# Acts 08 đ: The Gospel Reaches Samaria
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[[-Acts Overview]] | [[Acts 07]] | [[Acts 09]]
> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đ Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#đ§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#âď¸ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#đ Key Observations / đ Life Application]]
> [[#đŹ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#âď¸ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đ Related Passages]]
> [[#đ Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đ Outline]]
> [[#đ Internal Notes]]
## đ Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
[[#Verse 01.]] And Saul agreed completely with killing him.
#### Saul Begins to Persecute the Church
**Principle**: Persecution will come, but God is doing more than you realize.
Now on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.Â
[[#Verse 02.]] Some devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him.
[[#Verse 03.]] But Saul was trying to destroy the church; entering one house after another, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.
### Philip Preaches in Samaria
**Principle**: Carry to Gospel, especially in difficult times.
[[#Verse 04.]]Â Now those who had been forced to scatter went around proclaiming the good news of the word.Â
[[#Verse 05.]] Philip went down to the main city of Samaria and began proclaiming the Christ to them.Â
[[#Verse 06.]] The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what Philip said, as they heard and saw the miraculous signs he was performing.Â
[[#Verse 07.]] For unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, were coming out of many who were possessed, and many paralyzed and lame people were healed.
[[#Verse 08.]] So there was great joy in that city.
### The Response of Simon
**Principle**: You can tell the difference between Jesus and something false.
[[#Verse 09.]] Now in that city was a man named Simon, who had been practicing magic and amazing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great.Â
[[#Verse 10.]] All the people, from the least to the greatest, paid close attention to him, saying, âThis man is the power of God that is called âGreat.ââÂ
[[#Verse 11.]]Â And they paid close attention to him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic.Â
[[#Verse 12.]] But when they believed Philip as he was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they began to be baptized, both men and women.Â
[[#Verse 13.]] Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed close to Philip constantly, and when he saw the signs and great miracles that were occurring, he was amazed.
[[#Verse 13]] Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed close to Philip constantly, and when he saw the signs and great miracles that were occurring, he was amazed.
### Simonâs Sin
**Principle**: The Holy Spirit is now available to all.
[[#Verse 14.]] Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.Â
[[#Verse 15.]] These two went down and prayed for them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit.Â
[[#Verse 16.]] (For the Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)Â
[[#Verse 17.]] Then Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritans, and they received the Holy Spirit.
[[#Verse 18.]] Now Simon, when he saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostlesâ hands, offered them money,Â
[[#Verse 19.]] saying, âGive me this power too, so that everyone I place my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.âÂ
[[#Verse 20.]] But Peter said to him, âMay your silver perish with you, because you thought you could acquire Godâs gift with money!Â
[[#Verse 21.]] You have no share or part in this matter because your heart is not right before God!Â
[[#Verse 22.]] Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that he may perhaps forgive you for the intent of your heart.
[[#Verse 23.]] For I see that you are bitterly envious and in bondage to sin.âÂ
[[#Verse 24.]] But Simon replied, âYou pray to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you have said may happen to me.â
[[#Verse 25.]] So after Peter and John had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to many Samaritan villages as they went.
### Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
**Principle**: Obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit leads us to bless others.
[[#Verse 26.]] Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, âGet up and go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.â (This is a desert road.)Â
[[#Verse 27.]] So he got up and went. There he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship,
[[#Verse 28.]] and was returning home, sitting in his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah.Â
[[#Verse 29.]] Then the Spirit said to Philip, âGo over and join this chariot.âÂ
[[#Verse 30.]] So Philip ran up to it and heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked him, âDo you understand what youâre reading?âÂ
[[#Verse 31.]] The man replied, âHow in the world can I, unless someone guides me?â So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.Â
[[#Verse 32.]] Now the passage of scripture the man was reading was this:
â**_He was led like a sheep to slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth_**.
