What’s Happening in Acts 8–12?
The Spirit Spreads from Jerusalem to the Ends of the Earth
As we return to our series in Acts, we’re also turning a corner in the book itself—from chapters 1–7, which centered on Jerusalem and the temple, to chapters 8–12, where the Spirit begins to spread.
The showdown at the temple climaxed with Stephen’s martyrdom, and the church was scattered (Acts 8:1–4). This summer, Lord willing, we’ll walk through 10 sermons in this new section.
In this week’s devotional, I want to step back and highlight three unique features of these pivotal chapters.
1. Judea & Samaria: Reuniting a Divided Kingdom
The occurrence together of both "Judea" and "Samaria" is extremely unique.
It only appears three times in all of the New Testament!
Once by Jesus in the opening chapter of Acts and twice in Acts 8-12.
Acts 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 8:1 - And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Acts 9:31 - So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.
This emphasizes that the reuniting of the divided northern (Samaria) and southern (Judea) kingdoms is a big part of what the author Luke is telling us about in Acts 8-9.
What had been divided since the days after Solomon was now being healed through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. The Kingdom Crosses Borders and Boundaries
The phrase “the kingdom of God” only appears six times in all of Acts (1:3; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 28:23, 31), and a shortened form “the kingdom” appears only twice more (Acts 1:6; 20:25). (Compare this very limited frequency in the book of Acts with the 46 times that “kingdom” language appears in the gospel of Luke.)
There seems to be a pattern of intentional placement where "kingdom of God" language appears at key geographical and ethnic transition points:
The Opening/Closing Framing — Acts 1 and Acts 28
The Judea-Samaria Bridge — Acts 8:12 in Samaria where the gospel unites Jews and Samaritans
The Gentile Mission Field — Acts 14 during Paul's 1st missionary journey, and Paul's ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19:8, 20:25)
I believe this suggests Luke uses "kingdom" language to mark significant expansions of the gospel across cultural and geographical boundaries.
3. The Importance of Acts 10
One of the biggest narrative turning points in Acts happens in Acts 10 with Peter and Cornelius.
The length and repetition of this story is notable:
It's narrated in full in Acts 10:1–48 and this isn't just a long story, it's the longest story in the whole book of Acts!
It’s recounted again in Acts 11:1–18.
It’s recalled yet again at the Jerusalem council (see Acts 15:7–11, 14).
Why?
Because what happens with Cornelius is very important. It's the clearest moment yet where the gospel jumps the fence into Gentile territory.
Concluding Takeaways
Some of the unique things that happen in these chapters should not immediately be taken as normal or practices that we ought to follow. This is what I meant this past Sunday when I said the reuniting of the divided kingdoms and the spread of the Holy Spirit geographically is the most important point Luke is making.
Therefore, let us be less inclined to prescribe all the details of these chapters like they are step-by-step instructions for our day-to-day church life.
For instance:
We should not assume it’s normal for the Spirit to be received several days after professing faith in Jesus and being baptized.
We do not need “bishops” or “apostles” from another region to come lay hands on our members so that they can receive the Holy Spirit.
We should not sit around and wait for an audible voice from an angel of the Lord before we decide where to go next week.
We should not encourage members of our church to baptize people alone on a roadside.
These things did happen but we must be careful not to lose the forest for the trees.
Luke is showing us that what Jesus declared in Acts 1:8 has come true…
The Spirit built a new temple in Jerusalem (Acts 2-7)
The Spirit reunites Judea and Samaria (Acts 8-9)
The Spirit spreads to the ends of the earth (Acts 10-28)
So, as we study these passages let’s keep our eyes on this big picture. And please don’t misunderstand me, there is much to glean in these sections for church life, but we must not miss that Luke is helping us see something even greater:
The Father’s plan is unfolding.
The Spirit is moving.
And Jesus is building His kingdom.