Acts 8:10 - Prayer Tents

Acts 8

Simon the Wizard

8That set off a terrific persecution of the church in Jerusalem. The believers were all scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. All, that is, but the apostles.G1161G4569G2258G4909G846G336G1161G1722G1565G2250G1096G3173G1375G1909G1577G3588G1722G2414G5037G1289G3956G1289G2596G5561G2449G2532G4540G4133G6522Good and brave men buried Stephen, giving him a solemn funeral—not many dry eyes that day!G1161G2126G435G4792G4736G2532G4160G3173G2870G1909G8463And Saul just went wild, devastating the church, entering house after house after house, dragging men and women off to jail.G1161G4569G3075G1577G1531G2596G3624G4951G5037G435G2532G1135G3860G1519G54384Forced to leave home base, the Christians all became missionaries. Wherever they were scattered, they preached the Message about Jesus.G3767G3303G1289G1330G2097G30565Going down to a Samaritan city, Philip proclaimed the Message of the Messiah.G1161G5376G2718G1519G4172G4540G2784G5547G8466When the people heard what he had to say and saw the miracles, the clear signs of God's action, they hung on his every word.G5037G3793G3661G4337G5376G3004G5259G1722G191G846G2532G991G4592G3739G41607Many who could neither stand nor walk were healed that day. The evil spirits protested loudly as they were sent on their way.G1063G169G4151G994G3173G5456G1831G4183G2192G1161G4183G3886G2532G5560G23238And what joy in the city!G2532G1096G3173G5479G1722G1565G41729Previous to Philip's arrival, a certain Simon had practiced magic in the city, posing as a famous man and dazzling all the Samaritans with his wizardry.G1161G5100G435G3686G4613G4391G1722G4172G3096G2532G1839G1484G4540G3004G1438G1511G5100G317310He had them all, from little children to old men, eating out of his hand. They all thought he had supernatural powers, and called him "the Great Wizard."G3739G3956G4337G575G3398G2193G3173G3004G3778G2076G3173G1411G231611He had been around a long time and everyone was more or less in awe of him.G1161G846G4337G1223G2425G5550G1839G846G309512But when Philip came to town announcing the news of God's kingdom and proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ, they forgot Simon and were baptized, becoming believers right and left!G1161G3753G4100G5376G2097G4012G932G2316G2532G3686G2424G5547G907G5037G435G2532G113513Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. From that moment he was like Philip's shadow, so fascinated with all the God-signs and miracles that he wouldn't leave Philip's side.G1161G4613G846G4100G2532G2532G907G2258G4342G5376G5037G1839G2334G1411G2532G4592G3173G1096G109614When the apostles in Jerusalem received the report that Samaria had accepted God's Message, they sent Peter and John downG1161G652G3588G1722G2414G191G3754G4540G1209G3056G2316G649G4314G846G4074G2532G249115to pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit.G3748G2597G4336G4012G846G3704G2983G40G415116Up to this point they had only been baptized in the name of the Master Jesus; the Holy Spirit hadn't yet fallen on them.G1063G3768G2258G1968G1909G3762G846G3440G1161G5225G907G1519G3686G2962G242417Then the apostles laid their hands on them and they did receive the Holy Spirit.G5119G2007G5495G1909G846G2532G2983G40G415118When Simon saw that the apostles by merely laying on hands conferred the Spirit, he pulled out his money, excited,G1161G4613G2300G3754G1223G1936G652G5495G40G4151G1325G4374G846G553619and said, "Sell me your secret! Show me how you did that! How much do you want? Name your price!"G3004G1325G2504G5026G1849G2443G2007G3739G1437G2007G5495G2983G40G415120Peter said, "To hell with your money! And you along with it. Why, that's unthinkable—trying to buy God's gift!G1161G4074G2036G4314G846G4675G694G1498G1519G684G4862G4671G3754G3543G1431G2316G2932G1223G553621You'll never be part of what God is doing by striking bargains and offering bribes.G4671G2076G3756G3310G3761G2819G1722G5129G3056G1063G4675G2588G2076G3756G2117G1799G231622Change your ways—and now! Ask the Master to forgive you for trying to use God to make money.G3340G3767G575G5026G4675G2549G2532G1189G2316G1487G686G1963G4675G2588G863G467123I can see this is an old habit with you; you reek with money-lust."G1063G3708G4571G5607G1519G5521G4088G2532G4886G9324"Oh!" said Simon, "pray for me! Pray to the Master that nothing like that will ever happen to me!"G1161G611G4613G2036G1189G5210G4314G2962G5228G1700G3704G3367G3739G2046G1904G1909G169125And with that, the apostles were on their way, continuing to witness and spread the Message of God's salvation, preaching in every Samaritan town they passed through on their return to Jerusalem.G3303G3767G1263G2532G2980G3056G2962G5290G1519G2419G5037G2097G4183G2968G4541