[[#Verse 33.]]Â **_In humiliation, justice was taken from him. Who can describe his posterity? For his life was taken away_**Â **_from the earth_**.â [[Isaiah 53]]
[[#Verse 34.]] Then the eunuch said to Philip, âPlease tell me, who is the prophet saying this aboutâhimself or someone else?âÂ
[[#Verse 35.]] So Philip started speaking, and beginning with this scripture proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him.Â
[[#Verse 36.]] Now as they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, âLook, there is water! What is to stop me from being baptized?âÂ
[[#Verse 38.]] So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.Â
[[#Verse 39.]] Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any more, but went on his way rejoicing.
[[#Verse 40.]] Philip, however, found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through the area, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
## đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
- Acts 08 is when the church is scattered due to persecution. This is likely when the book of [[-James Overview]] was written.
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###### Verse 35.
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###### Verse 37.
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###### Verse 39.
###### Verse 40.
## đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. The persecution after Stephen's death fulfilled Jesus' plan in 1:8 by pushing the gospel out into Judea and Samaria (8:1).
2. This Philip is one of the seven (6:5), not the apostle Philip. He is later called Philip the evangelist (21:8).
3. Samaria's reception of the gospel echoes the earlier response of the Samaritan town in John 4.
4. Peter and John came from Jerusalem to Samaria (8:14). The same John had once wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan village (Luke 9:54).
5. Simon's attempt to buy spiritual power gave us the word "simony," the buying and selling of church offices.
6. The road from Jerusalem to Gaza (8:26) led toward Egypt and on to Africa.
7. In the Bible "Ethiopia" usually refers to Cush, the kingdom south of Egypt in what is now Sudan.
8. Candace (8:27) was not a personal name but a title for the queen mother of the Ethiopian kingdom.
9. People in the ancient world usually read aloud, which is why Philip could hear the eunuch reading Isaiah (8:30).
10. Verse 37 is missing from the earliest manuscripts, so most modern translations, including the NET, place it in a note.
## đ§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## âď¸ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, led like a sheep to the slaughter (8:32-35). Philip began with that Scripture and told the Ethiopian the good news about Jesus (Luke 24:27).
## đ Key Observations / đ Life Application
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đŹ Discussion Questions
1. Persecution scattered the believers, and they preached wherever they went (8:1, 4). How has God used hard circumstances to spread His message through your life?
2. Simon wanted to buy the power of the Spirit (8:18-20). In what ways do people try to use God for their own gain?
3. Philip obeyed the Spirit and ran to the chariot (8:26-30). How sensitive are you to God's leading toward a person who needs Him?
## âď¸ Key Verses to Remember
- đ verse 4: Those who were scattered went around proclaiming the good news of the word.
- đ verse 35: Starting with Isaiah, Philip told the eunuch the good news about Jesus.
- đ verse 39: The eunuch went on his way rejoicing.
## đ Related Passages
- đ [[Acts 01#Verse 08.|Acts 1:8]] - You will be My witnesses in Judea and Samaria.
- đ [[John 04#Verse 39.|John 4:39-42]] - Many Samaritans believe in Jesus.
- đ [[Isaiah 53#Verse 07.|Isaiah 53:7-8]] - Led like a sheep to the slaughter.
- đ [[Isaiah 56#Verse 03.|Isaiah 56:3-5]] - The eunuch welcomed among God's people.
- đ [[Psalm 68#Verse 31.|Psalm 68:31]] - Ethiopia will stretch out her hands to God.
## đ Devotional Reflection
đ SOAP: [[Acts 08 - SOAP|God Orders Our Steps]]
## đ Outline
(ââActs of the Apostles⏠â8âŹ:â1⏠âNLTâŹâŹ) âSaul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria.â
1- Philip left due to persecution and preached to those who couldnât have heard otherwise.
2- God exposed hearts that were not pure.
3- Philip preached to people he didnât expect. An Ethiopian leader.
## đ Internal Notes
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