Acts Chapter 8
Paul Leads a General Persecution
Severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem. Disciples scattered all over Judaea and Samaria—except for the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and mourned him greatly. 3 Saul continued to destroy the church, entering every house, dragging men and women to jail.
Acts 8:1b-3
Philip Preaches to Samaritans
4 The ones that scattered went around presenting the message. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and presented the Messiah to them. 6 The crowds paid attention to what he said and to the signs he did. 7 Unclean spirits came out crying loudly, and he healed paralyzed and lame people. 8 A lot of joy came to that city.
9 A man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in the city. He amazed the Samaritan nation, claiming to be somebody great. 10 Least to greatest looked up to him, “This is The Power of God Called Great.” 11 They looked up to him because for a long time he had amazed them with sorcery. 12 When they believed Philip’s preaching about God’s kingdom and about Jesus as the Messiah, men and women were baptized. 13 Simon himself believed and after his baptism he stayed close to Philip, impressed with his outstanding miraculous signs.
Acts 8:4-13
Peter and John in Samaria
14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard the Samaritans had accepted God’s message, they sent Peter and John 15 to go down and pray for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit. 16 The Spirit hadn’t fallen on any of them; they’d only been baptized into the Lord Jesus. 17 The apostles laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 When Simon saw that the apostles were giving the Spirit by laying on hands, he offered them money, 19 “Give me that authority, too, so whoever I lay my hands on will receive the Spirit.”
20 Peter told him,
“Your silver perish with you! You thought you could buy God’s gift with money! 21 You don’t have any part in this. Your motives aren’t right in front of God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray that maybe he’ll forgive your motives. 23 As far as I’m concerned, you’re in the bitterness that gall has and the addiction that sinning brings.”
24 Simon answered, “Youpl pray to the Lord for me so nothing like that happens to me.”
25 When they’d given their testimony and presented the Lord’s message, they headed back to Jerusalem. On the way they delivered the good news to many Samaritan villages.
Acts 8:14-25
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
26 An angel of the LORD told Philip, “Go south to the road from Jerusalem down to Gaza, which is open country.” 27 So he went. An Ethiopian, a eunuch, an official, the treasurer for Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. had come to Jerusalem to worship and 28 was going back in his carriage, reading the prophet Isaiah.
29 The Spirit told Philip, “Make contact with that carriage.”
30 Philip ran toward it and heard him reading Isaiah, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”
31 “How can I unless somebody explains it me?” He invited Philip to come up and sit with him in the carriage. 32 This is the passage he was reading:
“They led him like a sheep to slaughter;
like a lamb silent in front of its shearers,
he didn’t open his mouth.
33 In his humble condition he received no justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
his life has been taken from the earth?”
Acts 8:26-33
34 The eunuch asked, “Who’s the prophet talking about, himself or somebody else?” 35 Philip started at that scripture and presented to him the good news about Jesus.
36 As they rode along, they came to some water, the eunuch said, “Here’s some water; does anything keep me from being baptized?” [ 37 ]ms 38 He stopped the carriage, and they both went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the LORD caught Philip away, and the eunuch never saw him again. He went on his way happy. 40 Philip showed up in Azotus. As he traveled, he delivered the good news to towns all along the way to Caesarea.
Acts 8:34-40