Bible

In the Bible room today, we continue reading the book of Acts with Session 4, the summaries of chapters 8 and 9.

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Acts

Session 4

Chapter 8. Scattered

Saul agrees with the stoning death of Stephen:

• The church at Jerusalem is beginning to suffer persecution;
• Believers, except for the apostles, are forced out of Jerusalem;
• They are scattered across the regions of Judea and Samaria;
• Stephen is buried, the church is mourning deeply;
• Saul spreads havoc among the believers, going house to house;
• He causes many to be arrested, put in prison;
• The scattered believers are spreading the word everywhere;
• Philip goes to Samaria to preach Christ to them;
• Many miracles are seen there, and believers are multiplied;
• There is a man in Samaria named Simon;
• He has been performing magic a long time;
• And the people say he is great, even calling him a man of God;
• When Philip comes to town, Simon hears him preach;
• He sees the miracles and is amazed at what he sees;
• He becomes a believer, is baptized, and begins to follow Philip;
• In Jerusalem, the apostles hear of Samaria receiving the word,
• And believers being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus;
• So, Peter and John go there to lay hands on them in prayer,
• That they all receive the Holy Spirit;
• When Simon sees the believers receiving the Holy Spirit,
• He offers the apostles money to grant him the same power;
• He wants to touch people so they could receive the Holy Spirit;
• But Peter tells him his money is worthless;
• The gift of God cannot be bought with money;
• He says Simon’s heart is not right in the sight of God;
• Peter tells him to repent of his evil, wicked thoughts,
• And to ask God for forgiveness for his sin and bitterness;
• Simon then asks Peter to pray to the Lord for him,
• That he would not have what Peter says he has in his heart;
• After this, the apostles continue preaching in the area,
• And in Samaritan villages as they return to Jerusalem;
• An angel of the Lord tells Philip to go south toward Gaza;
• On the road he encounters an Ethiopian, a man of royalty;
• He is on his way home after worshipping at Jerusalem;
• Riding in his chariot, he is reading the prophet, Isaiah;
• Hearing the man reading aloud, Philip approaches his chariot;
• He asks him if he understands what he is reading;
• The man says he needs someone to help him,
• So, he invites Philip to sit with him in his chariot;
• He was reading in the scripture where it says:
• ‘He was led as a sheep to the slaughter . . .,
• And he opened not His mouth; . . . .’
• For His life is taken from the earth;’
• The man asks Philip a question:
• Is the prophet speaking of himself, or of another?
• Philip, using this scripture as a starting point,
• Goes on to preach to the man about Jesus;
• Not far down the road, they come to a watering hole;
• The man asks Philip if he would baptize him there;
• Philip asks him if he believes in Jesus with all his heart;
• The man says he believes Jesus Christ is the Son of God;
• Stopping the chariot, both men step down into the water;
• After baptizing the man, Philip is caught away by the Lord,
• Not seen again by the man, and he leaves, rejoicing;
• Then Philip appears later in Ashdod,
• And he preaches in many cities on his way to Caesarea.

Chapter 9. Conversion

Saul continues to threaten and murder the followers of the Lord:

• He goes to the high priest, asks for a letter of authority;
• He is planning a trip to visit the synagogues at Damascus;
• If he encounters believers on the road, he will arrest them;
• Nearing Damascus, a light shines on him from heaven;
• Falling to the ground, he hears a voice, saying,
• ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’
• Saul asks the voice who it is, and the voice answers:
• ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting….’;
• Astonished, Saul asks what he is supposed to do;
• The Lord tells him to go into the city,
• And there he will be told what he is to do;
• The men traveling with Saul are speechless;
• They hear the voice, but do not see anyone;
• Saul stands to his feet, his eyes blinded;
• They lead him by the hand into Damascus;
• There, for three days, he is blind, does not eat nor drink;
• There is a disciple in Damascus named Ananias;
• In a vision, the Lord gives him instructions concerning Saul;
• He tells him to go to a street called Straight;
• Find the home of a man named Judas;
• Ask him if there is a man there called Saul of Tarsus;
• Saul has been praying and, in a vision, has seen Ananias,
• Who is to touch him so his sight will be restored;
• Ananias tells the Lord he has heard about Saul;
• About the harm he has done to saints in Jerusalem;
• And now the chief priest has given him a letter:
• He has authority to arrest those who follow the Lord;
• But the Lord assures Ananias that He will change Saul;
• He will make Saul into a special vessel for the Lord;
• And Saul will be called to endure many things for the Lord;
• So, Ananias goes to the house, lays his hands on Saul;
• And prays: ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you
• On the road, has sent me that you may receive your sight
• And be filled with the Holy Spirit;’
• Immediately, Saul’s eyes are healed, and he is baptized;
• He stays several days with disciples in Damascus;
• Soon, he is preaching in the synagogues Jesus is the Son of God;
• The people who hear him are astonished at his transformation;
• Isn’t this the man who came to Damascus to arrest believers?
• But Saul continues to preach Jesus is the Christ;
• Finally, the Jews decide that Saul must be killed;
• They make plans to ambush him at night, near a gate;
• But, some of the believers lower him over the wall in a basket;
• And Saul escapes, making his way back to Jerusalem;
• There, he attempts to join with the group of disciples;
• But they want nothing to do with this man;
• They do not believe he has become a disciple;
• However, Barnabas takes Saul to the apostles;
• He tells them about Saul’s Damascus road conversion;
• How he had preached about Jesus in the synagogues there;
• So, Saul is finally accepted into the body of believers;
• And, in Jerusalem, he preaches boldly about the Lord Jesus;
• He stirs up anger among the Jews, so they plot to kill him;
• The brethren in the church help him escape down to Tarsus;
• Then there is a time of peace among all the churches,
• And the church continues to grow throughout the region;
• Peter travels the country, preaching in many cities;
• At Lydda, he encounters a man named Aeneas;
• Paralyzed, he has been confined in bed for eight years;
• Peter tells Aeneas that Jesus the Christ heals him;
• He gets up immediately, and many people turn to the Lord;
• Not far from Lydda is a town called Joppa;
• A good woman named Dorcas lives there, gets sick, and dies;
• Hearing about the miracle at Lydda, two men go to get Peter;
• They bring him into the room where they have laid Dorcas;
• Weeping women show Peter the fine clothing she has made;
• Peter sends everybody out of the room, kneels, and prays;
• He tells her to wake up, she opens her eyes, sees Peter;
• She stands, he calls for her friends to come see her, alive;
• Word of this miracle spreads, and many turn to the Lord;
• Peter stays many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.

End of Session 4 of the book of Acts.