W𝕖𝕖𝕜𝕝𝕪 B𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕠𝕗 A𝕔𝕥𝕤 8 25-40

25  After Peter and John had testified fully and spoken the word of the Lord (to the new believers, now baptized in the Holy Spirit) they turned back to Jerusalem, and on their way they told the good news in many of the villages of Samaria.

     26 An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying "Go south along the desert road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27 So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” 30 Philip ran up close and heard the man reading aloud from the book of Isaiah. Philip asked him, "Do you understand what you are reading?" 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 33 He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” 34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 37 “Nothing prevents it if you truly believe!” Philip said. And the man answered, “I believe Jesus is the Messiah, Son of God!” 38 So he ordered the chariot to stop. Then they both went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.

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     Very Brief Outline of Acts:

Jesus returns to where he was with the Father before his advent/visit (his brief first one).

The Holy Spirit/Presence of God is poured out on the believers who were in Jerusalem on the late Spring holy day of Pentecost. Peter speaks, there are 3000 new believers that day.

The good news message spreads, Peter is invited and goes to a Roman’s house and all believe. The first record of non Hebrew believers (besides likely some on Pentecost).

     Persecution breaks out.. jail. stoning. Pharisee Saul leads the persecution, but on his way to Damascus with papers for arrests, Jesus makes himself seen but is so bright Paul falls to the ground and is blinded. After two days he is healed and is a believer, and soon is called Paul. He wrote many (to most) of the New Testament letters, but spent a few years (it seems to me) exclusively listening to the Lord. He established many ‘churches’ in what’s called three missionary journeys, and met and worked with Mark and Luke, and quite a few others. (Luke wrote this Book of Acts.) His fourth journey is to Rome to trial as a prisoner. There’s a shipwreck on the way.. He wrote many of his letters while in prison and under ‘house’ arrest.

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