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September 27 - Acts 8 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean. Here it is, Wednesday it is the
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  27th of September and spring has sprung.
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  Well, in my part of the world it has for sure.
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  I don't know how you guys are going but spring is wonderful.
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  But normally down here in Tasmania it's a little bit of a
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  cruel joke because September arrives and you think springtime
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  is here and really it's only October, November when you when
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  you start to be able to shed your extra layers.
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  But this year there have been some cracker warm days and that
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  is good news. Well, for me, although if we
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  read the news, the world is in a little bit of turmoil as the
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  climate is doing naughty things that it shouldn't do.
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  But all of that we're going to get to put down for the next of
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  the while, as we are going to set our clocks, tune our rhythms
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  to the words of our God, Holy Spirit, come well up in our
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  shape, our ears, our mind and our heart as we hear these
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  inspirational stories of your inspirational servants as our
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  church is born. All right, friends, there is
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  nothing left to do but to read. So join me as we read together.
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  Act Chapter 8. Paul was one of the witnesses
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  and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen.
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  A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over
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  the church in Jerusalem, and all the believers except the
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  apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and
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  Samaria. Some devout men came and buried
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  Stephen with great mourning that Saul was going everywhere to
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  destroy the church. He went from house to house,
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  dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.
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  But the believers, who were scattered, preached the good
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  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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  paralyzed or lame or 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 closer 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 in the name of Jesus Christ.
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  As a result, many men and women were baptized.
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  Then Simon himself believed and was baptized.
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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 baptized in the name
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  of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John laid their
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  hands upon the believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.
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  When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid
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  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 it, 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 That these
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  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 he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, A
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  eunuch of great authority under the kandake, the Queen of
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  Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem
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  to worship, and he was now returning.
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  Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of
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  the prophet Isaiah. The Holy Spirit said to Philip,
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  go over and walk beside the carriage.
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  Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet
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  Isaiah. Philip asked.
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  Do you understand what you were reading?
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  The man replied. How can I unless someone
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  instructs me? And he urged Philip to come up
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  into the carriage and sit with him.
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  The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this.
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  He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is
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  silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.
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  He was humiliated and received no justice.
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  Who can speak of his descendants, for his life was
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  taken from the earth? The eunuch asked Philip, Tell
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  me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?
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  So, beginning with the same scripture, Philip told him the
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  good news about Jesus. As they rode along, they came to
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  some water, and the eunuch said, look, there's some water.
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  Why can't I be baptized? He ordered the carriage to stop,
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  and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
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  When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched
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  Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again,
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  but went on his way, rejoicing. Meanwhile, Philip found himself
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  farther N at the town of Asatus. He preached the good news there
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  and in every town along the way until he came to say, Saria,
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  Holy Spirit, you are wise and present and kind and all knowing
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  thank you that you reside in us and that you invite us to work
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  with you in saving our brothers and sisters.
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  Holy Spirit, when you prompt us, give us faith to obey, because
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  when we enter situations in your service, you will give us the
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  words that we need. You will not abandon us, but
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  lead us so your word is shared and your Kingdom is grown.
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  We just submit to you, Holy Spirit, and pray that you would
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  have your way in us. We love you and we pray.
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  All of this in the name of Jesus.
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  Come in.