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Saul Persecutes the Church

^1 (C1)Saul wholeheartedly approved of Stephen's death. And on that day a great and relentless persecution broke out against ^(C2)the church in Jerusalem; and the believers were all ^(C3)scattered throughout the regions of Judea and ^(C4)Samaria, except for the apostles.² Some devout men buried Stephen, and ^(F1)mourned greatly over him expressing a personal sense of loss.³ But ^(C1)Saul began ravaging the church and assaulting believers; entering house after house and ^(C2)dragging off men and women, putting them in prison.

Philip in Samaria

⁴ Now those believers ^(C1)who had been scattered went from place to place ^(C2)preaching the word the good news of salvation through Christ.^5 (F1)(C1)Philip the evangelist went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) to them. ^(VR1)6 The crowds gathered and were paying close attention to everything Philip said, as they heard the message and saw the miraculous signs which he was doing validating his message.⁷ For ^(C1)unclean spirits (demons), shouting loudly, were coming out of many who were possessed; and many who had been ^(C2)paralyzed and lame were healed.⁸ So there was ^(C1)great rejoicing in that city.

⁹ Now there was a man named Simon, who previously practiced ^(C1)magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, ^(C2)claiming to be someone great.¹⁰ They all paid a great deal of attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, "^(C1)This man is what is called the Great Power of God!"¹¹ They were paying attention to him because for a long time he had mystified and dazzled them with his ^(C1)magic.¹² But when they believed Philip as he ^(C1)preached the ^(F1)good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being ^(C2)baptized, both men and women.¹³ Even Simon believed Philip's message of salvation; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he watched the attesting ^(C1)signs and ^(C2)great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.

¹⁴ When ^(C1)the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent ^(C2)Peter and John to them.¹⁵ They came down and prayed for them ^(C1)that they might receive the Holy Spirit;¹⁶ for He had ^(C1)not yet fallen on any of them; they had simply been ^(C2)baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus as His possession.¹⁷ Then Peter and John ^(C1)laid their hands on them one by one, and they ^(C2)received the Holy Spirit.¹⁸ Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,¹⁹ saying, "Give me this authority and power too, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."²⁰ But Peter said to him, "May your money be destroyed along with you, because you thought you could ^(C1)buy the free gift of God with money!²¹ "You have ^(C1)no part or share in this matter, because your heart (motive, purpose) is not ^(C2)right before God. ^(VR1)22 "So repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, ^(C1)if possible, this thought of your heart may be forgiven you.²³ "For I see that you are ^(F1)provoked by bitterness and ^(C1)bound by sin." ^(VR1)24 But Simon answered, "^(C1)Pray to the Lord for me both of you, so that nothing of what you have said will come upon me."

An Ethiopian Receives Christ

²⁵ So, when Peter and John had given their ^(C1)testimony and preached ^(C2)the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, ^(C3)preaching the good news about salvation in many ^(C4)Samaritan villages along the way.

²⁶ But ^(C1)an angel of the Lord said to ^(C2)Philip, "Get up and go south to the road that runs from Jerusalem down to ^(C3)Gaza." (This is a desert road).²⁷ So he got up and went; and ^(C1)there was an Ethiopian eunuch a man of great authority, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He ^(C2)had come to Jerusalem to worship,²⁸ and he was returning, and sitting in his chariot he was reading the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.²⁹ Then ^(C1)the Holy Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot."³⁰ Philip ran up and heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah, and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"³¹ And he said, "Well, how could I understand unless someone guides me correctly?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.³² Now this was the passage of Scripture which he was reading:

"^(C1)LIKE A SHEEP HE WAS LED TO THE SLAUGHTER;
AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT,
SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH.

³³ "^(C1)IN HUMILIATION HIS JUDGMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY justice was denied Him.
WHO WILL DESCRIBE HIS GENERATION?
FOR HIS LIFE IS TAKEN FROM THE EARTH." ^(VR1)