Not by apostolic orders and instructions, but because of the persecution, Philip, a close fellow worker of Stephen, and other Jewish Christians fled north to the district of Samaria. (Acts 6:1-6; 21:8) There Philip, who had been favored with the gift of miracles by God’s spirit, preached the good news about the resurrected and glorified Jesus Christ and performed many miraculous signs in the way of healings. “So there came to be a great deal of joy in that city.”​—Acts 8:8.

22. Because of the water baptism of many Samaritan men and women at the hands of Phillip, what question comes up?

²² What was the effect of this? “When they believed Philip, who was declaring the good news of the kingdom of God and of the name of Jesus Christ, they proceeded to be baptized, both men and women.” This included a certain magician named Simon who “had been practicing magical arts and amazing the nation of Samaria.” (Acts 8:9, 12, 13) At this point the question arises, Were those believing Samaritans born “from water and spirit”? Well, the water of baptism had entered into the matter, but what about the spirit? If they had become spirit-begotten after their water baptism, then Philip was the one who opened the way for this new group, Samaritans, into the “kingdom of the heavens.” But did he really do so, although he was not one of the 12 apostles? What does the inspired record show?

23. Why is Phillip not reported as making any promise of the holy spirit to the Samaritan candidates for baptism in Jesus’ name?

²³ This Philip was not one of the apostles to whom Jesus said: “Whatever things you may bind on earth will be things bound in heaven, and whatever things you may loose on earth will be things loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 18:18; 16:19; 10:2-4; John 1:43-48) So Philip is not reported as making any promises of the gift of the holy spirit to the Samaritans in connection with their water baptism. He was not authorized to say, as Peter did to the Jews on the day of Pentecost: “Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the free gift of the holy spirit.”​—Acts 2:38.

24. (a) Did the Samaritans, by getting circumcised and keeping feasts set out in Moses’ writings, get into the Mosiac Law covenant? (b) After water baptism in Jesus’ name, were they at once born “from water and spirit”?

²⁴ The Samaritans were not in the Law covenant Moses had mediated for the Israelites at Mount Sinai, even though the Samaritans viewed the first five books of Moses, the Pentateuch, as God’s Word and observed a Passover and a Pentecost at Mount Gerizim in the district of Samaria. (2 Ki. 17:29, 30; John 4:19, 20) So their circumcision of the flesh did not of itself make them Jewish proselytes. The Samaritans were not implicated in the impalement of Jesus and so did not need to be baptized in water for God’s forgiveness of such a gross sin for which there should be repentance. But the Samaritans got baptized at Philip’s hands in the name of Jesus Christ as being the Messiah (Christ) and “the savior of the world.” (John 4:25, 26, 28, 29, 42) Did they, on this account, become “born from water and spirit”? No! For they did not then get the holy spirit.

25. How does Acts 8:14-17 show why the baptized Samaritans had not been born from water and spirit?

²⁵ Why was this? Acts 8:14-17 tells us: “When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they dispatched Peter and John to them; and these went down and prayed for them to get holy spirit. For it had not yet fallen upon any one of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they [Peter and John as apostles] went laying their hands upon them, and they [the baptized Samaritans] began to receive holy spirit.” This does not mean simply miraculous spiritual gifts.

26. Thus the baptized Samaritans become qualified for what privilege, and Peter, in the presence of John, made use of what instrument?

²⁶ Here first the baptized Samaritans became “born” from spirit as well as from water and were qualified to enter God’s heavenly kingdom. (John 3:5) The activity of the spirit here was like that reported later in Acts 10:44-46 and Ac 11:15-17. Thus in behalf of the believing baptized Samaritans the apostle Peter used the second of the “keys of the kingdom of the heavens.” True, the apostle John was there with Peter, but, earlier, on the day of Pentecost, 11 other apostles were with key-bearing Peter.​—See also Matthew 18:1, 18.

27. How does Acts 8:18-23 show Peter taking the lead in dealing with Simon the former magician?

²⁷ Peter’s priority is borne out by what Acts 8:18-23 next tells us: “Now when Simon [the magician] saw that through the laying on of the hands of the apostles the spirit was given, he offered them money, saying: ‘Give me also this authority, that anyone upon whom I lay my hands may receive holy spirit.’ But Peter said to him: ‘May your silver perish with you, because you thought through money to get possession of the free gift of God. You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not straight in the sight of God. Repent, therefore, of this badness of yours, and supplicate Jehovah that, if possible, the device of your heart may be forgiven you; for I see you are a poisonous gall and a bond of unrighteousness.’” This indicates that Peter was taking the lead as Christ’s principal agent on this occasion. As the one to whom the keys of the Kingdom had been committed, he spoke.

28. To whom else was the Kingdom opportunity then open, and where did the spirit-begotten Samaritans begin worshiping?

²⁸ From then on the same opportunity could be presented to others in the district of Samaria. Accordingly, Acts 8:25 tells us: “Therefore, when they [Peter and John] had given the witness thoroughly and had spoken the word of Jehovah, they turned back to Jerusalem, and they went declaring the good news to many villages of the Samaritans.” Now the baptized, spirit-begotten Samaritans began to worship their heavenly Father, Jehovah, neither on Mount Gerizim nor at Jerusalem, but in his great spiritual temple.​—John 4:21.b

29. After Saul’s conversion to Christianity, what happened to the spirit-begotten congregation in Judea, Galilee and Samaria, and where did Phillip settle down?

²⁹ Philip and other Jewish Christians had been obliged to flee down to Samaria because of the persecution promoted by the Pharisee Saul of Tarsus. But after Saul himself was converted to Christianity, things changed for the congregation in Palestine. “Then,” according to Acts 9:31, “indeed, the congregation throughout the whole of Judea and Galilee and Samaria entered into a period of peace, being built up; and as it walked in the fear of Jehovah and in the comfort of the holy spirit it kept on multiplying.” Philip, however, finally settled down in the seaport city of Caesarea, where the Roman governor of the province of Judea had his headquarters and where an Italian band of soldiers was stationed.​—Acts 8:40; 21:8; 10:1; 23:23-35.