{"id":749,"date":"2021-02-05T14:49:55","date_gmt":"2021-02-05T19:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/?p=749"},"modified":"2021-02-05T14:56:42","modified_gmt":"2021-02-05T19:56:42","slug":"making-lemonade-out-of-lemons-acts-81-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/?p=749","title":{"rendered":"Making Lemonade out of Lemons Acts 8:1-23"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lesson 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making Lemons into Lemonade<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acts 8:1-23<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Over the years while\nworking for the International Mission Board my boss would often encourage me to\ntake an overseas mission trip.  My\nstandard answers were.  First, I had not\nbeen called to serve as a missionary. \nSecondly, I always fell back on the verse found in 1 Samuel 30:24 which\ntalks about the two hundred men who watched over the baggage.  While others went to the mission field, I\nbelieved that my task was to stay at home with the baggage and lend support and\nencouragement to those going.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of the arguments disappeared as I was able to make four\ntrips overseas, one to Venezuela and three to Russia from 2000 to 2003. I\nlearned a great lesson from those experiences. \nI must be prepared to be used by God to reach those who do not know His\nSon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is so easy for all of us to get wrapped up in whatever\nbecomes our \u201cbaggage\u201d to watch.  The kind\nof excuses I used can keep us from missing out on the exciting and challenges\nthings God has for us to do.  Our lesson\ntoday will talk about men who were prepared to take on new tasks as God opened\nthe doors of opportunities for them.  The\nquestion we might ask ourselves, Am I truly being sensitive to what God desires\nfor me or am I closing my mind and heart by always staying by the stuff?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Acts 7:58-8-1<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a couple items to be addressed before beginning\nchapter 8.  In verse 58 Saul is mentioned\nfor the first time. His task at that early event was to watch the robes while\nthe others did the dirty work of stoning Stephen.  Secondly, with the death of Stephen there was\na shift in the strategy in dealing with the church by the Jews.  Up until this point the apostles had been the\nfocal point of all the persecution.  Now\na new tactic came into play.  The Jews\nbroaden it to include the seven and then the entire church in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. What did they hope to accomplish with this new\ntactic?<\/li>
  2. What influence did witnessing the trial and\nmurder have on what Paul was about to do?<\/li>
  3. Why would one who had watched the robes become\nso involved in the persecution of the church?<\/li>
  4. Why did Saul agree so strongly with the actions\nof his fellow \u201cFreedmen\u201d?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Acts 8:1-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The treatment of the apostles was tame in comparison to what\ntook place against the church after the death of Stephen.  Luke described it as a \u201cgreat\npersecution\u201d.  It was so intense that\nmany of the believers fled from Jerusalem and were scattered throughout Judea\nand Samaria.  The one group that seemed\nimpervious to what was taking place was the apostles.  Acts 8:1 tells us that they remained in\nJerusalem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Why did Saul and the other men who had killed\nStephen leave the apostles alone?<\/li>
    2. Why did these twelve men not leave Jerusalem?<\/li>
    3. Why did God allow the persecution to take place\nin the first place?  <\/li>
    4. Why did the dispersed believers go to Judea and\nSamaria and not beyond those two regions?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      One last thought as we leave these verses.  Let us consider the possibility that the day\nthat Saul began to persecute the church set in motion the events which would\nvery soon lead to his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      While havoc was taking place in the life of the church\nStephen was buried by some men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1. Why do their actions at the time of his burial\nseem strange? <\/li>
      2. How would you expect them to react?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Acts 8:3<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The persecution of the church reach new heights as Saul now\nbecame the chief protagonist.  We are\ntold that he ravaged the church.  In the\nGreek ravaging is to exercise brutal and sadistic cruelty.  These are actions we might expect of a madman\nor fanatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        1. Why did Saul attack the church so viciously?<\/li>
        2. What impact did Stephen have on Saul in the way\nhe faced death?<\/li>
        3. What impact did the history lesson Stephen\npresented have on a man like Saul?<\/li>
        4. In what way might a man of Saul\u2019s education and\nreligious background take the words of Stephen as a personal attack?<\/li>
        5. What did Saul and the others hope to accomplish\nwith their treatment of the men and women who followed Christ?<\/li>
        6. What resulted from the persecution?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          Acts 8:4-8<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          We begin to see the answer to the last question as we see\nthe believers leaving Jerusalem and were preaching in all the places they\nwent.  Even though Saul and others sought\nto destroy the church the persecution actually had just the opposite\neffect.  In verse 5 we find Phillip\ntravelling to Samaria.  Remember this was\npart of Jesus\u2019 command to the apostles to go into Judea and then into Samaria\nin an ever widening sphere where the gospel was to be proclaimed.  Phillip was a perfect candidate to bridge the\ngap between Jews and Samaritans since he was a Christian from a Greek\nbackground.  Thus he would not have all\nof the prejudices of the Jews to overcome as he shared the gospel.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          1. From their reactions to Phillip what could say\nabout the kind of people that he encountered in Samaria?<\/li>
          2. How did the Samaritans respond to the good news\nthat was brought to them?<\/li>
          3. What was the importance of performing signs and\nwonders among these people?<\/li>
          4. What did the types of signs help in his sharing\nabout Jesus?<\/li>
