Disciples Who Know God’s Plan (Acts 8:14-25)
We had the unprecedented and never-repeated blessing of having body worship along with the praise. Let us bless and greet one another, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The Bible tells us that God called us to receive our praise, and yes, there are times when we give praise to the rhythm of the music, and there are times that we give praise to God on our own, without that. The opposite of praising God would be to be stuck in my own thoughts, worries, and concerns, and within today’s worship, as we concentrate on God, may we receive a healing that we are not even aware of.
As we concentrate on God’s Word through worship, our heart and our spirit are healed. The spirit can never be changed with anything else. We cannot change our spirit with our money or our talents; it is only possible to change with God’s work. What is God doing even right now? The more accurately people know the answer to this question, more accurately they can know God. If we do not know God accurately, then we make our own imagination, we think to ourselves, “Oh, I think God is like this,” or, “I think God is like that,” but that’s not actually believing in God; that person has actually created their own god. Even right now, God gives us His Word, so in human terms, it’s like He’s talking to us. The reason is because God is alive, and He is giving His Word to His children. Then, God fulfills the Word that He gave us, and we are living in the field where God is fulfilling His Word, so God is not just staying still; God is working even now. Even now, God is answering our prayers. When we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, God promised to answer us, and even now, God is revealing Himself through evangelism. Those are the three works that the Triune God is doing even now, and when we concentrate on the work that God is doing, we can see God’s works.
But there is also the work that Satan, the devil, is doing. Satan prevents you from concentrating on the Word of God by becoming obsessed with our own thoughts, and even if we do hear the Word of God, Satan prevents us from holding onto it. If you are trapped in your own thoughts, then you cannot escape. Some people have very renowned thoughts, and that makes a very renowned individual. Some people have very bad thoughts, and that can make a bad person, but both of those thoughts cannot save our spirit. Only when we think with the Word of God will we begin to change.
Who am I? If I believe in Jesus Christ, then I’m a child of God. For a child of God, God is bound to take full responsibility for them and guide them. Even if I’m in the depths of danger, because God is my Father, God is protecting me and guiding me. Even if I’m treated unfairly, God knows this and has provided a way out and is guiding me. So, as much as we know God, we will have more liberation.
Are you seized by your own depression? Or, are you seized by the scars of your past? Are you bound by the fears of the future? That’s normal, but try thinking of God’s Word, then you will see the works of liberation. The Word of God becomes our future, that Word becomes our power, and the reason is in John 1:1, God is the Word. When God created the universe, He didn’t create it with His hands like we would; He spoke His Word, and then the universe was created. When that Word of God is established in my spirit, then I am re-created. There are problems deep inside of us that we are not even aware of, and that begins to be healed by God’s Word. There are problems that are deep inside of us, we are not even aware of them in our subconscious. “I am not even aware of it, but I keep going down this path,” that’s not coming out of nowhere. Psychology calls it, “the subconscious.” But the Bible is telling us that that is something deep inside of our spirit, a problem that is invisible being revealed in a visible way. However, when the words of Jesus Christ are testified to me, then without even realizing it, those words heal the deep problems inside of us. That is the time of worship.
Satan makes it so that even though we come to the place of worship, we cannot concentrate on God’s Word. Satan also makes it so that, after we receive God’s Word, we live out in the world, irrelevant to God’s Word. Satan also blocks our mouths so that we cannot share this Word with others, and we talk about something else, instead. Satan makes us say words that are unnecessary. Right now is the time that determines your future. You think that your future will work out depending on your hard work, don’t you? Those are only physical things, but there is a future that comes from the deep, spiritual things inside of you. That is God’s Word. The Word of God does not change; it is eternal. When the Word of God becomes my bartizan, then I will no longer shake.
