Something Is Happening in Samaria: Why Miracles Just Replaced Magic
- Thad DeBuhr
- 12 hours ago
- 8 min read
Study Guide: Acts 8:4-25
Imagine you’ve lived your whole life in a town where everyone stays on their side of the tracks. There’s a group of people just a few miles away that your grandparents, and their grandparents, warned you about. You don’t shop where they shop, you don't eat what they eat, and you certainly don't talk to them about God. You’ve been told they are "wrong," "unclean," and "outcasts."
Then, a crisis hits. You’re forced out of your home, and the only place to go is right into the heart of that forbidden territory. But instead of finding enemies, you find people who are hungry for the same hope you have. This is exactly where the followers of Jesus found themselves in Acts chapter 8. It’s a story about what happens when God decides that "out of bounds" doesn't exist anymore.
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Before you dig into the study guide, I would suggest reading or listening to the passage in two different bible translations from this list: NIV, NLT, NASB, ESV, NKJV
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Setting the Scene:
To understand why this move into Samaria is such a massive deal, we have to look at the "Map of the Rescue." When Jesus left His followers, He gave them a specific roadmap for how the news of God's Kingdom would spread: Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria, and finally the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
The Comfort Trap: Historians estimate it had been about three to seven years since Jesus rose from the dead. During that time, the believers stayed almost entirely in Jerusalem. They were comfortable. They were seeing miracles and growing by the thousands, but they were mostly staying within their own culture.
The Push: It took the death of Stephen and a wave of violence from a man named Saul to break that comfort. This is the "Dandelion Effect." Saul thought he was crushing the movement, but he was actually stepping on a dandelion and kicking the seeds into the wind.
The Destination: One of those seeds, a man named Philip, lands in Samaria. For a Jew, Samaria was the ultimate "No-Go" Zone. It sat right in the middle of the country, but most Jews would add days to their trip just to walk around it. The Samaritans were descendants of Jews who had stayed behind during the Babylonian exile centuries earlier and had intermarried with other cultures. They were seen as religious "half-breeds" and ancient enemies. By going there, Philip was crossing a 700-year-old grudge.
Summary of the Journey
In this section, we look at the specific events that unfolded as the "Mobile Temple" moved into enemy territory. Philip didn't just bring a new set of ideas; he brought a new way of living.
1. The Samaria Slingshot (Acts 8:4–8)
Philip didn't wait for the people to become "like him" before he helped them. He entered the city and began sharing the news about Jesus.
Beyond Words: He didn’t just give a speech; he healed the paralyzed and drove out evil spirits (Acts 8:7).
The Joy Factor: The result was "great joy" in the city. Samaria had been a place of spiritual darkness and heavy religious rules for a long time. Philip flipped the light switch, showing that God's help and healing are for everyone—even the people the "Gatekeepers" said were out of bounds.
2. Simon the Sorcerer: The "Superstar" Problem (Acts 8:9–13)
Before Philip showed up, the Samaritans followed a man named Simon. He used magic and clever tricks to make himself look like a god. People called him "The Great Power of God" (Acts 8:10).
The Shift: When Philip arrived with the real presence of God, Simon’s magic looked like a cheap card trick.
The Follower: Even Simon believed and was baptized. However, we see later that his heart hadn't actually changed. He was "amazed" by the miracles, but he was still looking for a way to stay a superstar.
3. The Grand Opening: Round Two (Acts 8:14–17)
This is a continuation of the Grand Opening Ceremonies we saw at Pentecost. When the leaders in Jerusalem heard Samaria had accepted the message, they sent Peter and John.
The Ambassadors: They came to affirm that the Samaritans were 100% part of the same family. If the Samaritans had started their own separate group, the old Jewish-Samaritan feud would have just continued.
The Visible Sign: When Peter and John laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came in a visible way—likely with the same speaking in tongues seen in Jerusalem (Acts 2). This was God's way of "knitting" these two enemy groups together. It proved that the "Rescue Map" was working.