          5. Why was it so important that the healing taking\nplace go beyond just the physical?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            Acts 8:9-11<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Simon, the magician now enters the picture. He is described\nas one who claimed to be someone great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            1. What was the source of his supposed greatness?<\/li>
            2. How does an individual like Simon hold sway over\npeople?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              Acts 8:12-13<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              When Phillip began to preach and heal the people believed\nthe message Phillip brought about the kingdom of God and Jesus Christ and were\nbaptized. We are told that even Simon believed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              1. What was the difference between the two messages\nbeing presented to the people?<\/li>
              2. Why did they turn from Simon to the message of\nPhillip?<\/li>
              3. What was it about what Simon saw that convinced\nhim to believe?<\/li>
              4. What might be some red flags for us when we see\nsomeone like Simon saying that they believe in Jesus Christ?  <\/li>
              5. What are individuals like him really believing?<\/li>
              6. What was still missing in the lives of all of\nthe Samaritan believers?  Verses 14-17\nwill answer that question for us.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                Acts 8:14<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Only when the apostles heard that something was taking place\nin Samaria did any of them venture out of Jerusalem to see what was\nhappening.  Peter and John, two of the\nleaders, were sent to investigate. \nNotice upon the arrival of these two men that Phillip faded into the\nbackground.  His work, for the time\nbeing, was done.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                1.  Why did\nthe apostles wait until someone else had done the ground work before deciding\nto leave Jerusalem?<\/li>
                2. What situation did the apostle find when they\ncame to Samaria?<\/li>
                3. Why had Phillip not completed the task of helping\nthem receive the Holy Spirit?<\/li>
                4. How can a person believe and baptized and not\nreceive the Holy Spirit?<\/li>
                5. What did it mean for the people to finally\nreceive the Spirit?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                  Acts 8:18-19<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Simon is a prime example of one who may believe enough to be\npart of a fellowship.  They may even be\nactively involved in the work of the church but who have not genuinely been\nwilling to totally commit themselves to Christ. \nI am afraid that churches are full of people who think they are saved\nbased on the fact that they are members and may have even been baptized but\nhave never truly come to Jesus and accepted the Salvation He wants to give\nthem.  The church does these individual a\nterrible disservice by allowing them to remain in their unsaved condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  How do we know that Simon was such a man?  All we have to do is to see the reasons he\njoined the church in the first place and the fact that he was willing to buy\nthe privilege of laying hands on others, probably for profit and power, that\nthe selected people could receive the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  1. What was the difference between what the\napostles were doing and what Simon wanted to do?<\/li>
                  2. What did Simon not seek?  There is no indication that he desired to\nreceive the Holy Spirit himself.   <\/li>
                  3. What was the real reason that Simon wanted the\nability to give the Holy Spirit?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                    Acts 8:20-25<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Peter responded to Simon very emphatically.  He told him:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    • The gift is now for sale<\/li>
                    • Your desire shows that you are an unregenerate\nsinner<\/li>
                    • You are going to perish<\/li>
                    • You need to repent <\/li>
                    • You need to seek God\u2019s forgiveness<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                      Let us think about how Peter responded to Simon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      1. What does it say about the character of Peter?<\/li>
                      2. What could have been the worse thing he could\nhave done in this situation?<\/li>
                      3. Why did he leave it up to Simon to pray?<\/li>
                      4. What do you think about Simon\u2019s response to\nPeter in verse 25?<\/li>
                      5. What did indicate about him?<\/li>
                      6. In what ways do we need to be like Peter in his\nhandling of this situation?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                         Each of you know from\nyour own experiences that difficult times have either already taken place in\nyour lives or will at some point.  The\nquestion each of you need to answer is how will you respond to your situation?  Will you see difficult times when things are\nnot going your way as an opportunity to be a witness for Christ or hide behind\nyour problems?  Sometimes when you are\ngoing through trials it will open your eyes to all of the suffering and those\nwho are lost who need what Christ has to offer to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        The early church took advantage of a very bad situation and\nused it reach out to others.  As a result\nthe church continued to grow in a way that could not have happened if all the\nbelievers had remained cloistered in Jerusalem. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        The final lesson that can be learned this morning is let all\nof us to begin to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit to be aware of those even\namong our members who may have never made a decision for Jesus Christ.  It is so easy for us to assume that those who\nhave been a part of the fellowship truly have an understanding of what it means\nto be saved.  How can we as a church make\nsure that this does not happen?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        1. Pray for discernment<\/li>
                        2. Try to make sure that each person is involved in\na small group<\/li>
                        3. Provide a loving atmosphere where people are\nable to be open and honest  about their\nwalk with the Lord<\/li>
                        4. There should never be an attitude of\ncondemnation but a willingness to guide others into a true relationship<\/li>