1. God’s plan
1) Regions where the gospel had not yet been proclaimed
(1) Regions the Jews had little interest in
The Word that we read in Acts 8 is when the Jewish people went to Samaria, which is a land they would never go to. Now much did the Jewish people hate the region of Samaria? In Luke 9:52 and onward, when Jesus Christ was going to Samaria, the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy the Samaritans?” That is the extent to which the Jewish people hated the region of Samaria. Everybody has their own reason, but God loves everybody. The reason our walk of faith is not working out is because of our own thoughts. “I hate that person.” Why do you hate them? “I just hate them.” That’s why our walk of faith is not taking place. “Oh, I like that person.” “Why do you like them?” “I like them because of this, this, and this.” That’s why your walk of faith is not working; God loves everybody, and the more grace we receive from God, the more our hearts should be open to everybody. If somebody has a mental illness, then they will show discrimination to other people. “Oh, I cannot associate with those people,” or, “I can’t talk to that kind of person,” then all they can think about is themselves. That is actually the standard of mental illness. A healthy person would be able to talk to and meet with anybody. The reason is because God loves everybody.
But, the Jewish people were forced to go to Samaria, a region they always avoided. Because the Jewish people avoided Samaria so much, God uses the persecution of Stephen and the persecution of the Early Church to scatter them there. According to the Jewish people’s thoughts, they could never go to Samaria. “I can’t talk to that person, I can’t get along with people like that,” that is the reason we are not aligned with God’s plan. It’s because of me, my thoughts, my style, but we need to change into God’s style, and that’s why God is allowing persecution to happen.
What is your “Samaria”? “I would never go to that place.” Some people say they don’t want to live in LA. That might be a personal preference, but that is not aligned with God. No matter where God sends you, you go. No matter whom God allows us to meet, we meet with them. That is a person who has faith and is spiritually healthy. “Oh, that person has such a weak level, so I cannot get along with them. That person is powerless so I cannot get along with them,” it’s going to be difficult for you because God works powerfully through those who are weak. Do you know what our church life is? If you only want to meet people who get along with you, that’s like a club or organization. In America, there are hundreds of nationalities gathered, and not one of them will get along with you. Even your own family members do not get along with you; even parents and children do not get along. With whom will you get along, then? If you are aligned with God’s plan, you will get along with anybody. When the vessel of your thinking changes, that is when God will fill you. So no matter where, no matter whom, it should not matter.
(2) Regions of idol worship, religion
(3) Regions with spiritual suffering
When God sends people to Samaria, it is because He is proclaiming the gospel there. Why? Because that is a region that has never once received the gospel. If the gospel is not proclaimed, then they would completely suffer spiritually. It is a region where the demons are working, and because the gospel—true life—is not entering, people are dying of thirst. Just because there is a church there does not mean they have the gospel; they just gather in the church and they give worship. The gospel has to be proclaimed from that church, but there are so many regions where that is not happening.
2) Scattered disciples to spread the gospel – Philip
(1) The one who knew the problem of the region of Samaria
(2) The one with the answer
(3) The one who had a sorrowful soul
Among the scattered people of the Early Church, there were those who proclaimed the gospel, and Philip was one of them. In order to proclaim the gospel, you must have the spiritual state to do so. You must be in a state where you are filled with the gospel yourself and it flows out from you naturally. Whatever you are thinking today will be fulfilled no matter what. If you have wicked or evil thoughts, it will result in an evil or wicked future. On the other hand, if you are completely filled with the Word of God, then one day, that Word will flow out from you and be fulfilled. If someone is always complaining and resentful, then that is the future that they will have.
As we listen to God’s Word today, it might not take place immediately, but over time, it will overflow out of us into the field. Whatever you think about on an everyday basis determines your future. Whatever you think about with the Word of God is your future. When the Israelites tried to conquer Canaan, God said, “It is not yet time.” God said, “The wickedness of Canaan has not yet reached its fullest extent.” When the wickedness of Canaan reached its fullest extent, that is when they faced disaster, so just because it’s not happening immediately does not mean it is not taking place. As you think thoughts that are not from the Word of God, when you are filled with those thoughts, that’s when something happens. On the other hand, if I am filled with the Word of God and imprinted, rooted, and have the nature of the gospel, then in God’s time schedule, it will overflow through me.
