Big Ideas

1. Excitement, baptism, and authentic faith.

The story of Simon begins with excitement. Simon was known for his dark powers and the whole community was amazed by him. When Philip began preaching the Gospel, the community began to be drawn to Jesus. Initially, Simon appears to believe and even gets baptized. However, after time, it becomes very clear that whatever Simon was pursuing, it was not the truth of Jesus Christ. Jesus himself warned his disciples of this type of superficial faith (Mark 4:1-9).

2. Faith and the Holy Spirit.

The order of events in this story is atypical. In Acts 2, faith, repentance, and the Holy Spirit all come together in a singular event. But here, Samaritans believe but do not immediately receive an outward indication of the Spirit’s presence, whatever that may have been. Why would God choose to act in this unique way at this point in the Church? The giving of the Holy Spirit, in the presence of Peter and John, seemed to serve as evidence to Peter and John, that the Spirit of God and the good news of the Gospel was for all peoples and not just the Jews.

3. Persecution and the advancement of Jesus’ mission.

The evangelism of Samaria came as a direct result of the death of Stephen and the following persecution of the Church. As Christians relocated to safer regions, they brought the Gospel with them. Through persecution, Jesus’ command to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth was being fulfilled.

Study Questions

1. What is the difference between spiritual excitement and authentic conviction? Are they mutually exclusive? What warnings might we take from this text?

2. Why would it be important for Peter and John, who were Jews, to personally witness the Holy Spirit being given to the Samaritan converts?

3. How have you seen God use difficult and perhaps painful experiences in your life to bring others to himself? What might this teach us about how God fulfills his promises?