In 8:9-13 we see that a man named Simon, who practiced magic in the city of Samaria, believed in the Lord and was baptized. When he saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the hands of the apostles, “he offered them money, saying, Give me also this authority, that on whomever I lay my hands he may receive the Holy Spirit” (vv. 18-19). Simon’s request indicates that his practice of magic, which had amazed the people (v. 9), was for money.
In verse 20 Peter said to him, “May your silver go with you into destruction, because you supposed that the gift of God could be acquired through money.” Here “destruction,” as in Hebrews 10:39 and Matthew 7:13, does not denote eternal perdition. In particular, this refers to the destruction of one’s deeds and work (1 Cor. 3:15). Simon had believed in the gospel and was baptized. Hence, he should have been saved initially. However, he was not saved from his wicked thought and act concerning money. Therefore, he needed to repent of this wickedness so that he could receive the Lord’s forgiveness. Otherwise, he would be punished along with his silver.
Speaking of Peter and John, Acts 8:25 says, “They therefore, having solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem; and they brought the good news to many villages of the Samaritans.” To testify is to witness by personal experience of the Lord, and to speak the word of the Lord is to preach and teach according to the revelation of the Lord. In order to testify we need experiences of seeing, participation, and enjoyment.
Acts 8:26 says, “But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, Rise up and go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is the desert route.” Here we see that Philip left the work in Samaria. Later, after preaching the gospel to an Ethiopian, Philip was caught away by the Spirit (v. 39). Here we have another pattern related to the gospel work. Philip had played a major role in the work in Samaria. No doubt, the believers trusted in him and relied on him. But suddenly Philip was told by an angel to rise up and go south. Although Philip had been helpful to the believers in Samaria, he was able to leave the work there as soon as he was required to do so.
In Philip’s leaving the work in Samaria we see a pattern with an important principle. This principle is that whenever we go forth to a certain locality and establish a church there, we should be prepared to leave that place, even to be “caught away.” However, most of us would have the tendency to remain in a place where a strong church has been established through us. We may say, “This city will be my home. I shall buy a house and settle here.” Would you be happy to be “caught away” from a church established through you? According to the pattern here, we must be ready to leave any work that has been established through us. This means that we should always be ready to be caught away from the work in a particular place.
No work should remain in our hands. To be caught away simply means not to keep a work in our hands. No matter how much we have done or how much we have accomplished, we must be ready to leave our work to the church, to the saints, and to the Lord, and allow the Spirit to carry us away.
From my own experience I can testify concerning following the pattern seen in Philip’s leaving the work in Samaria. I carried on a work in Chefoo, in Shanghai, and then on the island of Taiwan. But although I did much work in those places, I was always ready to leave. When it was time, I did leave Chefoo, Shanghai, and Taiwan.
It is easy for a preacher or a minister to regard his work as his career. If we do this, we shall keep the work in our “pocket.” Then once a church has been established through us, it will become our “pocket church.” This should not be our practice in the Lord’s recovery. No matter how much we may accomplish for the Lord in a particular place, we must always be ready to go away and leave the work to the church, the saints, and the Lord Himself. This is an important principle, and we need to follow it today.