Acts 8

Follows on from the stoning of Stephen & heralds a time of great persecution of the church. However, good comes out of this in that Jesus’ followers are scattered & they proclaim the gospel throughout Judea & Samaria as Jesus said they would in Acts1:8.  This reminds me that God can use the worst thing that can happen to me for my good & His glory. 

In the story of Simon the sorcerer we see someone who was blinded by his own greatness!  He believed in Jesus when he heard the gospel & was baptised however, he wanted to be able to perform the same miracles that he saw Philip, Peter & John perform, but for the wrong reasons. When Peter challenged him to repent of his sin he was quick to do so & humbly asked for prayer. May I accept challenge when necessary & let it push me into prayer & a deeper hunger for Father God & all that he has for me. 

In the story of Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch I am again challenged. Philip was seeing much fruit from his prayers & teaching but he left it all to go to an unknown place for an unknown reason at the instruction of the angel of the Lord. He would have been justified in thinking that he was achieving much for God but he left what he was doing to go where God told him to go. Little did he know that the Ethiopian had great influence in the royal courts of Ethiopia & so the gospel did spread far & wide. Father God, help me to hear your quiet voice & to be quick to obey so that you can produce much fruit through me & further your Kingdom.