Acts 7:59-9:31    

v. 4-13 Philip did miraculous signs in Samaria. Samaria was inhabited by Jews who had intermarried with Gentiles. They were not under the authority of the high priest in Jerusalem and even had their own altar and places of prayer. Jews did not generally associate with Samaritans. When Philip went there he prayed for people. Many were healed and had demons cast out. A man named Simon the sorcerer was known as "the Great Power" because he amazed the people with his magic. But Philip was doing even greater things and so Simon the sorcerer followed him everywhere. He was amazed at the power Philip had in the name of Jesus. Simon and many other people were baptized.

v. 14-17 Peter and John came from Jerusalem to see these new Samaritan believers. These were the first non-Jews to be baptized in the name of Christ. But none of them had received the Holy Spirit, they had simply been baptized. The Spirit came upon them after Peter and John laid hands on them.

v. 18-25 Simon the sorcerer offered money to Peter if he would give him the power to give the Holy Spirit to people. But Peter rebuked him sharply and urged him to repent of the wickedness and bitterness in his heart. Peter did not accept him as a coworker in this ministry. It is uncertain whether Simon truly repented or if he asked Peter to pray for him because he was simply afraid. Peter and John preached in Samaritan villages as they returned to Jerusalem.

v. 26-40 Then an angel told Philip to go to the desert road that goes down to Gaza. There he saw an Ethiopian eunuch who was in charge of all the treasury of the Ethiopians. He was apparently a God-fearing Gentile who was now on his way back from worshiping in Jerusalem. Philip was invited to join him in his chariot. The Ethiopian had been reading Isaiah 53:7-8 and asked if the writer was speaking of himself or someone else. Philip used that passage to explain to him how Jesus was the Messiah and that Isaiah was speaking of Jesus. They came to some water and Philip baptized him. As they came out of the water the Spirit took Philip away and the Ethiopian went home full of joy. Philip appeared at Azotus and continued traveling and preaching the gospel.

9:1-9 Back in Jerusalem, Saul was continuing to persecute the church. He received letters from the high priest giving him authority to go to the synagogues in Damascus and arrest all the followers of Christ and bring them back to Jerusalem. On the way to Damascus he saw a light and heard a voice speak to him. It was Jesus speaking and He told Saul to go to Damascus and wait. When Saul got up he was blind, so the men who were with him led him to the city.

v. 10-25 The Lord had a servant in Damascus named Ananias and He told him to go to Saul and lay hands on him. Ananias was afraid because he'd heard about Saul, nevertheless he did what he was told. Saul received his sight again and was baptized. He spent a few days with the disciples there (the ones he had originally intended to arrest) and preached powerfully in the synagogues that Jesus is the Messiah. Some Jews decided to kill him and they watched the gates for an opportunity, but the believers lowered him through an opening in the city wall at night.

v. 26-31 Saul went to Jerusalem but the believers there were afraid of him until Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them about his conversion and how he'd risked his life preaching the gospel in Damascus. They accepted Saul and he debated with the Grecian Jews but they tried to kill him so the apostles sent him home to Tarsus. Then the church in Judea, Galilee and Samaria had a time of peace in which they grew in strength and in number.

  --Sandy Blank