4. The Cash-for-Power Scandal (Acts 8:18–25)
Simon saw the visible power and his old "magic" mindset kicked in. He pulled out his wallet and offered to buy the ability to give the Spirit to others (Acts 8:18–19).
The Rebuke: Peter didn't play nice. He told Simon, "May your money perish with you because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!" (Acts 8:20).
The Captive Heart: Peter told Simon his heart was "full of bitterness" and "captive to sin." Simon wanted the power to impress people; the Ambassadors wanted God's Presence to save people. You can't be a customer of God; you have to be a servant.
Why We Look at "Wrong" and "Right" Applications
This passage is a major turning point in history, but it’s often used today to create religious rules that aren't there. We discuss the "wrong and right" ways to apply this so we don't turn a story about freedom and unity into a story about formulas and hierarchy.
🛑 Applying it Wrong: The Common Pitfalls
The "Two-Step" Formula: Some people use this story to say that every Christian needs a "second experience" after baptism to get the Holy Spirit. They treat this as a permanent rulebook.
The Reality: This was a historical rollout. God delayed the Spirit in this one specific case so the Jewish leaders would have to accept the Samaritans as equals. It wasn't a formula; it was a border-crossing event.
The "Special Person" Myth: People think you need a "high-ranking" religious leader to lay hands on you to "unlock" God’s power.
The Reality: The Spirit is a gift from the King, not a product from a leader. In other parts of Acts, the Spirit falls on people without anyone touching them at all (Acts 10).
The "Pay-to-Play" Mindset: We might not use cash like Simon, but we often think we "earn" more of God’s power by how much we serve or how "holy" we look. This makes us customers, not followers.
✅ Applying it the Right Way:
To get the most out of this study, approach it with these three things in mind:
Check the Context: Look at the geography. Samaria was a place of outcasts. The "Right Way" to see this is as God breaking down walls of prejudice.
Focus on Unity: Peter and John (Jews) and the Samaritans were now one family. The goal of the Holy Spirit is always to bring people together, not to create a "spiritual elite" class.
Surrender, Don't Command: Realize that the Holy Spirit is a Person to be followed, not a power to be used. If you want God’s power to make yourself look better, you’re in Simon’s territory.
Questions to Chew on and Discuss:
These questions are designed to help you personally dig deeper into the passage.
The Simon Audit: Simon was baptized and stayed close to Philip, but he still wanted to "own" the power. Is it possible to do all the "right" religious things while your heart is still trying to be its own boss? How do we catch that in ourselves?
The Samaria Factor: Who are the "Samaritans" in our modern culture—people we’ve been told to stay away from or judge? How would it change our neighborhoods if we acted like Philip and brought "great joy" to them instead of judgment?
Journey Group Discussion Starter:
Whether you're helping facilitate a small group, talking about this passage one-on-one with a friend, or even just need a topic to guide the conversation at the dinner table, these ideas can help start a good group conversation before you dive into the passage and questions in this study guide.
The Comfort vs. The Push: "The believers stayed in Jerusalem for years until they were forced out. Looking at your own life, has a 'difficult' event (like a job loss or a hard change) ever pushed you into a situation where you ended up helping others in a way you never expected? How was that like the 'Dandelion Effect'?"
Sum it Up
In plain terms: Acts 8 shows us that God’s plan of rescue is for everyone, especially the people we think are "out of bounds." For years, the followers of Jesus stayed in their comfort zone in Jerusalem. It took a tragedy to scatter them, but once they moved, the message of Jesus brought healing and joy to their oldest enemies. This passage warns us that we can’t buy God’s power or use Him to make ourselves look good. We are called to be servants who carry His presence across every border.
Experience the God of the Wilderness
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There is something about stepping away from the "safe structures" of the city and into the stillness of the high desert that clears the noise and lets you hear God's voice.
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