Acts 8:34 - Prayer Tents



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Acts 8
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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.G1161G4569G2258G4909G846G336G1161G1722G1565G2250G1096G3173G1375G1909G1577G3588G1722G2414G5037G1289G3956G1289G2596G5561G2449G2532G4540G4133G652 2Good and brave men buried Stephen, giving him a solemn funeral—not many dry eyes that day!G1161G2126G435G4792G4736G2532G4160G3173G2870G1909G846 3And Saul just went wild, devastating the church, entering house after house after house, dragging men and women off to jail.G1161G4569G3075G1577G1531G2596G3624G4951G5037G435G2532G1135G3860G1519G5438 4Forced to leave home base, the Christians all became missionaries. Wherever they were scattered, they preached the Message about Jesus.G3767G3303G1289G1330G2097G3056 5Going down to a Samaritan city, Philip proclaimed the Message of the Messiah.G1161G5376G2718G1519G4172G4540G2784G5547G846 6When 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.G5037G3793G3661G4337G5376G3004G5259G1722G191G846G2532G991G4592G3739G4160 7Many who could neither stand nor walk were healed that day. The evil spirits protested loudly as they were sent on their way.G1063G169G4151G994G3173G5456G1831G4183G2192G1161G4183G3886G2532G5560G2323 8And what joy in the city!G2532G1096G3173G5479G1722G1565G4172 9Previous 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.G1161G5100G435G3686G4613G4391G1722G4172G3096G2532G1839G1484G4540G3004G1438G1511G5100G3173 10He 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."G3739G3956G4337G575G3398G2193G3173G3004G3778G2076G3173G1411G2316 11He had been around a long time and everyone was more or less in awe of him.G1161G846G4337G1223G2425G5550G1839G846G3095 12But 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!G1161G3753G4100G5376G2097G4012G932G2316G2532G3686G2424G5547G907G5037G435G2532G1135 13Even 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.G1161G4613G846G4100G2532G2532G907G2258G4342G5376G5037G1839G2334G1411G2532G4592G3173G1096G1096 14When the apostles in Jerusalem received the report that Samaria had accepted God's Message, they sent Peter and John downG1161G652G3588G1722G2414G191G3754G4540G1209G3056G2316G649G4314G846G4074G2532G2491 15to pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit.G3748G2597G4336G4012G846G3704G2983G40G4151 16Up to this point they had only been baptized in the name of the Master Jesus; the Holy Spirit hadn't yet fallen on them.G1063G3768G2258G1968G1909G3762G846G3440G1161G5225G907G1519G3686G2962G2424 17Then the apostles laid their hands on them and they did receive the Holy Spirit.G5119G2007G5495G1909G846G2532G2983G40G4151 18When Simon saw that the apostles by merely laying on hands conferred the Spirit, he pulled out his money, excited,G1161G4613G2300G3754G1223G1936G652G5495G40G4151G1325G4374G846G5536 19and said, "Sell me your secret! Show me how you did that! How much do you want? Name your price!"G3004G1325G2504G5026G1849G2443G2007G3739G1437G2007G5495G2983G40G4151 20Peter said, "To hell with your money! And you along with it. Why, that's unthinkable—trying to buy God's gift!G1161G4074G2036G4314G846G4675G694G1498G1519G684G4862G4671G3754G3543G1431G2316G2932G1223G5536 21You'll never be part of what God is doing by striking bargains and offering bribes.G4671G2076G3756G3310G3761G2819G1722G5129G3056G1063G4675G2588G2076G3756G2117G1799G2316 22Change your ways—and now! Ask the Master to forgive you for trying to use God to make money.G3340G3767G575G5026G4675G2549G2532G1189G2316G1487G686G1963G4675G2588G863G4671 23I can see this is an old habit with you; you reek with money-lust."G1063G3708G4571G5607G1519G5521G4088G2532G4886G93 24"Oh!" said Simon, "pray for me! Pray to the Master that nothing like that will ever happen to me!"G1161G611G4613G2036G1189G5210G4314G2962G5228G1700G3704G3367G3739G2046G1904G1909G1691 25And 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."G1161G32G2962G2980G4314G5376G3004G450G2532G4198G2596G3314G1909G3598G2597G575G2419G1519G1048G3778G2076G2048 27He 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.G2532G450G4198G2532G2400G435G128G2135G1413G2582G938G128G3739G2258G1909G3956G846G1047G3739G2064G1519G2419G4352 28He was riding in a chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah.G5037G2258G5290G2532G2521G1909G846G716G2532G314G2268G4396 29The Spirit told Philip, "Climb into the chariot."G1161G4151G2036G5376G4334G2532G2853G5129G716 30Running up alongside, Philip heard the eunuch reading Isaiah and asked, "Do you understand what you're reading?"G1161G5376G4370G191G846G314G4396G2268G2532G2036G687G1065G1097G3739G314 31He answered, "How can I without some help?" and invited Philip into the chariot with him.G1161G2036G1063G4459G302G1410G3362G5100G3594G3165G5037G3870G5376G305G2523G4862G846 32The passage he was reading was this: As a sheep led to slaughter, and quiet as a lamb being sheared, He was silent, saying nothing.G1161G4042G1124G3739G314G2258G3778G71G5613G4263G1909G4967G2532G5613G286G880G1726G846G2751G3779G455G3756G846G4750 33He 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?G1722G846G5014G846G2920G142G1161G5101G1334G846G1074G3754G846G2222G142G575G1093 34The eunuch said, "Tell me, who is the prophet talking about: himself or some other?"G1161G2135G611G5376G2036G1189G4675G4012G5101G3004G4396G5124G4012G1438G2228G4012G5100G2087 35Philip grabbed his chance. Using this passage as his text, he preached Jesus to him.G1161G5376G455G846G4750G2532G756G575G5026G1124G2097G846G2424 36As they continued down the road, they came to a stream of water. The eunuch said, "Here's water. Why can't I be baptized?"G1161G5613G4198G2596G3598G2064G1909G5100G5204G2532G2135G5346G2400G5204G5101G2967G3165G907 37(OMITTED TEXT)G1161G5376G2036G1487G4100G1537G3650G2588G1832G1161G611G2036G4100G2424G5547G1511G5207G2316 38He ordered the chariot to stop. They both went down to the water, and Philip baptized him on the spot.G2532G2753G716G2476G2532G2597G297G1519G5204G5037G5376G2532G2135G2532G907G846 39When 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.G1161G3753G305G1537G5204G4151G2962G726G5376G2532G2135G1492G3756G846G3765G1063G4198G846G3598G5463 40Philip showed up in Azotus and continued north, preaching the Message in all the villages along that route until he arrived at Caesarea.G1161G5376G2147G1519G108G2532G1330G2097G3956G4172G2193G846G2064G1519G2542


The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. More details.
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