Acts 8:4 Study Bible: Therefore those who were scattered abroad went around proclaiming the word.

◄ Acts 8:4 ►

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

Those who had been scattered
This phrase refers to the early Christians who were dispersed due to persecution, particularly after the martyrdom of Stephen. The Greek word for "scattered" is "diaspeirō," which conveys the idea of sowing seeds. This scattering was not merely a random dispersion but a divinely orchestrated event that spread the seeds of the Gospel. Historically, this scattering fulfilled Jesus' command in Acts 1:8 to be His witnesses "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." The persecution, though intended to suppress the Christian movement, instead served to expand it, demonstrating God's sovereignty in using adversity for His purposes.

preached
The Greek word here is "euangelizō," meaning to announce good news. This term is the root of the English word "evangelize." The early Christians, despite facing persecution, were committed to sharing the Gospel. Their preaching was not limited to formal settings but occurred "wherever they went," indicating a lifestyle of evangelism. This reflects the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20, where Jesus instructs His followers to make disciples of all nations. The early church's dedication to preaching, even in the face of adversity, serves as an inspiration for believers today to boldly proclaim the Gospel in all circumstances.

the word
In this context, "the word" refers to the message of the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. The Greek term "logos" is used, which can mean word, message, or reason. In the New Testament, "logos" often signifies the divine message of salvation through Christ. The early Christians were committed to spreading this transformative message, which was central to their faith and mission. The "word" is living and active, as described in Hebrews 4:12, and it has the power to change lives and bring people into a relationship with God.

wherever they went
This phrase emphasizes the widespread and spontaneous nature of the early Christian mission. The Greek phrase "panta topou" suggests that the Gospel was not confined to a specific location but was shared in every place the believers found themselves. This aligns with the universal scope of the Gospel message, which is intended for all people, regardless of geographical or cultural boundaries. The early church's example challenges modern believers to view every place they go as an opportunity to share the love and truth of Christ, fulfilling the call to be His witnesses in all the earth.

Persons / Places / Events

1. The Scattered Believers
These were early Christians who fled Jerusalem due to persecution following the martyrdom of Stephen. Their scattering was not a retreat but a strategic dispersion that led to the spread of the Gospel.

2. Jerusalem
The city where the early church was centered and where persecution began, leading to the scattering of believers.

3. Persecution
The event that catalyzed the spread of the Gospel beyond Jerusalem. It was a time of trial that God used to fulfill His purpose of spreading the message of Christ.

Teaching Points

God's Sovereignty in Persecution
Even in difficult circumstances, God is in control and can use trials to advance His kingdom.

The Role of Every Believer in Evangelism
The scattered believers were not apostles, yet they preached the word. Every Christian is called to share the Gospel, regardless of their position.

The Power of the Gospel to Transcend Boundaries
The Gospel is not confined to one place or people; it is meant for all nations and cultures.

Faithfulness in Adversity
Believers are called to remain faithful and continue their mission even when facing persecution or hardship.

The Unstoppable Nature of God's Plan
Human opposition cannot thwart God's purposes. His plan will prevail, often in unexpected ways.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the scattering of believers in Acts 8:4 demonstrate the fulfillment of the Great Commission?

2. In what ways can we see God's sovereignty at work in our own lives during times of trial or persecution?

3. How can we, like the early believers, be proactive in sharing the Gospel in our current context?

4. What are some modern examples of how God has used persecution or hardship to spread the Gospel?

5. How can we encourage and support fellow believers who are facing persecution today, both locally and globally?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Matthew 28:19-20
The Great Commission, where Jesus commands His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. The scattering of believers in Acts 8:4 is a direct fulfillment of this command.

Acts 1:8
Jesus tells His disciples they will be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The scattering begins the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Genesis 50:20
Joseph's statement about God using intended harm for good parallels how God used persecution to spread the Gospel.