                        5. We should also never condone false doctrine<\/li>
                        6. We are to be willing to pray with someone, like\nto Simon, who is caught in the throes of sin. \nSometimes people may even feel incapable of praying for themselves\nbecause of a deep hurt in their lives.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                          Next week we will see Phillip at work again.  The Ethiopian will provide us with a contrast\nto Simon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          Additional Random Notes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          C-The Jews began from that point to persecute the\nchurch.  It was so severe that many of\nthe believers left and went to other regions in Judea, Samaria and beyond even\ninto Syria.    (Acts 8:1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          DM-The day Paul began to persecute the church set in\nmotion the events that would lead to be his dramatic conversion. (Acts 8:1, 3;\n22:4)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          RT-Faced with being marginalized by society may the\nchurch use this subtle form of persecution to become insurgents into the world\nfull of spiritual darkness.  It is to\nspread the word of God under of the authority of Jesus Christ and the power of\nthe Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:1-5)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          C-Paul became an integral part of the persecution that\nwas taking place as he ravaged the church and putting many of the believers\ninto prison. (Acts 8:3)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          RT-As persecution began against the church those who\nwere driven out of Jerusalem \u201cwent about preaching the word.\u201d  They were not defeated but spiritually\nenergized.  As Paul would say later,\n\u201cThey knew whom they believed. (2 Tim. 1:12) \nPhilip, one of the seven, even carried the message to the despised\nSamaritans. (Acts 8:4-5)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          C-Philip went to Samaria when the persecution came\nupon the church at Jerusalem.  He began\npreaching there.  The crowds were\nattentive to his words and he was able to heal and cast out demons.  \u201cThere was much rejoicing in that city.\u201d  Not since the visit of Jesus had the people\nhad such a reason for hope and joy as when they now heard the good news from\nthe lips of Philip. (Acts 8:5-8, 12)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          DM-Philip took to heart the command of Jesus to go\ninto Samaria.  When he did he found\npeople waiting to hear the good news and many believed. (Acts 8:5-8, 12)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          GC-With the proclamation of Christ there is rejoicing\nin the lives of the people touched by His saving power. (Acts 8:5, 8, 39)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          C-Simon, the magician, who had been viewed as someone\ngreat by the Samaritans also became a believer upon hearing the words of Philip\nand seeing the miracles he performed. \nSomehow Simon understood that these acts were genuine and beyond anything\nhe had been able to do with his slight of hand. (Acts 8:9-11, 13)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          DM-To Simon salvation and the receiving the Holy\nSpirit was a greater magic than he had been able to perform.  He was so impressed that he was willing to\npay money to have it.  Peter saw through\nhis scheme and admonished him to repent of his sinful ways or perish. (Acts\n8:9-13, 18-24)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          GC-One who comes to Jesus turns away from what is\nfalse and believes in that which is true. \nWe believe when the word was preached and were baptized in the name of\nthe Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:12, 37)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          RT-John went from wanting to call down fire from\nheaven to destroy some of the Samaritans to proclaiming the good news of Christ\nto them. (Acts 8:14-15, 25)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          C-The people who had believed received the Holy Spirit\nas the apostles laid hands on them. (Acts 8:15-17)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          C-Simon, the magician, sought the authority to lay\nhands upon those he chose to bestow the Holy Spirit.  He offered Peter money to purchase this\npower.  Peter invoked a curse on him.\nSimon thought that what God gave as a gift could be bought like some\ncommodity.  Seeing that his plan was a\ndetriment to his own eternal destiny he pleaded with Peter to pray that he\nmight receive forgiveness for his actions. (Acts 8:18-24)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          RT-The request of Simon may make us wonder if he was\ntruly saved.  We know by what is said\nabout all of the Samaritans that he had not received the Holy Spirit. (Acts\n8:15-17)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          GC-The Holy Spirit cannot be purchased but is bestowed\nthrough God\u2019s grace on those who truly commit themselves to Jesus. (Acts\n8:18-20)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          RT-Isn\u2019t this what the whole idea of a religion based\non works is all about, being good enough to buy God\u2019s favor? (Acts 8:20)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          GC-Our hearts are to be right before God. (Acts 8:21)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                           GC-Peter\u2019s\nreaction to Simon\u2019s request was to admonish him to pray that the sinful intent\nof his heart be forgiven. (Acts 8:22)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          GC-Because of his predicament Simon asked Peter to\nmake intercession for him.  There may be\ninstances when we might be called upon to pray for someone else or have them\npray for us in this way because we may feel inadequate to speak to God at that\ntime.    (Acts 8:24; 12:5)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                          Lesson 13 Making Lemons into Lemonade Acts 8:1-23  Over the years while working for the International Mission Board my boss would often encourage me to take an overseas mission trip.  My standard answers were.  First, I had not been called to serve as a missionary.  Secondly, I always fell back on the verse found in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-acts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=749"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":752,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/749\/revisions\/752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}