Acts 8:6-10
 
Acts 8:6 (KJB)
And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
 
Gave heed - Be attentive or be devoted to
 
As Philip was preaching in Samaria, the gospel was taking root as the people were unified in their hearing of the Gospel. They were paying very close attention to what Philip was preaching as if they were already devoted to it. If you recall, Jesus had already paved the way for the preaching of the Gospel as He met the women at the well at an earlier time and she had notified the men of that city and they too heard what Jesus preached. Here Philip was building upon that previous encounter and that is why they were very attentive to what he was preaching. (Mark 16:20 KJV) And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. Mark 16:20 teaches that the preaching of both the apostles and other Christians who would bring the message in the early church would be accompanied by signs. This was happening in Samaria as Philip preached, he was also performing miracles.
 
Acts 8:7 (KJB)
For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
 
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ was so powerful that it was casting devils out of many of the people who were possessed by them. Philip was also healing those who were not only lame of body but those who were paralyzed were able to once again regain the use of their body as they were fully healed. As the Bible neared completion by the end of the first century, the gift of healing had waned. These sign gifts were only in the church for a short while. In Philippians 2:25-27, Epaphroditus, was sick and Paul could not heal him because the gift of physical healing had already begun to wind down. The sign gifts were given as an illustration that what a person is before salvation and after. Before salvation they are sick and paralyzed and have no life in them but after salvation, they are full of life because they have been saved. Physical healing was not just a demonstration of power but it had a specific purpose in the early church. God does physically heal today but according to His will.
 
Acts 8:8 (KJB)
And there was great joy in that city.
 
If you notice that in Samaria there was great joy and not happiness. Joy is the root of happiness and is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. A person can experience joy even while undergoing persecution but a happy person undergoing persecution, would no longer be happy but sad or angry or both. It is interesting, in Jerusalem the Christians were being persecuted and there was great opposition to the Gospel. Here in Samaria, they had freedom to preach the word which produced a great joy in that city. The well of living water was finally being poured out in Samaria. (John 4:10-11 KJV) Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. {11} The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
 
Acts 8:9 (KJB)
But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
 
It seems that this man Simon was a source of satanic magic and no doubt used the power of Satan to keep the people believing that he was someone. A person like this with satanic powers and an ignorant population makes for a very bad combination. A modern equivalent in our day would have been a man named Sai Baba from India. He was able to make small objects like watches and rings materialize in his hands. He was considered a deity because he did these types of things and bewitched his audiences and followers. Simon may have been of the same type and bewitched the people of Samaria. Since he was able to do satanic signs and wonders, everyone would have thought that he was some type of human deity and was revered because of these things.
 
Acts 8:10 (KJB)
To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.
 
Gave heed - Be attentive or be devoted to
 
He had been wrongly given the accolades of being the great power of God. The Samaritans did not know what they were saying and unfortunately if those who have the greatest influence in this town claimed that he was the power of God, then those who would have been uneducated would have gone along with those who were educated. There is another situation at work here. These people did not have the true Gospel in their area except for the short visit by the Lord Jesus Christ. So after that time, Satan raised up a man and made him the center of attention in that town and everyone was deceived into thinking he was a man of God but things were about to change for the better.

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