3) Field transformation
(1) Proclaimed the gospel (Acts 8:5)
(2) Healing (Acts 8:7)
(3) The culture changed (Acts 8:8-13)
So the gospel is being proclaimed in that kind of Samaria. What is God’s plan? God’s plan is for someone who has the gospel to go to the reason that does not have the gospel. The law of nature is that things flow downward, and God’s direction is, if he has given you the gospel, it will flow into the direction that does not have the gospel. Your studies, your work, your business must be in the direction of that stream. If our life is not within that stream and direction, it will not work out. Even if you accomplish success, you will not be aligned with God. We must have true success, the true success for my success is used to save people’s lives, and when the gospel is proclaimed, healing takes place. There were people who were diseased because of evil spirits in Samaria. That is something that is not diagnosable or curable in hospitals. In most cases, you can get a diagnosis from the hospital, but if you have a disease that is caused by evil spirits, even if you go to the hospital, they cannot cure it. People like this are in Samaria, and that is a state, it’s almost like Shamans. They are seized by evil spirits, and they are diseased because of it. There are many people who are at the state right before they become shamans or fortune-tellers. America calls that “witchcraft,” and a lot of women go into witchcraft. In the Bible, if there was a man who practiced witchcraft, they were called sorcerers, and in South America, they are everywhere. If you go to places like Panama, people will even kill other people through exorcism or witchcraft. I’m sure you don’t understand what I’m talking about, but this is the spiritual world. Why do you think these witch doctors are healing other people through sorcery? This is the work of evil spirits.
But there’s also healing that takes place through the power of the Holy Spirit. When the gospel was proclaimed to Samaria, diseases were healed and they were rejoicing. You must remain within that stream. Let’s think about this, I believe in Jesus Christ and I come to church on Sunday and I worship, and when I go out into the world, I study and I work. What’s the difference between me and a nonbeliever? The only difference is that I go to the location of the church, but the way I study and work is exactly the way of a nonbeliever. Then, what does it mean to believe in Jesus? It means that you always enjoy the fact that the Lord is with you. Even right now, we can enjoy through prayer that the Lord is with you. Otherwise, we’ll become just like nonbelievers. God is with me, and not only is God with me, but God is with all of us; we can enjoy that through prayer. If you’re not able to close this on “us,” we will only emphasize “myself.” “I’m right, you’re wrong,” but that’s not right. The fact that God is with all of us means that I find God’s plan within us, then we will not have fights because in our relationship, it’s not about you or me; we find God’s plan. Anybody who is able to find God’s plan in their relationships of God being with us, they make peace wherever they go, and God is with all things. God is with our studies, God is with our failures, God is with our diseases, God is with us in all things. Even when I’m suffering from my mental illness, God is with me there.
What is prayer? “Prayer” is enjoying that. “Oh, I know this already”? But as soon as you face a mental illness, you hold onto your mental illness. You need to hold onto the fact that God is with you in the midst of that mental illness, then you will overcome it and have victory. Do not hold onto the scars of your past; instead, hold onto the fact that God is with you. Why do we hold onto the scars of our past? God was with you in your past, and God is with you right now. Why do we hold onto our fear of our future, instead of holding onto God who will be with us in the future? We must have this prayer take place to enjoy God, and may right now be this time. You don’t enjoy God in the midst of a problem, you can enjoy that now, because your state right now determines your future. We try to imagine a beautiful future, but hold onto God’s Word right now and try imagining God’s work right now because God’s work is not lying. God will guide us exactly according to His Word. But why do we get so discouraged and scarred because of people’s words? That is all useless. Instead, I should hold onto the Word of the eternal God, and that is the difference between me and a nonbeliever.
