vision of an open heaven is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. For the high council, Jesus standing at the right hand of God was blasphemy.

Jesus was rejected because he claimed to be one with God and thus made himself equal to God. For them, Jesus was in league with the devil (Matthew 12:24) and, in their view, could not stand next to God.

That is why they dragged Stephen out of the city and stoned him to death. He says: “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” Jesus stands up to receive Stephen. When we die, someone is waiting for us.

Stephen prays: “ Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” and “ Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Acts 7:59.

This is one of the few known prayers to Jesus in the Bible. The second is found in Revelation 22:20. It is a characteristic of the first followers of Jesus to pray to Jesus (Acts 9:21 and first Corinthians 1:2 / 12:3).

The certainty that not everything ends with death was one reason why the Jesus movement grew so quickly in the first centuries. People went to their deaths for their faith without hating their tormentors. This brought other people into question.

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Stephen is a Hellenistic Jew filled with the Holy Spirit. Other Jews from the Greek-speaking world accused him of blaspheming God and insulting Moses (Acts 6:11). The accusation is that he should be said that Jesus would tear down the temple and change the law of Moses (Acts 6:14).

Stephen uses a history lesson to show that it is not he who is acting against the temple and the law, but the accusers, by not recognising the promised prophet and acting in the same way as their ancestors. Continue reading Stephen – faithful unto death →

A cultural, linguistic and ethnic divide ran right through the young church (Acts 6:1-7).

The first Christians had shared everything and yet there were neglected poor.

The believers from the diaspora and the locals finally came together. The apostles delegated responsibility to those concerned and ensured that the church itself chose suitable people.

Seven Greek-speaking men were chosen who were “full of spirit and truth“.

Only by listening to and complementing each other’s different voices can an orchestra concert become a pleasure.

When the different talents and tasks are accepted side by side, the Holy Spirit can work. Appreciating each other’s is the key factor for dynamic growth.

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Most Bibles use the title: Gamaliel’s wise advice. But was it really wise? Proverbs 9:10 says: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One (God) is understanding.”

Gamaliel is not arguing theologically, but historically. Instead of turning back to God, as Peter suggested to them (Acts 5:31), he preaches a wait-and-see approach. He hopes that everything will come to nothing. He does not want to change himself and his honourable position should remain the same. Everything should remain as it is. Not wanting to decide in favour of God is a fateful decision.

Jesus said to the Emmaus disciples in Luke 24:25: “How sluggish is your heart to believe in all that the prophets have proclaimed.”

Gamaliel could have theologically recognised why Theudas and Judas the Galilean were not sent by God. But we also realise why Jesus kept a low profile vis-à-vis the Romans. His mission took place in an extremely explosive environment.

God promised a prophet like Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18. In Exodus 34:10-12, the face-to-face encounter and the miracles and signs are listed as characteristics of Moses. Jesus maintained an intensive dialogue with the heavenly Father and performed the signs and wonders of Moses.

The church gathered in public and not just secretly in people’s homes. This aroused the jealousy of the Sadducees, who had the temple under their control.

They wanted to forbid the church to speak of Jesus in their territory. But God freed the elders from prison and sent them back to the temple (Acts 5:17-42). During the renewed interrogation, the apostles made it clear that God must be obeyed more than the people who unjustly dominate the temple.

Peter gets to the heart of the difference. He refers to the God of the forefathers, the resurrection of the dead and proclaims a universal priesthood (verses 30-32). Continue reading God calls the elite →

In telling the blessing experienced by the first church, Luke does not fail to mention how the devil attacks the church (Acts 4-7). Luke introduces the story of Hananias and Sapphira with details.

Firstly, he speaks in general terms about the generosity and warmth of the Christians (Acts 4:32-35). He then gives the example of Joseph Barnabas, who sold a piece of land and brought the earnings to the apostles (Acts 4:36-37), before moving to Hananias, who, from the outside, did exactly the same thing (Acts 5:1-11). But with Ananias and Sapphira, word and deed did not match.

Satan tries to destroy unity and tempts Ananias and Sapphira to pretend. They sought a false honour. Their lie was completely unnecessary. No one had expected them to sell their field in order to give away some of the proceeds. But the two lied and pretended that they had donated all the earnings. Through the Holy Spirit, Peter exposed the lie of Hananias as an attack by the devil.

The holiness of God does not tolerate deception. Anyone who lies to God must expect consequences. God sets an example in the early days of the church movement. You can’t deal with him any way you like.

At the same time, God confirmed Himself through signs and wonders. Many sick people were brought in. There was a reverence for God and many came to faith (Acts 5:11, 13-14). Where there is a reverence for God, the goodness of God can also be experienced.

In the presence of God, there is no room for lies and the desire to show off. The kingdom of God is not about shining, but about complementing.

Continue reading Complementing instead craving for honour →

The tangible closeness of God characterised the people of the first church. They brought their abundance to the apostles. The gifts were distributed among the needy, as much as each person needed (Acts 4:35).

It was not a communist way of life in which the state was in charge of distributing the possessions of others. Rather, it was a matter of voluntary contributions that were distributed by a committee according to need. This meant that not everyone received the same amount.

The parishioners did not sell everything they had, but only part of their ‘fields and houses’ (plural). They did not give the shirt off their backs until they themselves were in need. They only gave away what they didn’t need to live on.

By law, family property could not be sold, but could only be enfeoffed until the Halljahr. But their attitude to property changed. It was not about amassing as much money and property as possible. Rather, they saw themselves as stewards of their possessions (Acts 4:32). Because everything was and is a gift from God.

There was no pressure from within among the first followers of Jesus. The members of the church voluntarily helped each other to withstand the pressure from outside, to grow spiritually and to be filled with God’s presence.

It is also noteworthy that they met in a public place (Solomon’s Hall) and did not build or rent a community building. Such public places no longer exist today. Continue reading Voluntary contributions distributed according to need →