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November 14 - Acts 8 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here. It's Thursday, it's the 14th of
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  November and you have been kind enough to tap on play and here I
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  am ready and waiting, waiting for this moment so that you and
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  I can read a chapter of God's word together.
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  Isn't this the most fascinating book of the Bible, the book of
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  Acts as it charts Jesus course, spreading his word through his
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  Spirit through the ancient world at that time and today.
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  Today things get really expansive to this point.
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  We've been following that group of apostles as they've been
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  preaching in Jerusalem. But now there is some
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  persecution. The believers scatter and they
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  reach the ears of the most unlikely converts by the end of
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  this chapter. And it's a wonderful, wonderful
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  story that we get to share. So friends, buckle yourself in.
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  Let us come along for the ride as we hear how the Holy Spirit
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  is moving this incredible message of grace and a new way
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  of being under the forgiveness of a loving God.
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  As we read together Act chapter 8,
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  Saul was one of the witnesses and he agreed completely with
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  the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution
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  began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem, and all
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  the believers except the apostles were scattered
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  throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.
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  Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning, but
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  Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church.
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  He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women
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  to throw them into prison. But the believers who were
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  scattered preached the good news about Jesus wherever they went.
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  Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and told the
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  people there about the Messiah. Crowds listened intently to
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  Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see the
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  miraculous signs he did. Many evil spirits were cast out
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  screaming as they left their victims, and many who had been
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  paralysed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that
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  city. A man named Simon had been a
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  sorcerer there for many years, amazing the people of Samaria
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  and claiming to be someone great.
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  Everyone from the least to the greatest often spoke of him as
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  the Great One, the power of God. They listened closely to him
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  because for a long time he had astounded them with his magic.
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  But now the people believed Philip's message of good news
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  concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.
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  As a result, many men and women were baptised.
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  Then Simon himself believed and was baptised.
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  He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was
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  amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed.
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  When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria
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  had accepted God's message, they sent Peter and John there.
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  As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers
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  to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had not yet come
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  upon any of them, for they had only been baptised in the name
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  of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John laid their
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  hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.
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  When Simon saw that the Spirit was given, when the apostles
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  laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this
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  power. Let me have this power too, he
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  exclaimed. So that when I lay my hands on
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  people, they will receive the Holy Spirit.
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  But Peter replied, may your money be destroyed with you for
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  thinking God's gift can be bought.
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  You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with
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  God. Repent of your wickedness and
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  pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your
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  evil thoughts, for I can see that you are full of bitter
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  jealousy and are held captive by sin.
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  Pray to the Lord for me, Simon exclaimed.
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  That these terrible things you've said won't happen to me.
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  After testifying and preaching the word of the Lord in Samaria,
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  Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, and they stopped in
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  many Samaritan villages along the way to preach the good news.
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  As for Philip, an Angel of the Lord said to him, go South Down
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  the desert Rd that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.
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  So we started out and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch
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  of great authority under the Candac, the queen of Ethiopia.
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  The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and he was now
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  returning, seated in his carriage.
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  He was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
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  The Holy Spirit said to Philip, Go over and walk along beside
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  the carriage. Philip ran over and heard the
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  man reading from the prophet Isaiah.
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  Philip asked, Do you understand what you are reading?
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  The man replied, How can I unless someone instructs me?
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  And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with
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  him. The passage of scripture he had
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  been reading was this. He was led like sheep to the
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  slaughter, as a lamb is silent before the shearers.
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  He did not open his mouth. He was humiliated and received
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  no justice. Who can speak of his
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  descendants, for his life was taken from the earth?
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  The eunuch asked Philip, tell me, was the prophet talking
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  about himself or someone else? So beginning with the same
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  scripture, Philip told him the good news about Jesus.
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  As they rode along, they came to some water and the eunuch said,
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  look, there's some water, why can't I be baptised?
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  He ordered the carriage to stop, and then went down to the water,
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  and Philip baptised him. When they came up out of the
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  water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away.
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  The eunuch never saw him again, but went on his way rejoicing.
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  Meanwhile Philip found himself farther N at the town of
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  Azettus. He preached the good news there
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  in every town along the way until he came to say, Saria.
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  Ah Jesus, your message of forgiveness and salvation is so
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  compelling. Let us never forget that here we
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  are. So many of us have known your
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  truth our whole lives and it can feel quite well, run of the
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  mill, quite ordinary. But here we see people hearing
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  that news about You and what You have done for them for the first
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  time, and it moves them to their core, and they respond with
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  faith and a deep desire to follow Your Word and Your
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  teachings. Our Lord, let us be moved right
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  now and all through our day, moved by the incredible news
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  that You love us. You love us so much that Your
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  Father sent you here so that you would die in our place and
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  through that sacrifice you would forge a way for us to be able to
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  stand before the heavenly throne, sanctified, forgiven and
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  acceptable and that we can live forever in your glorious
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  company. That is quite a message.
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  Thank you for the life changing, life changing gift that you give
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  us. We thank you for it.
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  We pray that it would continue to blow our minds every day.
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  We pray all of this in the name of Jesus, Amen.