Stephen has just become the first martyr for the cause of Christ. He would not be the last, though. Many Christians throughout the ages would give their lives to spread the gospel!
Acts 8:1-2- 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. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
As the persecution of the church got worse, Christians started to leave to escape it. This was what God had originally told them to do- go out to other places and take the gospel with you!
Many Christians fled the persecution of Jerusalem, except the twelve apostles.
Acts 8:3-4- As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
A man named Saul, who had been there when Stephen was killed became the face of persecution for the Christians. He made it his job to search them out and arrest them.
The apostles didn't let this stop them from telling others about the Lord Jesus Christ, though. Everywhere they went they made sure to let others know the good news of the gospel of Christ.
Acts 8:5-8- Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 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. And there was great joy in that city.
As the apostle, Philip was traveling, he went to the city of Samaria to preach Christ to them.
Remember, Samaria was where the half Jew, half Gentile people lived. They were rejected by both Jews and Gentiles because they were considered polluted. But, Jesus had made a point of talking to the woman of Samaria at the well. He had made a point of telling the disciples before he went back to heaven that they were to take the gospel there.
Philip obeyed this commission and saw many souls saved.
Acts 8:9-13- 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: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.
There was a specific man in Samaria that had been very wicked. So evil, in fact, that the entire city was afraid of him! He was a servant of darkness, working evil deeds through the power of the devil.
You may think that someone who works directly for the devil is doomed to go to hell, but that's not the case. The Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is so powerful that it can even save someone that wicked!
Simon had worked for the devil, and used magic and other types of witchcraft to scare the people of Samaria into submission to him. But, when he saw the things that Philip could do, he recognized that Jesus Christ was a better master than the devil he served. And, he got saved!
The number of people in Samaria that received Christ was so great that many of the apostles came to Samaria to help teach these new Christians the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 8:14-17- Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
Things were very different back then. In the Old Testament, people would get the Spirit of God on them, and He would help them to accomplish something, and then the Spirit would leave.
When Jesus went to heaven, he sent the Spirit down to live inside the apostles. The apostles would tell others about Jesus and then they would receive this amazing gift from God of the spirit dwelling inside them.
At first, the spirit came into the people when the apostles laid their hands on them. This was something that God decided was needed in the early days of the church.
Acts 8:18-19- And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
The man, Simon, who had worked for the devil was use to having power over the people of the city. So, when he saw what the apostles could do, he wanted that power.
He tried to pay Peter to obtain this power. Peter must have known that this man only wanted to be able to continue to control the city through a new means- give or not giving the Holy Spirit. Peter knew that the Holy Spirit was a gift from God, not something that could be bought.
Acts 8:20-23- But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
Peter rebuked Simon for this wickedness. He told the man that he needed to ask God to forgive him or he would be punished by God!
Acts 8:24- Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.
Simon asked Peter to pray for him.
I don't know if Simon ever got out of the habit of trying to control the people of the city. He was use to being in power, and power is something that can corrupt people.
Acts 8:25- And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
After Peter and John had finished preaching in Samaria, they went to other towns where the Samaritans lived to give them the gospel. The saw that it was clear that the Lord not only wanted to save Jews, but also to save half Jews.
But, there was another type of person that God was going to save.
Acts 8:26-28- 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. 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, Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
The angel of the Lord told Philip to go to the desert. Philip didn't complain that the desert was hot and dry. He didn't even argue that there weren't people who lived in the desert. He just obeyed God.
When he got there, Philip saw a chariot with a black man in it reading the Scriptures. This man was not a Jew. He was a servant from the palace of an African Queen.
But, even though this man was a Gentile, he believed in the God of Israel, and had come to Jerusalem to learn more about Him.
Acts 8:29-31- Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
The Holy Spirit told Philip to go talk to this man. As Philip approached him, he heard the man reading the Scriptures and asked him if he understood what he was reading.
The man said that he didn't understand it at all and asked that Philip would join him in the chariot and explain it to him.
Acts 8:32-34- The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
The man was reading from Isaiah about someone who would go through a terrible humiliating death, but that someone wouldn't fight the death. The man asked Philip if the Isaiah was speaking of his own death or of someone else's death.
Acts 8:35- Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
As Philip preached the crucifixion of Jesus to the man, the man believed that Jesus was the Son of God. He wanted to be saved, and baptized.
Acts 8:36-38- And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
The man asked Philip to baptize him when he saw that there was water ahead. Philip said that he would baptize the man if he believed with all his heart.
Acts 8:39-40- And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.
Philip and the Ethiopian man went down to the water. Philip pushed the man under the water and as the man came back up, the Holy Spirit caught Philip and transported him somewhere else.
The black man was standing alone dripping wet in the middle of a puddle of water in the desert. He understood that something like a miracle had happened to him. He continued his journey back to his country rejoicing in what he had learned.
I'm certain that he, also, became the first preacher in the country of Ethiopia!
Philip found himself in another city. But, he didn't stand there and wonder what had happened, he just started preaching Jesus Christ there.
2 Timothy 4:2- Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
The Bible tells us that we are to be ready to tell others about Jesus no matter where we are or what we are doing. We should always have the thought that the people around us need to hear about our Savior, no matter their skin color, their language, or even the place we find ourselves. There are sinners in every town, country, and yes, even in the desert!
