Acts 8:4-9:43
God has a way of turning things upside down.
Following the murder of Stephen, strong persecution arises against the Church in Jerusalem. Although the persecutors’ intent is to squelch the Gospel message, the actual effect is just the opposite. As believers flee, scattering across Judea and Samaria, they preach as they go. (Acts 8:1,4) Philip, one of the original Deacons named along with Stephen (Acts 6:5), evangelizes the city of Samaria and subsequently guides an Ethiopian official through the Scriptures to Christ. (This Philip becomes known as “Philip the Evangelist” to distinguish him from the Apostle Philip, who remains in Jerusalem — Acts 8:1). And although the Bible does not say so directly, we can be sure that the Ethiopian eunuch takes the Gospel home with him, expanding the Gospel’s reach even further.
And then there is Saul. We first meet Saul taking care of the coats of those stoning Stephen to death, approving of their actions. (Acts 7:58, 8:1) He then leads the persecution of the Church, hauling believers off to prison and seeking to hunt them down as far away as Damascus. (Acts 8:3, 9:1-2) But Saul encounters Jesus on the way to Damascus, and his life is forever changed. The great persecutor of Christ becomes His preacher.
God has a way of turning things upside down.
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