The Ethiopian Eunuch

26Later God's angel spoke to Philip: "At noon today I want you to walk over to that desolate road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza."G1161G32G2962G2980G4314G5376G3004G450G2532G4198G2596G3314G1909G3598G2597G575G2419G1519G1048G3778G2076G204827He got up and went. He met an Ethiopian eunuch coming down the road. The eunuch had been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was returning to Ethiopia, where he was minister in charge of all the finances of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians.G2532G450G4198G2532G2400G435G128G2135G1413G2582G938G128G3739G2258G1909G3956G846G1047G3739G2064G1519G2419G435228He was riding in a chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah.G5037G2258G5290G2532G2521G1909G846G716G2532G314G2268G439629The Spirit told Philip, "Climb into the chariot."G1161G4151G2036G5376G4334G2532G2853G5129G71630Running up alongside, Philip heard the eunuch reading Isaiah and asked, "Do you understand what you're reading?"G1161G5376G4370G191G846G314G4396G2268G2532G2036G687G1065G1097G3739G31431He answered, "How can I without some help?" and invited Philip into the chariot with him.G1161G2036G1063G4459G302G1410G3362G5100G3594G3165G5037G3870G5376G305G2523G4862G84632The passage he was reading was this: As a sheep led to slaughter, and quiet as a lamb being sheared, He was silent, saying nothing.G1161G4042G1124G3739G314G2258G3778G71G5613G4263G1909G4967G2532G5613G286G880G1726G846G2751G3779G455G3756G846G475033He was mocked and put down, never got a fair trial. But who now can count his kin since he's been taken from the earth?G1722G846G5014G846G2920G142G1161G5101G1334G846G1074G3754G846G2222G142G575G109334The eunuch said, "Tell me, who is the prophet talking about: himself or some other?"G1161G2135G611G5376G2036G1189G4675G4012G5101G3004G4396G5124G4012G1438G2228G4012G5100G208735Philip grabbed his chance. Using this passage as his text, he preached Jesus to him.G1161G5376G455G846G4750G2532G756G575G5026G1124G2097G846G242436As they continued down the road, they came to a stream of water. The eunuch said, "Here's water. Why can't I be baptized?"G1161G5613G4198G2596G3598G2064G1909G5100G5204G2532G2135G5346G2400G5204G5101G2967G3165G90737(OMITTED TEXT)G1161G5376G2036G1487G4100G1537G3650G2588G1832G1161G611G2036G4100G2424G5547G1511G5207G231638He ordered the chariot to stop. They both went down to the water, and Philip baptized him on the spot.G2532G2753G716G2476G2532G2597G297G1519G5204G5037G5376G2532G2135G2532G907G84639When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of God suddenly took Philip off, and that was the last the eunuch saw of him. But he didn't mind. He had what he'd come for and went on down the road as happy as he could be.G1161G3753G305G1537G5204G4151G2962G726G5376G2532G2135G1492G3756G846G3765G1063G4198G846G3598G546340Philip showed up in Azotus and continued north, preaching the Message in all the villages along that route until he arrived at Caesarea.G1161G5376G2147G1519G108G2532G1330G2097G3956G4172G2193G846G2064G1519G2542