How many times have you said the words: this is not what I expected, not with delight, but with pain? This sermon takes us to the eighth chapter of Acts (Acts 8), where the persecution that scatters the church in Jerusalem turns out to be the beginning of its mission rather than its end. We also meet Simon of Samaria, in whom the gospel exposes the hidden motives of the heart, and we see that nothing can stop it. Listen if your everyday life is a mixture of hardship and wonder, and you are looking for a reason not to lose heart.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Acts 8:1-4 describes the persecution after Stephen's death and the scattering of believers. According to the text, what did these people do wherever they fled, and what does that say about their faith?
- Why was it so surprising for the first Christians that the gospel reached Samaria, a place Jews avoided, and how does this fulfill Jesus' promise in Acts 1:8?
- The speaker stressed that the church in Acts became a missionary church not through leaders' plans but through hardships God used. In what difficult or unwanted situation can you see God sending you out anew?
- Simon wanted to buy the power to give the Holy Spirit with money. What modern forms does treating God and the gospel as a tool for gaining recognition, influence or control take?
- Peter rebuked Simon sharply, and the speaker called this an act of grace, because God exposes wrong motives in order to heal them. How do you respond when God shows you what your heart is really looking for?
- The first believers proclaimed Christ not from a pulpit but in everyday conversations. With whom can you simply share this week what you are experiencing with Jesus?
