1
Saul also agreed that Stephen was put to death.

(8-1b) At that time a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem. All except the apostles were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.

2
Devout men buried Stephen’s body and mourned over him greatly.

3
But Saul tried to destroy the church, entering house after house and dragging out men and women, and handing them over to be put in prison.

4
Those who were scattered went throughout the land, proclaiming the gospel.

5
And Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to the people there.

6
When the crowds heard Philip’s message and saw the signs he performed, they all with one accord accepted what he proclaimed.

7
For from many who were possessed by unclean spirits, the spirits came out with a loud cry, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.

8
So there was great joy in that city.

9
A man named Simon had long practiced sorcery in that city and amazed the people of Samaria, and he made himself out to be someone great.

10
All the people, from the least to the greatest, followed him and said, “This man is the power of God, known as the Great Power.”

11
And they followed him because for a long time he had amazed them with his sorceries.

12
But now they believed Philip, who proclaimed the gospel about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, and they were baptized, both men and women.

13
Simon himself also believed, and after being baptized, he stayed continually with Philip, and was amazed when he saw the signs and great miracles that were taking place.

14
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the land of Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.

15
When they arrived, the two apostles prayed that the Samaritans might receive the Holy Spirit.

16
For the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, because they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

17
Then the two laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

18
When Simon saw that the gift of the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,

19
saying, “Give me also this power, so that when I lay my hands on someone, he may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20
But Peter said to him, “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money.

21
You have no part or share in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.

22
Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that the intent of your heart may be forgiven you;

23
for I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and bound by unrighteousness.”

24
Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that none of the things you have spoken of may come upon me.”

25
So when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, and on the way they preached the gospel in many villages of Samaria.

26
Then an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Rise and go toward the south, along the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert road.

27
So Philip went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official and treasurer of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who had come to Jerusalem to worship.

28
Now he was returning, and sitting in his chariot, he was reading the book of the prophet Isaiah.

29
Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and join this chariot!”

30
Philip ran up and heard him reading the book of the prophet Isaiah. Philip said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

31
He answered, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

32
Now the passage of Scripture he was reading was this:

Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he did not open his mouth.

33
In his humiliation justice was denied him; who will declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth.

34
Then the eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, about whom does the prophet say this? About himself, or about someone else?”

35
Then Philip began to speak, and starting from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.

36
As they went along the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “Look, here is water; what prevents me from being baptized?”

37
[Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”]

38
Then he ordered the chariot to stop, and both of them went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and Philip baptized him.

39
And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more. And he went on his way rejoicing.

40
But it turned out that Philip was in Azotus. He passed through that region and preached the gospel in all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

📖 Acts 8 – The Gospel Breaks Through Boundaries and the Rise of Philip’s Ministry

🧾 Summary of Acts 8

This chapter shows how persecution against the church actually drove the spread of the gospel beyond Jerusalem, with the main focus on the ministry of Philip, one of the seven deacons.

The contents of this chapter can be divided into three main parts:

1. Persecution and the spread of the gospel to Samaria
2. Philip’s ministry in Samaria and Simon’s conversion
3. The conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch

1. Persecution of the Church & the Beginning of the Mission to Samaria (verses 1–3)

• After Stephen’s death, great persecution broke out in Jerusalem, led by Saul.
• As a result, the believers were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria, but the apostles remained in Jerusalem.
• Though persecuted, they continued to preach the gospel.

2. Philip Preaches the Gospel in Samaria (verses 4–25)

• Philip evangelized in Samaria, and many people believed, because they saw miraculous signs and heard the proclamation of the gospel.
• There was also Simon the sorcerer there, who had previously deceived the Samaritans with dark power.
• Simon believed and was baptized, but later wanted to buy the power of the Holy Spirit, which led Peter to rebuke him sharply:

“May your money perish with you, because you thought that you could obtain the gift of God with money!” (Acts 8:20)

• Peter and John came from Jerusalem to lay hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came upon the believers in Samaria, marking the unity between Jews and Gentiles in Christ.

3. Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch (verses 26–40)

• The angel of the Lord told Philip to go to the road between Jerusalem and Gaza, and there he met the Ethiopian eunuch, an official in the court of the queen of Ethiopia.
• The eunuch was reading the book of Isaiah, but he did not understand it.
• Philip explained that Jesus was the fulfillment of that prophecy.
• The eunuch believed, and said:

“Look, there is water there; what hinders me from being baptized?”

• Philip baptized him, then the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away, and the eunuch continued on his way with joy.
• Philip then continued his ministry in other cities, proclaiming the Gospel.

📘 Main Teachings of Acts 8

1. Persecution does not hinder the Gospel—it actually speeds its spread.
2. The Gospel is universal, crossing cultural, racial, and geographic boundaries (Samaria and Ethiopia).
3. God’s power cannot be bought or manipulated, as Simon tried to do.
4. Personal ministry (such as to the eunuch) is just as important as mass ministry.
5. Guidance by the Holy Spirit and full obedience are the keys to effective ministry.

✨ Spiritual Meaning of Acts 8

• The Gospel is not only for a few people, but for all nations and tribes.
• The Lord uses difficult situations such as persecution to advance the global mission.
• A true disciple like Philip is sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and willing to leave the crowd in order to serve one soul.
• Personal salvation can happen when a person’s heart is opened by the Word, as with the eunuch who was baptized along the road.