2. Holy Spirit
1) Peter, John (Acts 8:14)
(1) Sent to Samaria (Acts 8:15)
(2) Those who received the gospel – Received baptism (Acts 8:15)
(3) People who had not yet received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:16)
Now, the gospel is proclaimed in the region of Samaria, which is shocking to the people of Jerusalem, who thought the gospel was only meant for them, and when they heard the news, Simon and Peter were sent to Samaria to confirm. The Bible says that they received the gospel and baptism, but they did not receive the Holy Spirit yet. This is the only place in the Bible that says that. The only way you’re able to hear the gospel and believe it is by the work of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says that without the Holy Spirit, you cannot confess that Jesus is Lord. Then, the Holy Spirit must be upon us in order for us to hear and accept the gospel, but Acts 8 is the only place in the Bible that separates receiving the gospel and receiving the Holy Spirit. Do you know why? Because Peter as well as the 12 apostles were receiving persecution, they were refusing to leave Jerusalem, because they thought the gospel was only there. So, the scripture is emphasizing that the Holy Spirit is working even in Samaria. When the two Apostles laid their hands and prayed, the Holy Spirit came upon the Samaritans, and then they went back. After this point, the Bible no longer focuses on Peter, John, and the other apostles.
2) Walk of faith
(1) Prayed with the laying of hands (Acts 8:17)
(2) Received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:18)
(3) Guidance/working of the Holy Spirit, life that bears fruit
What is God’s plan? If I receive the gospel, then God will guide me to the region that does not have the gospel, and the representative of that is the Apostle Paul. Yes, God also used Peter and John, but they are no longer in the Bible after this. For you and I today, if we have received the gospel, then we must change the direction of our life to proclaim it in places that do not have the gospel. Do not go to the place everybody wants to go to, but make the decision to take the gospel where it has never been proclaimed before. That is where God’s plan is. No matter what I’m studying or working on, it’s the same thing. Make the decision based on the Word of God, until the ends of the earth. There are many churches in America, but they do not have the gospel. Why do they believe in Jesus? “So that I can have a better life,” most young adults believe like that, but the Bible specifically says that we believe in Jesus Christ for the glory of God, but Americans usually say, “I believe in Jesus because my life would be better.” Why do you go to worship? “So I can get something better.” Until our thinking changes to glorify God, we will never be able to escape from ourselves.
All my problems have already been finished on the cross. If a parent has a child then as much as they’re able, they make all preparations until that child gets married, and moves out. Even uneducated animals will take care of their young until it is time for that child to leave. When we are called as children of God, God makes all preparations for eternity, protects us, and guides us. Then, what is there to worry about? That is something for the Lord to worry about, why do I keep worrying about it? All we have to do is ask God in prayer. Instead of already making up my mind and asking God about it, I must ask God, “What is Your plan?” Yes, we need the knowledge of the world, but if the knowledge of the world becomes my standard, then my life will be difficult, because the education of the world is a very firm stronghold inside of me. The Word of God should be my firm stronghold, but instead, the knowledge I gain from the world is my stronghold, and that worldly education blocks me from holding onto God’s Word. Like, special ideologies, the education and ideologies we received from our parents, that is not the Word of God. Whether it’s our political ideologies or any other ideologies, that blocks us from God’s Word, and that blocks us from receiving God’s guidance.
Is there more value in the ideologies created by humans or the ideologies created by God? How much are my ideologies moving me? That’s what makes my life so difficult. And only when the Holy Spirit works to reveal this will I realize it. “Oh it’s not going to work because of this,” or, “That’s never going to take place.” That’s not true, “Oh, Samaria is never going to work out because of this,” or, “I can never associate with people of that level,” that’s why it’s not working. No matter how weak or lacking somebody is, if God calls them, it’s because God has a plan to use them. Yes, the elites of the world are good, but they have their shortcomings. They always try to see other peoples’ lackings first. That’s how our lives change in the end. Because as they were studying hard, they had to make sure they filled all their gaps in knowledge to succeed, and that’s their nature, to look at others. But God doesn’t look at us like that. We must be able to see from God’s perspective. But we keep on looking at people and having our relationships from the perspective of humans, that’s why we have problems. No matter how lacking that person is, if they have been called by God, then God has a plan for them.
