The Word Is Alive The Book of Acts

1. The Word Is AliveThe Book of Acts Chapter Eight Narrated by Tony Gillon

2. Chapter Eight • Acts 6:1–11:30 – • The Witness beyond Jerusalem (continues)

3. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Summary of Chapter Eight • The outcome of Stephen’s death.

4. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Summary of Chapter Eight • The outcome of Stephen’s death. • The evangelist Philip travels to Samaria.

5. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Summary of Chapter Eight • The outcome of Stephen’s death. • The evangelist Philip travels to Samaria. • Simon Magus.

6. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Summary of Chapter Eight • The outcome of Stephen’s death. • The evangelist Philip travels to Samaria. • Simon Magus. • John and Peter join Philip.

7. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Summary of Chapter Eight • Peter rebukes Simon Magus.

8. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Summary of Chapter Eight • Peter rebukes Simon Magus. • Philip encounters the Ethiopian.

9. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Summary of Chapter Eight • Peter rebukes Simon Magus. • Philip encounters the Ethiopian. • Philip baptises the Ethiopian.

10. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Summary of Chapter Eight • Peter rebukes Simon Magus. • Philip encounters the Ethiopian. • Philip baptises the Ethiopian. • Philip settles on the coastal plain.

11. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Acts 8:1b-3 – • The church persecuted and scattered

12. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • 1b On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scatteredthroughoutJudæa and Samaria.

13. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • All except the apostles were scattered. The scattering or dispersion, Greek diaspeirō, of the believers, throughout the regions of Judæa and Samaria, was similar to the earlier Diaspora of Jews throughout the world.

14. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings (James 1:1).

15. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings (James 1:1). • Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia (1 Peter 1:1).

16. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. (Matthew 23:37).

17. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. (Matthew 23:37). • “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more” (Psalm 83:4).

18. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • The apostles stayed mostly in Jerusalem for several years.

19. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.” The apostles and the elders met to consider this question. (Acts 15:4-6).

20. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was (Galatians 1:17a).

21. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.

22. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. • Some men showed respect and buried Stephen. As a foreigner to Jerusalem he was probably buried in Akeldama.

23. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. • Some men showed respect and buried Stephen. As a foreigner to Jerusalem he was probably buried in Akeldama. • I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices (John 16:20a).

24. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

25. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. • I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished (Acts 22:4-5).

26. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them (Acts 26:10–11).

27. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. • (1 Corinthians 15:9).

28. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. • (1 Corinthians 15:9). • For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. (Galatians 1:13).

29. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy”. • (Galatians 1:23).

30. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy”. • (Galatians 1:23). • As for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. (Philippians 3:6).

31. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief (1 Timothy 1:13).

32. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Paul wrote frequently about his role in persecuting the church to remind himself of others of how bad he had been and just how marvellous God’s grace is in forgiving him. • Not because of who I am • But because of what You've done • Not because of what I've done • But because of who You are • ‘Who Am I?’ by Casting Crowns

33. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Acts 8:4–40 – • Philip witnesses beyond Jerusalem

34. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Acts 8:4–40 – • Philip witnesses beyond Jerusalem • Persecution of the church had the effect of Samson’s riddle: • Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet (Judges 14:14b).

35. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Note that this is not Philip, one of the twelve apostles, named in Luke 6:14-15.

36. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Acts 8:4–8 - Philip in Samaria

37. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Acts 8:4–8 - Philip in Samaria • The Gospel spread to the Samaritans through the witness of Philip and the apostles Peter and John. • These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans (Matthew 10:5).

38. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. • (Acts 1:8).

39. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • 4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there.

40. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • 4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. • Philip most likely visited ancient Sebaste, the main city of the Samaritans, lying at the foot of their holy mountain Gerizim.

41. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Samaria was resettled in 722BC.

42. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Samaria was resettled in 722BC. • The Samaritans had their own OT, temple and rendering of history.

43. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Samaria was resettled in 722BC. • The Samaritans had their own OT, temple and rendering of history. • Samaria (Sebaste) was the capital city, built on land purchased by King Omri.

44. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said.

45. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. • The Samaritans would have been prepared for Philip’s message about the Christ.

46. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. • The Samaritans would have been prepared for Philip’s message about the Christ. • Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem (John 4:20).

47. The Samaritan Temple on Mount Gerizim

48. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • Like the apostles, Philip had received the Holy Spirit’s power to cast out demons and to heal, which served as a sign confirming the truth of his message.

49. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • 7 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed.

50. The Witness beyond Jerusalem • 7 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. • Philip faithfully taught the Gospel of Christ, backed up by miraculous healings and the cleansing of evil spirits. • For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life (1 Thessalonians 4:7).