Acts 8: The Gospel Scatters and Spreads
Persecution scatters believers, and the message reaches Samaria and an Ethiopian official.
Acts 8 (WEB)
1 Saul was consenting to his death. A great persecution arose against the assembly which was in Jerusalem in that day. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.
2 Devout men buried Stephen, and lamented greatly over him.
3 But Saul ravaged the assembly, entering into every house, and dragged both men and women off to prison.
4 Therefore those who were scattered abroad went around preaching the word.
5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ.
6 The multitudes listened with one accord to the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard and saw the signs which he did.
7 For unclean spirits came out of many of those who had them. They came out, crying with a loud voice. Many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.
8 There was great joy in that city.
9 But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who used to practice sorcery in the city, and amazed the people of Samaria, making himself out to be some great one,
10 to whom they all listened, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is that great power of God.”
11 They listened to him, because for a long time he had amazed them with his sorceries.
12 But when they believed Philip preaching good news concerning God’s Kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 Simon himself also believed. Being baptized, he continued with Philip. Seeing signs and great miracles occurring, he was amazed.
14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,
15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit;
16 for as yet he had fallen on none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of Christ Jesus.
17 Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,
19 saying, “Give me also this power, that whomever I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart isn’t right before God.
22 Repent therefore of this, your wickedness, and ask God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.
23 For I see that you are in the poison of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
24 Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that none of the things which you have spoken happen to me.”
25 They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the Good News to many villages of the Samaritans.
26 But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise, and go toward the south to the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert.”
27 He arose and went; and behold, there was a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship.
28 He was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.
29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go near, and join yourself to this chariot.”
30 Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 He said, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” He begged Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. As a lamb before his shearer is silent, so he doesn’t open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away. Who will declare His generation? For his life is taken from the earth.”
34 The eunuch answered Philip, “Who is the prophet talking about? About himself, or about someone else?”
35 Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached to him about Jesus.
36 As they went on the way, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Behold, here is water. What is keeping me from being baptized?”
37
38 He commanded the chariot to stand still, and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the eunuch didn’t see him any more, for he went on his way rejoicing.
40 But Philip was found at Azotus. Passing through, he preached the Good News to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.
Acts 8 (KJV)
1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city.
9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.
11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.
14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,
19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.
22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
24 Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.
25 And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.
Acts 8 (ASV)
1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 And devout men buried Stephen, and made great lamentation over him.
3 But Saul laid waste the church, entering into every house, and dragging men and women committed them to prison.
4 They therefore that were scattered abroad, went about preaching the word.
5 And Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed unto them the Christ.
6 And the multitudes gave heed with one accord unto the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard, and saw the signs which he did.
7 For [from] many of those that had unclean spirits, they came out, crying with a loud voice: and many that were palsied, and that were lame, were healed.
8 And there was much joy in that city.
9 But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who beforetime in the city used sorcery, and amazed the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is that power of God which is called Great.
11 And they gave heed to him, because that of long time he had amazed them with his sorceries.
12 But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 And Simon also himself believed: and being baptized, he continued with Philip; and beholding signs and great miracles wrought, he was amazed.
14 Now when the apostles that were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15 who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit:
16 for as yet it was fallen upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,
19 saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit.
20 But Peter said unto him, Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money.
21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right before God.
22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of thy heart shall be forgiven thee.
23 For I see that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.
24 And Simon answered and said, Pray ye for me to the Lord, that none of the things which ye have spoken come upon me.
25 They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
26 But an angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza: the same is desert.
27 And he arose and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship;
28 and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.
29 And the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
30 And Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31 And he said, How can I, except some one shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth:
33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: His generation who shall declare? For his life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other?
35 And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on the way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch saith, Behold, [here is] water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 [And Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.]
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing.
40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached the gospel to all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.
Summary
A wave of persecution, led in part by Saul, scatters the believers from Jerusalem — but everywhere they go, they share the message. Philip preaches in Samaria with great joy, and many respond, including a sorcerer named Simon, who is later rebuked for trying to buy the Spirit's power. Then, directed by God, Philip meets an Ethiopian official reading the prophet Isaiah, explains how the passage points to Jesus, and baptizes him. The chapter shows the good news crossing ethnic and social boundaries.
Main Characters
- Philip — Proclaims Jesus in Samaria and to the Ethiopian official on the desert road.
