The Power of Our Christ-Centered Gospel

Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city (Acts 8:4-8).

Philip was representative of the many believers that were scattered from Jerusalem by the persecution that followed Stephen’s martyrdom. They were faithful and obedient to Christ’s commission to… “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). Jesus Christ was faithful to fulfill His promise to confirm their proclamation of His gospel… “And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:17-18). We notice that Philip’s gospel message was all about Jesus as he “proclaimed to them the Christ”. The Holy Spirit inspired Luke to use Philip’s crusade to encourage us to share the good news and release the power of our Christ-centered gospel.

Proclaiming the Christ-centered gospel prompts God’s saving grace. God was working in Philip’s heart, moving him to Samaria, giving him the words to proclaim about the Christ, and confirming his gospel message with supernatural signs. God was working in the hearts of the Samaritans, grabbing their attention and giving them the gift of faith to respond to Philip’s testimony about the Christ. It’s pretty clear here that because of his obedience, Philip got to experience God’s amazing soul-saving grace in action… “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). As we tell others about Jesus Christ, like Philip, we will experience first-hand, God’s saving grace at work through us and in others.

Proclaiming the Christ-centered gospel promotes deliverance and healing. The Samaritans were, like everyone else in this fallen world, oppressed by much sickness and disease. Many of their afflictions were the result of personal sin or the sin of others. Many were oppressed by unclean spirits. When they heard the good news about Jesus Christ… “the crowds with one accord paid attention” and they believed there was real power available to meet their deepest needs. The Christ-centered gospel reminds us that in His broken body there is healing, and in His shed blood there is salvation… “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). The gospel that proclaims the name of Jesus Christ declares His authority over all visible and invisible enemies… “And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, ‘You are the Son of God’” (Mark 3:11). When we introduce needy people to Jesus Christ, we are inviting them to experience His delivering and healing power.

Proclaiming the Christ-centered gospel produces joy. Luke summarizes his record of the impact of Philip’s brief but powerful crusade in Samaria with a very short word… “there was much joy in that city”. It’s pretty clear that many were joyful because where they were formerly sick and diseased, they were now healthy and energized. Many who has been spiritually and emotionally depressed and oppressed were now free and empowered to enjoy life again. Luke mentions later that many had received and believed the word Philip proclaimed about Jesus Christ, and they were baptized… “Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God… but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 8:14-16). Because Philip helped the Samaritans see Jesus in his gospel message, their hearts were now filled with great joy… “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22). When we share the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are introducing people to the source of real and lasting joy.

As we grow up into Christ, we long to tell others about him so they may experience…

The Power of Our Christ-Centered Gospel.