Sermons

Sparks Carried by the Wind	K. Gerok.	Acts 8:4
The Aggressive Character of Christianity	C. Hodge, D. D.	Acts 8:4
The Aggressive Power of Christianity	J. H. Tinsley, D. D.	Acts 8:4
The First Flight of the Word	R.A. Redford	Acts 8:4
The Gospel -- its Propagation and Effects	Dean Vaughan.	Acts 8:4
The Liberty of Prophesying	G. V. Lechler, D. D.	Acts 8:4
The Service of Persecution to She Church	G. V. Lechler, D. D.	Acts 8:4
The Zeal of the Apostles		Acts 8:4
Useful Incendiaries	Archbishop Leighton.	Acts 8:4
What True Preaching Is	S. G. Green, D. D.	Acts 8:4
Wider Growth of the Church		Acts 8:4
Discordant Elements Obedient to the Accomplishing of One Purpose	P.C. Barker	Acts 8:1-4
Perversion and Restoration	W. Clarkson	Acts 8:1-4
Providence Making Missionaries	R. Tuck	Acts 8:1-4
After Stephen, Paul		Acts 8:1-8
Stephen and Saul	Canon Liddon.	Acts 8:1-8
Strong Contrasts of Moral Character	J. S. Exell, M. A.	Acts 8:1-8
The Apostles Stayed Bravely in Jerusalem	S. G. Green, D. D.	Acts 8:1-8
The Dispersion	Dean Plumptre.	Acts 8:1-8
The Effect of Persecution	Archdeacon Farrar.	Acts 8:1-8
The Extension of the Church	C. H. Spurgeon.	Acts 8:1-8
The Persecution After Stephen	D. Thomas, D. D.	Acts 8:1-8
The Scattered Church; or Good Out of Evil	W. H. Davison.	Acts 8:1-8
The Wonderful Ways of the Lord in the Propagation of His Kingdom	K. Gerok.	Acts 8:1-8
Three Great Figures in the Church	J. Parker, D. D.	Acts 8:1-8
Incidents of Persecution and Dispersion	E. Johnson	Acts 8:1-13

People

Candace, Esaias, Ethiopians, Isaiah, John, Peter, Philip, Saul, Simon, Stephen

Places

Azotus, Caesarea, Gaza, Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria

Topics

Abroad, Announcing, Countries, Dispersed, Everywhere, Flight, Glad, God's, However, Indeed, Message, News, Preached, Preaching, Proclaiming, Scattered, Spreading, Tidings, Wherever

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Acts 8:4

     1690   word of God
     7520   dispersion, the
     7755   preaching, importance
     8225   devotion

Acts 8:1-4

8027 faith, testing of

Acts 8:1-5

8498 witnessing, and Holy Spirit

Acts 8:4-5

     7725   evangelists, identity
     7740   missionaries, call
     8426   evangelism, motivation
     8496   witnessing, importance

Acts 8:4-8

7953 mission, of church

Acts 8:4-17

7560 Samaritans, the

Library

Simon the Sorcerer
'Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.'--ACTS viii. 21. The era of the birth of Christianity was one of fermenting opinion and decaying faith. Then, as now, men's minds were seething and unsettled, and that unrest which is the precursor of great changes in intellectual and spiritual habitudes affected the civilised world. Such a period is ever one of predisposition to superstition. The one true bond which unites God and man being obscured, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

Philip the Evangelist
'But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.'--ACTS viii. 40. The little that is known about Philip, the deacon and evangelist, may very soon be told. His name suggests, though by no means conclusively, that he was probably one of the so-called Hellenists, or foreign-born and Greek-speaking Jews. This is made the more probable because he was one of the seven selected by the Church, and after that selection appointed by the Apostles, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

Seed Scattered and Taking Root
'And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3. As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. 4. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

A Meeting in the Desert
'And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. 27. And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28. Was returning, and sitting in his chariot, read Esaias the prophet. 29. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

The General Spread of the Gospel
"The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters covers the sea." Isa. 11:9. 1. In what a condition is the world at present! How does darkness, intellectual darkness, ignorance, with vice and misery attendant upon it, cover the face of the earth! From the accurate inquiry made with indefatigable pains by our ingenious countryman, Mr. Brerewood; (who travelled himself over a great part of the known world, in order to form the more exact judgment;) supposing the world to be divided …
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

Twenty-Sixth Day for the Holy Spirit on Young Converts
WHAT TO PRAY.--For the Holy Spirit on Young Converts "Peter and John prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost; for as yet He was fallen upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus."--ACTS viii. 15, 16. "Now He which establisheth us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God; who also gave us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts."--2 COR. i. 21, 22. How many new converts who remain feeble; how many who fall into sin; how many who backslide …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

