The day that Stephen was stoned a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem. This caused many to scatter and thus they preached the word wherever they went. If the persecution had not broken out would the word have spread so rapidly?  Interestingly, the "church" met in homes just as many fellowships meet in homes today.

We took an interesting journey while reading the account of the people in Samaria and Simon the Sorcerer.   He was called the Great Power.  We might call it Humanism or New Age today.  A careful reading lets us know that the people believed what Philip was saying and doing, but they didn't necessarily believe in Jesus "because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus".

They probably had only been water baptized and not Spirit baptized. A clue hidden away in the little word "in" speaks volumes.

These people had been baptized "in" or "into" the name of the Lord Jesus. This word "in" comes from the Greek word "eis" and means "a going through, expressing motion". In other words, they went through the motions of baptism. Contrast this word with the word "in" from Acts 2:38
Then Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ to remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The word "in" in this verse is the Greek word "epi" and means "superimposition" in relation to "distribution". So while the word eis means going through the motions, epi means a distribution as in the distribution of the Holy Spirit. Who would have thought a tiny word like that could make such a difference in our understanding. It's just one of those little jewels hidden away just waiting for us to dig it out, polish it up, and admire it!

What a responsibility for those who have been given the gift of teaching! The Ethiopian eunuch depends on Philip to give him understanding of the scriptures. This man was most likely very dedicated to God because he had traveled a long distance from Ethiopia, located in Africa south of Egypt. Since he was reading from the book of Isaiah, he most likely had the money to buy a scroll. He was either a Jew or a convert to Judaism which is why he went to Jerusalem to worship. His conversion took Christianity into another government.

What happened to Philip after the baptism of the eunuch? Seems as if he was spirited away.

We made another interesting journey concerning Acts 8:37. Check it out. That verse may not be in the Bible you are using. Why???

In our e-sword, there are 24 Bible versions. Of those 24 versions, nine of them did not have Acts 8:37. Of those nine, seven are fairly contemporary versions. Most of the other 15 versions included Acts 8:37 and are much older versions. This verse follows the verse in which the eunuch asked to be baptized in water.

Act 8:37 
Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, it is lawful. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

When Philip said baptism by water was lawful (Greek word exesti), he was saying that this water baptism was a "completion of the act" of believing and carries the figurative idea of "being out in public". In other words, this act of water baptism was an outward sign of an inward change. This Ethiopian eunuch was most likely traveling with an entourage of people. He was after all an important official in charge of the treasury of the queen. He wanted all to know that he was a believer in Jesus. Obviously, the baptism of the Holy Spirit had already occurred in the chariot when he first believed.  Remember the difference between the two words translated "in".  One means "going through the motions" and the other means "distribution of the Holy Spirit."

Saul, the great persecutor of the Followers of “The Way” becomes a changed man. He was going to Damascus with letters in hand giving him authority from the chief priests to arrest any of the followers of Jesus, whether men or women.  This tells us that the women were important and had great influence. Since Damascus (located about 175 miles northeast of Jerusalem in Syria) was a commercial city that linked many other cities throughout the Roman world, Saul may have thought he could prevent the spread of Christianity to other major areas.

Does Jesus still come and go as He did when Saul had his conversion experience on the road to Damascus?

What must Ananias have thought when the Lord told him to go and ask for a man named Saul of Tarsus? What must the disciples have thought when Saul tried to join them? Saul was well known as a persecutor of the Followers of the Way. Saul was his name in Hebrew.  Paul was his name in Greek.

God says He will show Saul how much he must suffer. Did Saul know ahead of time what persecutions he must endure for the cause of Christ?

When Saul changed from being a persecutor of the followers of The Way to being a follower of The Way, the church enjoyed a time of peace.  Sounds as if Paul was the main driving force behind the persecution.