HERALDS ON A MISSION

"Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went." Act 8:4 BSB

When persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, the believers scattered all throughout Judea and the regions of Samaria preaching the gospel everywhere they went. 

Samaritans are half bread Jews.  In the time of the Roman Empire, the region of Samaria was the central part of Palestine and along with the neighbouring region of Judea was governed from Caesarea. The origins of the Samaritans go back to Old Testament times, when Samaria was the name of the chief city of the region.

After Assyria had conquered the central and northern parts of Israel and taken the people into captivity (722 BC), it moved people from other parts of its empire into Samaria and surrounding towns. These settlers intermarried with Israelites still left in the land and combined the Israelite form of worship with their own. This resulted in a race of mixed blood and mixed religion known as the Samaritans (2 Kings 17:5-6,24-33; Ezra 4:9-10). When the Jews returned from captivity and settled in and around Jerusalem (538 BC), tension arose between Jews and Samaritans (Ezra 4:1-4), and this tension lasted into New Testament times (Luke 9:52-53; John 4:9).

Philip, a Hellenist ( a Jew born and breed diaspora), appears to have been the first person to take the gospel into Samaria. As a result of his preaching and miraculous works, many Samaritans believed and were baptized (Act 8:4-8). A well known local magician, Simon, was so impressed by these miracles that he too was baptized, hoping no doubt that he could learn the secret of Philip’s power (Act 8:9-13).

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard of the conversion of so many Samaritans, they sent Peter and John to Samaria to pray that the Samaritans would receive the Holy Spirit. The reason why the Samaritans did not receive the Spirit immediately they believed was probably that God first wanted the apostles to be convinced that Samaritan believers shared the same privileges as Jewish believers. The long-standing hostility between Jews and Samaritans (an attitude that even the apostles were recently guilty of; Luke 9:52-56) was not to be carried over into the church. By using the apostles to be his means of giving the Holy Spirit to the Samaritans, God demonstrated publicly that Samaritans were accepted into the church on an equal standing with the Jews and with the full support of the apostles (14-17).

As a sign that they had received the Holy Spirit, the Samaritans apparently spoke in tongues. This impressed Simon even more, and he would gladly have paid money to have the sort of power over people that he thought the apostles had. Instead he received an assurance of God’s judgment (Act 8:18-24). As for the apostles, they not only welcomed the Samaritans but they also preached the gospel in many of the Samaritan villages (Act 8:25). 

The persecution which began in Jerusalem seems to have sent heralds on a mission and as a result, the good news of the Kingdom expanded. Within the comfort walls of Jerusalem, the church could have been described as prosperous and thriving but a discomforting occurrence proved to have been of a more fruitful step in God's direction than ever. 

Our frailty as human most a times put us in opposition to God, and God also allow certain pressures to come upon us so that we can respond to His calling and move out of the comfort zone into certain areas of His directions. 

Mostly, we only response to do the calling when the pressure become intense. 

Right after school, I got a very lucrative job as a Personal Assistant to a DCE in the country. It was an honourable thing to do as  I sat with DECs and MPs talking about issues relating to my country Ghana. I dine with them on round tables, and enjoyed their company. But on the hills of that achievement, the Lord spoke to me clearly asking me to resign and come into full time ministry. It was a difficult moments even though I have a deep desire to serve God full-time. But I never waited for the pressure to become intense, I left gladly. Today, I'm on my way to higher grounds. 

Philip did mighty miracles in Samaria, when he was in Jerusalem, he was serving tables, (Act 6:1-5) but the revolution which brought a sudden change in their lives kindled a transformation which revolutionized the early church and Philip the one who set tables is now a mighty evangelist. Your present sufferings and pain is leading you to higher grounds, not for you only but for your generations after you. You are becoming a father of many nations. Endure hardness as a good soldier of the Lord. Blessings.

What then.

Every revolution in the body of Christ, small or great was a product of afflictions of the person the Lord used or the community within which the revolution happened. Afflictions turns to shape us, meet for the use of the Lord. It refines and circumcise us, setting us apart for God a holy and honourable vessel meet for good works. When the seasons of affliction is over, glory becomes the decorum. So we must need endure the affliction as a good soldier of the Lord.

Refine me lord! a holy and honourable vessel meet for good works, in Jesus name. Amen