Period iii. The Critical Period: A. D. 140 to A. D. 200
The interval between the close of the post-apostolic age and the end of the second century, or from about 140 to 200, may be called the Critical Period of Ancient Christianity. In this period there grew up conceptions of Christianity which were felt by the Church, as a whole, to be fundamentally opposed to its essential spirit and to constitute a serious menace to the Christian faith as it had been commonly received. These conceptions, which grew up both alongside of, and within the Church, have …
Joseph Cullen Ayer Jr., Ph.D.—A Source Book for Ancient Church History

Gaza
After very many histories of this place in the Holy Bible, which there is no need to repeat here,--in this city did Alexander the Great, at length, besiege Babemeses the Persian, by the space of two months. "And that city, which before-time was most famous, was laid waste by him, and rendered desert." Not that he had destroyed the building of the city, or consumed it with fire; for presently after his death, Antigonus and Ptolemy, his captains, fighting, it had walls, gates, and fortifications: but …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

And on the Day Following He Went Forth Still More Eagerly Bent on The...
11. And on the day following he went forth still more eagerly bent on the service of God and having fallen in with the old man he had met previously, he asked him to dwell with him in the desert. But when the other declined on account of his great age, and because as yet there was no such custom, Antony himself set off forthwith to the mountain. And yet again the enemy seeing his zeal and wishing to hinder it, cast in his way what seemed to be a great silver dish. But Antony, seeing the guile of …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius

Whether Baptism Can be Conferred in the Name of Christ?
Objection 1: It seems that Baptism can be conferred in the name of Christ. For just as there is "one Faith," so is there "one Baptism" (Eph. 4:5). But it is related (Acts 8:12) that "in the name of Jesus Christ they were baptized, both men and women." Therefore now also can Baptism be conferred in the name of Christ. Objection 2: Further, Ambrose says (De Spir. Sanct. i): "If you mention Christ, you designate both the Father by Whom He was anointed, and the Son Himself, Who was anointed, and the …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Chrism is a Fitting Matter for this Sacrament?
Objection 1: It seems that chrism is not a fitting matter for this sacrament. For this sacrament, as stated above (A[1], ad 1), was instituted by Christ when He promised His disciples the Holy Ghost. But He sent them the Holy Ghost without their being anointed with chrism. Moreover, the apostles themselves bestowed this sacrament without chrism, by the mere imposition of hands: for it is written (Acts 8:17) that the apostles "laid their hands upon" those who were baptized, "and they received the …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether the Imposition of the Priest's Hands is Necessary for this Sacrament?
Objection 1: It would seem that the imposition of the priest's hands is necessary for this sacrament. For it is written (Mk. 16:18): "They shall lay hands upon the sick, and they shall recover." Now sinners are sick spiritually, and obtain recovery through this sacrament. Therefore an imposition of hands should be made in this sacrament. Objection 2: Further, in this sacrament man regains the Holy Ghost Whom he had lost, wherefore it is said in the person of the penitent (Ps. 1:14): "Restore unto …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Penance is a Sacrament?
Objection 1: It would seem that Penance is not a sacrament. For Gregory [*Cf. Isidore, Etym. vi, ch. 19] says: "The sacraments are Baptism, Chrism, and the Body and Blood of Christ; which are called sacraments because under the veil of corporeal things the Divine power works out salvation in a hidden manner." But this does not happen in Penance, because therein corporeal things are not employed that, under them, the power of God may work our salvation. Therefore Penance is not a sacrament. Objection …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Baptism Should be Deferred?
Objection 1: It seems that Baptism should be deferred. For Pope Leo says (Epist. xvi): "Two seasons," i.e. Easter and Whitsuntide, "are fixed by the Roman Pontiff for the celebration of Baptism. Wherefore we admonish your Beatitude not to add any other days to this custom." Therefore it seems that Baptism should be conferred not at once, but delayed until the aforesaid seasons. Objection 2: Further, we read in the decrees of the Council of Agde (Can. xxxiv): "If Jews whose bad faith often "returns …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether those who had Been Baptized with John's Baptism had to be Baptized with the Baptism of Christ?
Objection 1: It would seem that those who had been baptized with John's baptism had not to be baptized with the baptism of Christ. For John was not less than the apostles, since of him is it written (Mat. 11:11): "There hath not risen among them that are born of women a greater than John the Baptist." But those who were baptized by the apostles were not baptized again, but only received the imposition of hands; for it is written (Acts 8:16,17) that some were "only baptized" by Philip "in the name …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Simony is an Intentional Will to Buy or Sell Something Spiritual or Connected with a Spiritual Thing?
Objection 1: It would seem that simony is not "an express will to buy or sell something spiritual or connected with a spiritual thing." Simony is heresy, since it is written (I, qu. i [*Can. Eos qui per pecunias.]): "The impious heresy of Macedonius and of those who with him impugned the Holy Ghost, is more endurable than that of those who are guilty of simony: since the former in their ravings maintained that the Holy Spirit of Father and Son is a creature and the slave of God, whereas the latter …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

