Seventh Day Baptist
Christian Education Council
PO BOX 1678
Janesville, WI 53547
—Acts 8:4-13
by: Linda Harris.
Just as Jesus had done, Philip went to the Samaritans to preach. We don’t know whether this was Philip the apostle (from our first two readings) or Philip the evangelist (from yesterday’s reading; also see Acts 21:8), although it is probably the latter.
Simon was used to getting attention for his magic. When Philip came along, he drew people’s attention away from Simon. Even though Simon became a believer, his desire for attention did not go away.
Becoming a Christian doesn’t take away our desire to receive attention from others. This is something we must give to God to help us to overcome. We must be more concerned about what God thinks of us than what other people think.