- Saul — Continues to persecute the church, scattering believers from Jerusalem.
- Simon the sorcerer — Believes but is rebuked for trying to buy God's power.
- The Ethiopian official — A foreign seeker who believes and is baptized.
Key Verse
Acts 8:4 (WEB)
Therefore those who were scattered abroad went around preaching the word.
Lessons Learned
- God can use even hardship and scattering to spread his message.
- The gospel crosses ethnic, cultural, and social boundaries.
- God's power and grace cannot be bought or controlled for personal gain.
- God meets sincere seekers and sends people to help them understand.
- Adversity advances the mission. When persecution scattered the Jerusalem believers, the gospel spread further than it might have otherwise, showing that God can turn opposition into opportunity (Acts 8:1, 4, WEB).
- Obedience to the Spirit opens unexpected doors. Philip followed divine prompting — first to Samaria and then to a desert road — and both redirections led to lives transformed; willingness to be led matters more than having a plan.
- Grace cannot be earned, bought, or controlled. Simon's attempt to purchase the Spirit's power exposes a root error: God's gifts are freely given and remain beyond human transaction or manipulation (Acts 8:20–22, WEB).
- Scripture becomes living when it is explained. The Ethiopian official was reading Isaiah but needed someone to open its meaning; the passage came alive only when connected to the person of Jesus (Acts 8:30–35, WEB).
- God reaches those who sincerely seek him. A foreign official on a dusty road, searching through a scroll he only partly understood, was not overlooked — God sent a messenger to meet him exactly where he was (Acts 8:27–29, WEB).
- Repentance is always available, even for serious error. Peter called Simon to repent rather than to despair; the door of forgiveness stays open for those who turn back to God (Acts 8:22, WEB).
- How does God bring good out of the persecution in this chapter?
- What does Simon's mistake reveal about wrong motives in faith?
- Why is the conversion of the Ethiopian official so significant?
- Philip “began with that very passage” — how can we meet people where they are?
- Where have you seen God open an unexpected door for his message?
- The persecution that Saul led forced believers out of Jerusalem, but "those who were scattered abroad went around preaching the word" (Acts 8:4, WEB). What was intended to silence the message instead broadcast it across Judea and Samaria, fulfilling the pattern Jesus described in Acts 1:8. Philip's ministry in Samaria produced healing, deliverance, and "great joy in that city" (Acts 8:8, WEB) — fruit that likely would not have appeared had the community stayed comfortable in Jerusalem.
- Simon had built his identity and influence on the appearance of spiritual power, so when he saw the apostles imparting the Holy Spirit he instinctively tried to acquire that capacity the same way he had always operated — by payment and transaction (Acts 8:18–19, WEB). His mistake reveals that it is possible to believe and be baptized while still holding a fundamentally consumer view of God: treating grace as a commodity to be purchased and wielded for personal prestige rather than received as a free gift and surrendered to God's purposes. Peter's rebuke points to the deeper issue: "your heart isn't right before God" (Acts 8:21, WEB).
- The official was a foreigner, a eunuch (excluded from the full assembly of Israel under the Law), and a person of high status traveling home to Africa — every marker set him apart from the typical early Jewish believer (Acts 8:27, WEB). His conversion signals that the gospel crosses every boundary of ethnicity, law, geography, and social standing. It also echoes Isaiah 56:3–5, where God promises that foreigners and eunuchs who hold fast to his covenant will be honored — Philip's encounter shows that promise being fulfilled in real time.
- Look for responses that describe listening before speaking — noticing what someone is already thinking about, reading, or wrestling with and starting there rather than launching into a prepared presentation. Philip did not hand the official a summary of the gospel; he heard him reading a specific text and asked a single question: "Do you understand what you are reading?" (Acts 8:30, WEB). Encourage the group to share moments when they entered someone's existing question rather than redirecting to their own. Relevant text: Acts 8:29–35; also 1 Peter 3:15 on being ready to give a reason for hope "with gentleness and respect."
- This is a personal/application question — there is no single correct answer. Invite honest sharing, including stories where the "door" only became visible in hindsight. What to listen for: recognition that God's timing often differs from our own expectations; that ordinary conversations, unlikely relationships, or difficult seasons can become openings; and that noticing requires attentiveness to the Spirit's prompting, as Philip modeled (Acts 8:29, WEB). If sharing is slow, the leader can open with a brief personal example to lower the threshold.