Stephen continued his speech with Moses' statement that God would send them someone like him (Deut. 18:15,18 March 1.) Stephen reminded them that over and over they to obey God. They had received God's law, but had not obeyed it. They killed God's Servant Jesus. Well, truth hurts and those men listening to Stephen were furious and started stoning Stephen. But Stephen looked up and saw God's glory and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said so. They threw him out of the city and stoned him. They let a man named Saul watch their coats. As stones were being hurled at Stephen, he prayed and asked Jesus to receive his spirit and forgive them, and he died. Saul was pleased.
After that all the believers were scattered except for the apostles. Saul went from house to house, intent on destroying the church. While all this was going on Philip went to Samaria to preach the gospel. Many believed in Jesus and were baptized. The apostles heard that the Samaritans had received the word of God and they sent Peter and John. They prayed for the Holy Spirit to be given to the Samaritans. They put their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Peter got angry at a believer named Simon who had been a sorcerer. He wanted to buy the Holy Spirit. Peter told Simon he and his money could go to Hell if he thought he could buy God's gift. He told him to repent and pray for forgiveness for thinking up something so evil. Simon asked Peter and John to pray for him for forgiveness. Peter and John shared the Lord's message on the way back to Jerusalem. An angel of the Lord told Philip to go south on the road to Gaza. An Ethiopian eunuch who was in charge of the queens treasury rode by in his carriage was reading from Isaiah on his way home. The Lord told Philip to go near the carriage, so he did. He could hear the Ethiopina reading from Isaiah and asked him if he knew what it meant. The Ethiopian didn't understand and invited Philip to join him in the carriage and explain it to him. So Philip shared the Good News about Jesus. Soon they came by some water and the eunuch wanted to be baptized. Philip baptized him and when they came up out of the water, the Spirit took Philip away to another town called Azotus and preached the Good News, and the Ethiopian went on his way and rejoiced.
Meanwhile Saul was on a rampage against the followers of Jesus. He was on his way to Damascus to get written permission to arrest followers and bring them back to Jerusalem. Suddenly a light flashed around him, knocked him down and a voice asked him, "Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?" (9:4) Jesus told him to go into the city where he would be told what to do next. The men traveling with him heard the voice too. When he got up and opened his eyes, he couldn't see. Meanwhile in Damascus there was a believer named Ananias (it doesn't say, but I think this is a different Ananias from the one we read about yesterday) who the Lord told to go to a house and find a man named Saul, because the Lord had big plans for him. So he did, even though he was afraid of Saul. Ananias found Saul and placed his hands on Saul who had not been able to see or eat for 3 days and scales fell from his eyes and he could see. Saul was baptized. After that Saul went to the synagogues to preach that Jesus was the Son of God.
Tomorrow read Acts 9:23-11:30
No comments:
Post a Comment