Evangelism in the villages of the Samaritans

(1) With the establishment of a church in the city of Samaria as a base, the spread of the gospel to the villages became possible. On their way back to Jerusalem, Peter and John also preached the gospel in “many villages of the Samaritans.” They were convinced that the Samaritans were also invited to salvation. (2) The time has transitioned from the time of the Gospels to the time indicated by the ‘parable of the sower.” Matthew 10:5-6 states, “These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, ‘Do not go on a road to Gentiles, and do not enter a city of Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’” Alternatively, Luke 9:53-56 says, “And they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ But He turned and rebuked them.”

Comparison between the events of the Pentecost and Samaritan city

(1) Regarding the events of the Day of Pentecost, Acts 2:38 states: “Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” The sequence is: (a) they repented, (b) they were baptized, and (c) they received the Holy Spirit, with these three occurring almost simultaneously. (2) In the case of the salvation of the Samaritans, the sequence was: (a) they believed, (b) they were baptized, (c) the apostles laid hands on them, and (d) they received the Holy Spirit. (3) The reason for the delay in receiving the Holy Spirit includes the following factors: (a) recognition by the apostles was necessary to maintain unity within the church. (b) Jews tended to have a sense of superiority over the Samaritans. (c) There was a possibility that the Samaritans might establish an independent church separate from the Jews. (4) Peter was given “the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” These keys are for opening the gate to become a member of the church (Matt. 16:19). In Acts 2, Peter opened the gate to the kingdom of heaven for the Jews, in Acts 8, he opened it for the Samaritans, and in Acts 10, he will open the gate for the Gentiles. Peter and John both fulfilled their mission. Let us also faithfully fulfill the mission given to us.