The Great Joy of the Holy Spirit
Acts 8:4-8
The scattering of the Holy Spirit always carries a great joy. We will think of the great joy of the Holy Spirit today.
First, the joy of spreading the Gospel.
Those who had been scattered (v. 4) did not hide in safe places, but they preached the Word. The original meaning of 'those who had been scattered' indicates that they spread the Gospel like they spread the seeds to have abundant number of fruits. Now that Satan had killed Stephen and destroyed the church, imprisoning the believers, he thought he had won over the Church. However, in the places people had been scattered, the Gospel thrived and there was a great joy. Why did God give this great joy? This scattering had been Gods delicate plan before eternity. Of the scattered believers, many of them were diaspora who originally came from various foreign places. At that time, the Greek was the common tongue and many of the diaspora spoke Greek. They already had the qualification in language as missionaries. It was hard to go out the first time, but they were given the reason to be scattered, and they went preaching to Samaria and even Antioch. However, it was not Philips original intention to help the spreading of the Gospel. He was a fugitive. So he preached the Gospel with a humble heart. Also, the Early Church had trained its organization beautifully as an organization of the Holy Spirit, the result of the training was shown in this passage, although they had been scattered against their will. Like this, God even uses our weakness in our runaway situation.
Second, the joy of proclaiming Christ in Samaria.
It said 'Philip went down (v. 5)'. But geographically, the city was upward. But the Bible was Judea-centered. And going down to Samaria meant the place was spiritually deserted. Samaria once was the capital of Israel and after the kingdom fell by the Assyrians, many ethnic minorities other than Assyrians also migrated to this city, mingling with the Israelites who lived in Samaria. In this way, the Israelites of Kingdom of Israel lost the genuineness of the Lord, and the Jews despised and disdained them more than the Gentiles. However, Philip was full of the Spirit and wisdom that he was praised. So when the believers were scattered under persecution, he evangelized the Samaritans, the most despised by the Jews, and even the Ethiopian eunuch, a Gentile. No one, except Philip, evangelized the Samaritans. Samaria was not even considered to be evangelized by the Jews, and the apostles sent down just mere members of the church while they had to protect the church in Jerusalem. In verse 4, it said that the scattered people preached the Word and the Word was about Christ. The essence of the Gospel of the Early Church is Christ who lived well, who died well, and who lived again. Philip talked about Jesus who was crucified, who rose up again, and who saved them. Philip preached of what he exactly had to. Philip told the Samaritans that the Messiah whom they had been longed for was Jesus from Nazareth. In verse 6, the Samaritans paid a close attention by preaching the Word and performing miracles with the power of the Holy Spirit. We have to make people pay attention. Both action and the Word were needed to make people attentive, and Philip had both. People listened to him and they saw what he did. No one follows a man without action. Philips fullness of the Spirit, wisdom, and good words about him worked here again. He was no apostle. He ran away as a humble man with a hurt and that made him possible to empathize with the Samaritans to evangelize them.
Third, the joy of impure spirits coming out.
The phrases 'Paid (v. 6)' and 'impure spirits came out of many (v. 7)' used imperfect past verbs to indicate that Philip ministered continuously. Philip made people to pay close attention therefore, the impure spirits came out. The ministry is about the casting out demons. The Holy Spirit who worked in Jerusalem now worked strongly in Samaria and the church thrived there also.
When Jesus Christ clearly becomes the Gospel and the church full of faith, there will be miracle. Stephen performed a miracle of giving sermon as a deacon. Stephen gave the best sermon ever, but there was no healing. But Philip healed like Jesus. It does not mean that he possessed the power like Jesus, but Jesus working in him. Everyone was scattered but there was also a great joy (v. 8). The Greek word chara, meaning joy, meant the joy of faith receiving salvation, and it also expressed the visible works of the Holy Spirit among the believers. Therefore, salvation and joy carried the same meaning. The Gospel was called the Good News. But men were sinners that they became Gods enemy inevitably. Every one of us was created according to Gods image but Adam sinned, and we became enemies with God. Nevertheless, God still loved us and He sent us His only Son to die for our sin. This is Gospel. God has approved us a scattering of the Holy Spirit among COVID-19 so like Philip, we could spread the true joy coming from salvation.
Lastly, may God bless you all for a week of spreading the joyful news among the scattering of the Holy Spirit.
