Written by Yahusha's Student: LUKE (the Doctor) ...
STEPHEN HAS JUST BEEN MURDERED AND THE WITNESSES WHO THREW THE STONES PUT HIS GARMENTS AT THE FEET OF THE JEWISH LEADER SAUL.
1-2 Saul agreed that the killing of Stephen was a good thing. Some other followers buried Stephen and cried loudly for him. And on that day the Jewish Leaders began a great campaign of hate and persecution against the new fellowship in Jerusalem, making them suffer incredibly. And Saul was completely ravaging YAHUSHA'S Fellowship.
SO IT IS WITH THE BACKDROP OF SUSPICION, DANGER AND PERSECUTION THAT WE FIND SOME COURAGEOUS BELIEVERS STEPPING FORWARD TO CLAIM STEPHEN’S BODY TO GIVE HIM A PROPER BURIAL, AND THEN TO GO THROUGH THE CUSTOMARY JEWISH MOURNING RITES TO HONOUR HIM.
PAUL WAS OPERATING OFFICIALLY FOR THE JEWISH SANHEDRIN AND ANY ARREST WOULD HAVE BEEN BY COURT ORDER; A PRIVATE CITIZEN COULDN’T JUST GO OUT AND ARREST PEOPLE AS THEY SAW FIT. AND THE ROMANS WOULDN’T HAVE HAD ANY INVOLVEMENT AS THIS WAS STRICTLY A JEWISH RELIGIOUS MATTER.
3 He even went into believer's houses, dragging out men and women, and throwing them in jail. The fellowship of followers began leaving Jerusalem. Only YAHUSHA'S 12 Disciples stayed. The believers went to different places in Judea and Samaria. 4 They were scattered everywhere, and in every place they went, they told people the Good News of YAHUSHA'S deliverance.
PERSECUTION DID NOT DESTROY THE MESSAGE OF GOOD NEWS - IT SCATTERED AND SPREAD IT ACROSS THE WORLD AS YAHUSHA WANTED! THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER WAS COMING TO FULFILMENT IN ALL SORTS OF HEARTS. STEPHEN'S DEATH (LIKE THE CORN OF WHEAT WHICH HAD TO DIE) BEGAN TO BRING FORTH FRUIT AND MULTIPLY !
5 Philip went to the city of Samaria and told people about YAHUSHA. 6 The people there heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he was doing, and they all listened carefully to what he said. 7 Many of these people had evil demons inside them, but Philip made them leave. The spirits made a lot of noise as they came out too. There were also many weak and crippled people there. Philip made these people well too.
PHILIP IS THE HELLENIST BELIEVER WHO WAS ONE OF THE 7 MEN CHOSEN TO DEAL WITH THE FOOD DISTRIBUTION TO THE WIDOWS. YAHUSHA'S 12 FOLLOWERS STAYED IN JERUSALEM WHILE THE OTHERS FLED, MEANING PHILLIP WAS A GREEK SPEAKER, (COMMON LANGUAGE IN SAMARIA). NO DOUBT PHILLIP KNEW SOME HEBREW AND ARAMAIC AS WELL, SO HE WAS A GOOD CANDIDATE TO GO TO SAMARIA AND PREACH THE GOSPEL.
8 What a happy day this was for that city and great joy spread! 9 Now there was a man named Simon who lived in that city. Before Philip came there, Simon had been doing magic and amazing all the people of Samaria. He bragged and called himself a great man. 10 And all the people, the least important to the most important, believed what he said. They said,
This man has the great power of Alahim.”
11 Simon amazed all the people with his magic for so long that they became his followers. 12 But Philip told the people the Good News about Alahim's kingdom and the power of YAHUSHA for true deliverance. So men and women believed Philip and were immersed. 13 And Simon himself also believed, and after he was immersed, he stayed close to Philip, for when he saw the miraculous signs and powerful things Philip did, he was truly amazed.
14 The followers in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted the word of Alahim. So they sent Peter and John to the people there. 15 And when Peter and John arrived, they prayed for the Samaritan believers to receive YAHUSHA'S Set-Apart Spirit. 16 These people had been immersed into the Name of YAHUSHA MESSIAH, but His Divine Spirit hadn't come down on any of them yet. This is why Peter and John prayed. 17 And when the Peter and John laid their hands on the people, they received the Set-Apart Spirit. 18 And when Simon saw that the Spirit was given to people when the Disciples laid their hands on them (HE SAW A CHANGE IN THESED NEW PEOPLE), he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power so that when I lay my hands on someone, they will receive the Set-apart Spirit also.”
20 Peter said to Simon, “You and your money should both be destroyed because you thought you could buy Alahim's gift with money. 21You cannot share with us in this work for your heart is not right before Alahim. 22 So change it! Repent and turn away from these evil thoughts and pray to Alahim for forgiveness. 23 I see that you are full of bitter jealousy and cannot stop yourself from doing wrong.”
24 Simon answered, “Please pray to Alahim for me, so that what you have said won't happen to me.” 25 Then Peter and John told the people what they had seen YAHUSHA do, giving them the full account of His Deliverance Message. Then they went back to Jerusalem. On the way, they went through many Samaritan towns and told people the Good News that YAHUSHA was indeed alive and the only source of Deliverance. 26 Then an Angel of Alahim spoke to Philip, saying, “Get ready and go south on the road that leads to Gaza from Jerusalem, through the desert.” He was responsible for taking care of all her money. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship. 28 Now he was on his way home, sitting in his chariot reading from the book of Isaiah the prophet. So Philip prepared and went. On the road he saw a man from Kush. He was a eunich and an important official of the Kandake, Queen of the Ethiopians. 29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” 30 So he went toward the chariot, and heard the man reading from the scroll of Isaiah. Philip asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 The man answered, “How can I understand this? I need someone to explain it to me.” Then he invited Philip to climb in and sit with him. 32 The part of the Scriptures that he was reading was this (ISAIAH 53): “He was led as a sheep to its slaughter, like a lamb silent before its shearer, He didn't opened His mouth. 33 In His humiliation He was deprived of right-ruling. And who will declare His generation? Because His life was taken from the earth.”
34 The Eunich said to Philip, “Please, tell me, who is the prophet talking about? Is he talking about himself or about someone else?” 35 So Philip began to speak, starting with this same Scripture and told the man the Good News about YAHUSHA, the Lamb described by Isaiah, who took away the sins of the world. 36 While they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. So the Eunich said, “Look, here's water! What's stopping me from being immersed right now?” Then he ordered the chariot to stop and both Philip and the Eunich went down into the water, and Philip immersed him.
37 And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, there's nothing stopping you ... go for it!” And the Eunich replied, “I believe that YAHUSHA MESSIAH is the Son of Alahim.” 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of YAHUSHA snatched Philip away, and the Eunich never saw him again, but continued on his way home, rejoicing. 40 Then Philip appeared in a city called Azotus. He was going to the city of Caesarea, so he told the people the Good News in all the towns on the way from Azotus to Caesarea.
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