Acts 8:5-13

Philip Preaching in Samaria

Philip, who was one of the seven, went to the city of Samaria. Because the Samaritans were of mixed descent coming from the intermarriage of Jews and Gentiles, the Jews regarded them with contempt. The city of Samaria was built by Omri, a wicked king in Israel. It became the capital city for the ten tribes of the northern kingdom. Philip preached Jesus as the promised Messiah, a theme which would have been familiar to the Samaritans because of Deuteronomy 18:15-18. The message hit home for multitudes of the Samaritans, especially because God confirmed it came from him by enabling Philip to work miracles. Sick, especially some who had been paralyzed and others who had been lame, were healed and demons were cast out of others. All of this caused the city to be filled with joy.

In Samaria, there was a man named Simon who had used magic and trickery to convince the people he was a spokesman for God. For quite some time, he held sway over the city in this fashion. However, when Philip preached the good news about Christ and his kingdom, with the accompanying signs, a large number of men and women believed and were baptized. Obviously, this verse makes it clear that preaching belief in Jesus and burial in his name is a crucial part of preaching about the kingdom. Even Simon, having been amazed by what he saw and heard, believed and was baptized (Acts 8:5-13).