The Holy Spirit Sending Men Forth to Definite Lines of Work.
We read in Acts xiii. 2-4, "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed into Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus." It is evident from this passage that the Holy Spirit calls men into definite lines of work and sends them forth into the work. He not …
R. A. Torrey—The Person and Work of The Holy Spirit

Preventive against Backsliding.
It is most instructive to note how exceedingly anxious the early Christians were, that, as soon as a man was converted, he should be "filled with the Holy Ghost." They knew no reason why weary wastes of disappointing years should stretch between Bethel and Peniel, between the Cross and Pentecost. They knew it was not God's will that forty years of wilderness wanderings should lie between Egypt and the Promised Land (Deut. i. 2). When Peter and John came to the Samaritans, and found that they were …
John MacNeil—The Spirit-Filled Life

How Long Between?
It is often asked what time must elapse between the regenerating by the Spirit and the filling with the Spirit? for be it remembered the Filling is as real and distinct and definite a blessing as the regenerating. Many people know the moment of their new birth; they were conscious of the change; so also many know when they were "filled with the Holy Ghost;" it was a blessed, bright, conscious experience, and it is as impossible to argue them out of the one experience as out of the other. On the other …
John MacNeil—The Spirit-Filled Life

The Early History of Particular Churches.
A.D. 67-A.D. 500 Section 1. The Church of England. [Sidenote: St. Paul's visit to England.] The CHURCH OF ENGLAND is believed, with good reason, to owe its foundation to the Apostle St. Paul, who probably came to this country after his first imprisonment at Rome. The writings of Tertullian, and others in the second and third centuries speak of Christianity as having spread as far as the islands of Britain, and a British king named Lucius is known to have embraced the Faith about the middle of …
John Henry Blunt—A Key to the Knowledge of Church History

Philip, the Evangelist
BY REV. GEORGE MILLIGAN, M.A., D.D. Philip the Evangelist must be carefully distinguished from Philip the Apostle. And though it is little that we are told regarding him in Scripture, that little is very significant. He first comes before us as one of the seven chosen by the early Church at Jerusalem to take charge of the daily ministration of charity to the poor widows (Acts vi. I ff.). And when this work is hindered by the outbreak of persecution following on the death of Stephen, we find him …
George Milligan—Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known

Whether Sanctifying Grace is Bestowed in this Sacrament?
Objection 1: It seems that sanctifying grace is not bestowed in this sacrament. For sanctifying grace is ordained against sin. But this sacrament, as stated above [4492](A[6]) is given only to the baptized, who are cleansed from sin. Therefore sanctifying grace is not bestowed in this sacrament. Objection 2: Further, sinners especially need sanctifying grace, by which alone can they be justified. If, therefore, sanctifying grace is bestowed in this sacrament, it seems that it should be given to those …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Only a Bishop Can Confer this Sacrament?
Objection 1: It seems that not only a bishop can confer this sacrament. For Gregory (Regist. iv), writing to Bishop Januarius, says: "We hear that some were scandalized because we forbade priests to anoint with chrism those who have been baptized. Yet in doing this we followed the ancient custom of our Church: but if this trouble some so very much we permit priests, where no bishop is to be had, to anoint the baptized on the forehead with chrism." But that which is essential to the sacraments should …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Of the Five Sacraments, Falsely So Called. Their Spuriousness Proved, and their True Character Explained.
1. Connection of the present discussion with that concerning Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Impiety of the popish teachers in attributing more to human rites than to the ordinances of God. 2. Men cannot institute sacraments. Necessary to keep up a distinction between sacraments and other ceremonies. 3. Seven sacraments not to be found in ecclesiastical writers. Augustine, who may represent all the others, acknowledged two sacraments only. 4. Nature of confirmation in ancient times. The laying on …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

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