When we look at people with those eyes, you can confirm that God is with them and guiding them, and that is the training you must receive in the church. If people treat the church like a social club, only getting along with people they like, then that is not aligned with God’s heart. Then you can just join your badminton club; that is not what the church is for. The church is a place where everybody regardless of their level or their background can all become one within God. Whether that person is educated or not, or if they are powerful or powerless, they can all become one within Christ, and that is the first test of our spiritual health. God prepared blessings for us, but our vessels are so small, we’re not able to receive it. That was very strong in me in the past; when I looked at someone, I already made up my mind about them. I’d listen to a few words they’d say, and I’d make a decision of whether I’d talk to them or not. That’s the life of a nonbeliever. If I believe in Jesus, why should I live like a nonbeliever? If I believe in Jesus, I should live the life of a believer. Instead of looking at someone from my perspective, I should look at them from God’s perspective. “I like people like that,” we shouldn’t just follow our own type. If God has attached this person and brought them into your life, there is a plan of God there. If you live like this, then you will see God’s amazing blessings. So I hope you will stop getting along with people you get along with, but whoever God has placed in your life.
3) Every day
(1) Morning – Time to receive strength
(2) Day – Time to discover and relay God’s mystery
(3) Evening – 300% (my strength) time to make my masterpiece
We must receive the Holy Spirit in our walk of faith, meaning, our life must be led by, worked upon, and receive the fruits of the Holy Spirit. What does the Holy Spirit do? The Holy Spirit teaches us, reminds us of the words of Jesus Christ, and tells us of the future. As soon as you wake up in the morning, your thoughts are already bound by whatever is inside of you. There are people who have absolutely no knights at all, and it’s because they have nothing inside, so they are bound by their thoughtlessness. If people are filled with depression, as soon as they wake up, they are seized by their depression. If people have anger inside of them, then they are angry as soon as they wake up. If someone is bound by their worries, as soon as they wake up, they are filled with their worries. We must conquer that. If you do not hot conquer the thoughts you receive as soon as you wake up, you will be dragged by those thoughts all day.
How do we conquer that? You must be conquered instead by the Holy Spirit, so the Holy Spirit reigns over your thoughts, emotions, body, and spirit. If somebody is filled with drugs, imagine in a hospital for a procedure, then even if something is painful, they don’t feel it, for example, like morphine. If someone is filled with alcohol, then even if they bump into something, it doesn’t hurt them. Even if they’re hit, they’re just laughing by themselves. If you are filled with alcohol. What happens if you are seized by the Holy Spirit? Then God will take control of my thoughts and my heart, and we’ll be seized by God. That’s how we conquer everything else. We can only conquer the world but we are conquered by God. and we must start our day with that, as soon as we wake up. So, your morning time determines your whole day. And this time today determines the rest of your week. If you have no thoughts right now, then your whole week will be thoughtless. Whatever thoughts you have right now will drag you for the rest of your week. What is worship today? May the words of the invisible God be with me in my spirit, and as you stay in church all day, you communicate with that Word of God, and the incredible wisdom of God is within His Word, and God’s power also follows, because the Word of God is not just some text; God is the Word. Even the words of the president have power. If God gives you His Word, He will fulfill it.
3. Incorrect spiritual practices
1) Simon (Acts 8:18)
(1) Tried to buy this power with money (Acts 8:18-19)
(2) Misunderstood the Holy Spirit
In today’s scripture, there is somebody who does the incorrect spiritual works. In the past, Simon the sorcerer had a lot of spiritual power from evil spirits, but then he accepted Jesus Christ, and was baptized. He saw Peter and John baptizing people with the Holy Spirit, and he’s trying to give money so that he can also baptize with the Holy Spirit. Even right now, you can receive the filling of the Holy Spirit. You don’t have to receive prayer from some special person or go to a location to pray; you can receive the filling of the Holy Spirit now. You can receive the filling of the Holy Spirit in the field where you’re working or studying. Because that’s what we have to do in order to come to life in your field. But if we’re not able to learn this, then we’re going to learn the incorrect spiritual works.
