Acts 8:4-8 Philip Proclaims Christ in Samaria

God is an expert in redeeming terrible and chaotic circumstances. Persecution scattered the Ancient Church, but with its scattering came the spread of the Gospel. Jerusalem had become a place of comfort for the church and the Apostles made it a fortress so to speak. But in doing so, they were disobeying the very  instructions that Jesus gave them to be witnesses in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Sometimes, God uses very unusual circumstances to overcome my lack of motivation to be a witness outside of my Jerusalem (local place of ministry). Am I entrenched in my Jerusalem unwilling to go out to Samaria to be a witness?

Another key element in the propagation of the Gospel is that not only did the disciples break out of their zones of comfort, but they all were proclaiming the good news. The preaching of the word, understood in this context as being witnesses for the kingdom, was not the exclusive task of the Apostles - "those who were scattered went about preaching the word." In fact, the Apostles remained in Jerusalem! I must be a witness myself. I can't delegate the proclamation of the word to my leaders. I am called to do so. I must obey! My willingness to proclaim the good news as a believer is a key factor to the spread of the Gospel.

The persecution also forced the Ancient Church to go into places they probably would not have gone on their own. Not only were the disciples forced to leave Jerusalem and move outwardly, but they were forced to go to undesirable (to them) places. Samaria is a case in point. The inhabitants of Samaria are descendants of the Jews that mixed themselves with foreign women of the Assyrian empire. The Jews despised them for adopting not only foreign women, but also foreign gods. The Jews despised the Samaritans so much that they would rather walk around their city than enter it to go anywhere even if it meant walking more. Where is my Samaria? Who is despised like that in my context? Is it a social class? Is it the poor? Is it an ethnic group? There could be multiple answers, but the bottom line is that I must be a witness to them also!

"Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ." Maybe to his surprise, the people paid attention to his message and many signs followed the preaching of the Gospel, just like he had experienced in his own Jewish context. God had no partiality. He demonstrated his power among them just like he did among the Jews. Philip became an instrument in God's hands to demonstrate the love, compassion, and mercy of God. The result of such a campaign of love motivated by the persecution  was much joy for the Samaritans. My pain sometimes becomes the motivator to do God's will so that others may experience joy. Christ compels me to identify my Samaria and seek them Samaritans to proclaim the good news so that they might have the opportunity to experience true joy.

Father, thanks for the tough times as well as the good times. Fill me with your Spirit and grant me courage and boldness to speak your word, to be a witness and not rely on my leaders to do so. Help me take responsibility and action. Open my eyes to see the Samaria in my context and seek them. Thank you for the joy you give us all who follow you in your kingdom. Amen.