(3) Asked to receive the power of the laying of the hands from the Holy Spirit – Method to earn money (Acts 8:19)
For example, like Simon the sorcerer, because no one taught him otherwise, he tried to live like he did in the past. In Acts 8:20, Peter answered, “May your money perish with you,” meaning, all of your wealth, all your business, the work you are doing. It’s not like Simon was trying to do something wicked or scam somebody. He was just trying to do something that worked in the past, and it led to his perishing. He tried to use the work of God and the Holy Spirit for his professional or business calculations.
2) Peter
(1) Holy Spirit – God’s gift (Acts 8:20)
(2) Simon and his money will perish together (Acts 8:21)
(3) Heart was not right before God (Acts 8:21)
(4) Had no share in the ministry (Acts 8:21)
In Acts 8:21, Peter says, “You have no part or share in this ministry because your heart is not right before God.” This gospel of proclaiming Jesus Christ should not have our own motives or calculations in it. For Christians, enjoying being with Christ and relaying Christ to others contains all of our business and the worldly things inside of it. But, if you proclaim the gospel for another motive, an ulterior motive, that itself is evil.
In Acts 8:23, “I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” It’s not that Simon was doing something unethical or immoral, but because he was looking at the works of the Holy Spirit with an ulterior motive, that’s why he was evil. May we have the future generations that are pure in heart. If people are trying to use Christ or to use people for their own success, that is cowardly and will lead to failure, because already, their thoughts are a failure. If you’ve received Christ, you’ve received everything. If we become children of God, it means we already have everything. There is no reason to have our pitiful ulterior motives. It’s because you don’t really believe, but if you do believe, there is nothing to be greedy about because I have received freely, I give freely. When the members of the church arise in this way, then the world will begin to change.
3) Wrong spiritual practices
(1) Meditation (Mt. 12:43-45)
(2) Sorcery (Acts 8:9-10)
(3) Church – Mysticism
There are various types of meditation taking place in this world, but that will lead to evil demon possession. For example, some meditation focuses on emptying yourself or by being filled with the energy of the universe, either way you are being possessed by evil spirits. We must be filled with the Spirit of God, so we do Holy Meditation. That is when the invisible mental illnesses of America begin to be healed, and the problem of addiction to substances begins to be healed. Nothing else will solve that problem. Why do people become addicted to substances? That is a problem that has already come from the spiritual problem, which cannot be solved by medication. The mind is invisible, that is a problem that has already come from the spiritual problem. If someone is a man, then they should think of themselves as a man, but if they think of themselves as a woman, then they already have a mental problem. Because of these mental illnesses, there are men who love other men, but that cannot be healed unless it is by spiritual healing of God’s Word. The presidents, the professors, the doctors of this world cannot heal this, but you are all spiritual doctors. And when that kind of spiritual doctor becomes a physical doctor, that’s when they really soar on wings, and that is because they can heal people spiritually as well as physically.
In the future, there is going to be more mental illnesses and more addictions, but unemployment will also rise. What is it that God wants? God wants the person who can heal in the age of mental illness and addiction. That’s something that AI cannot do, and I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ that you will start, enjoy, and testify of this blessing this week. There is a Word God has promised to each of us today, that is your contract, personally with God, and you hold onto that contract in faith for the rest of the week. You put it into practice in your life, and you testify of it to other people. That is how we live for the rest of the week, and today determines that.
Conclusion
1. God’s covenant and power, absolute bartizan within me
2. God’s guidance and working, journey to save the field
3. God’s disciple, guidepost for my life masterpiece
Message Prayer
Let’s hold onto that content and pray.
Offering Prayer and Newcomer Blessing
God, we thank You. We pray You will use our lives to hold onto, enjoy, and proclaim the gospel You have given us. We have returned our materials as offering. We pray everywhere this offering is used, the churches, the future generations, and the missions fields will be revived. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, amen.
Closing Prayer and Benediction
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of our Father God, and the indwelling, working, guidance, and filling of the Holy Spirit be upon the heads of the people of God, the multiethnics, and the remnants who desire to have, enjoy, and testify of God’s absolute plan of world evangelization, be with them now and forevermore always, amen.