Saul Persecutes the Church

¹And Saul was there, giving approval to Stephen’s death.On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

²God-fearing men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him.

³But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

Philip in Samaria

⁴Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

⁵Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them.

⁶The crowds all paid close attention to Philip’s message and to the signs they saw him perform.

⁷With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many of the paralyzed and lame were healed.

⁸So there was great joy in that city.

Simon the Sorcerer

⁹Prior to that time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great,

¹⁰and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine power called the Great Power.”

¹¹They paid close attention to him because he had astounded them for a long time with his sorcery.

¹²But when they believed Philip as he preached the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

¹³Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip closely and was astounded by the great signs and miracles he observed.

¹⁴When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.

¹⁵On their arrival, they prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit.

¹⁶For the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

¹⁷Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money.

¹⁹“Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

²⁰But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!

²¹You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God.

²²Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for the intent of your heart.

²³For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity.”

²⁴Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

²⁵And after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many of the Samaritan villages.

Philip and the Ethiopian

²⁶Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”

²⁷So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace,queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship,

²⁸and on his return was sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet.

²⁹The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that chariot and stay by it.”

³⁰So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

³¹“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

³²The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,so He did not open His mouth.

³³In His humiliation He was deprived of justice.Who can recount His descendants?For His life was removed from the earth.”

³⁴“Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”

³⁵Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

³⁶As they traveled along the road and came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is there to prevent me from being baptized?”

³⁸And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.

⁴⁰But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through that region, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

The Holy Spirit Received at Ephesus

¹While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the interiorand came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples

²and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”“No,” they answered, “we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

³“Into what, then, were you baptized?” Paul asked.“The baptism of John,” they replied.

⁴Paul explained: “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”

⁵On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

⁶And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

⁷There were about twelve men in all.

Paul Ministers in Ephesus

⁸Then Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.

⁹But when some of them stubbornly refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way, Paul took his disciples and left the synagogue to conduct daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

¹⁰This continued for two years, so that everyone who lived in the province of Asia,Jews and Greeks alike, heard the word of the Lord.

¹¹God did extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul,

¹²so that even handkerchiefsand aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and the diseases and evil spirits left them.

Seven Sons of Sceva

¹³Now there were some itinerant Jewish exorcists who tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits. They would say, “I command you by Jesus, whom Paul proclaims.”

¹⁴Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.

¹⁵But one day the evil spirit responded, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”

¹⁶Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. The attack was so violent that they ran out of the house naked and wounded.

¹⁷This became known to all the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, and fear came over all of them. So the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.

¹⁸Many who had believed now came forward, confessing and disclosing their deeds.

¹⁹And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books and burned them in front of everyone. When the value of the books was calculated, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.

²⁰So the word of the Lord powerfully continued to spread and prevail.

The Riot in Ephesus

²¹After these things had happened, Paul resolved in the Spiritto go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must see Rome as well.”

²²He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed for a time in the province of Asia.

²³About that time there arose a great disturbanceabout the Way.

²⁴It began with a silversmith named Demetrius who made silver shrines of Artemis, bringing much businessto the craftsmen.

²⁵Demetrius assembled the craftsmen, along with the workmen in related trades. “Men,” he said, “you know that this business is our source of prosperity.

²⁶And you can see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in nearly the whole province of Asia, this Paul has persuaded a great number of people to turn away. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all.

²⁷There is danger not only that our business will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited and her majesty deposed—she who is worshiped by all the province of Asia and the whole world.”

²⁸When the men heard this, they were enraged and began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

²⁹Soon the whole city was in disarray. They rushed together into the theatre, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.

³⁰Paul wanted to go before the assembly, but the disciples would not allow him.

³¹Even some of Paul’s friends who were officials of the province of Asiasent word to him, begging him not to venture into the theatre.

³²Meanwhile the assembly was in turmoil. Some were shouting one thing and some another, and most of them did not even know why they were there.

³³The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander forward to explain himself, and he motioned for silence so he could make his defense to the people.

³⁴But when they realized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵Finally the city clerk quieted the crowd and declared, “Men of Ephesus, doesn’t everyone know that the city of Ephesus is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven?

³⁶Since these things are undeniable, you ought to be calm and not do anything rash.

³⁷For you have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed our temple nor blasphemed our goddess.

³⁸So if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open and proconsuls are available. Let them bring charges against one another there.

³⁹But if you are seeking anything beyond this, it must be settled in a legal assembly.

⁴⁰For we are in jeopardy of being charged with rioting for today’s events, and we have no justification to account for this commotion.”

⁴¹After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

Living for God’s Glory

¹Therefore, since Christ sufferedin His body, arm yourselves with the same resolve, because anyone who has suffered in his body is done with sin.

²Consequently, he does not live out his remaining time on earth for human passions, but for the will of God.

³For you have spent enough time in the past carrying out the same desires as the Gentiles: living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry.

⁴Because of this, they consider it strange of you not to plunge with them into the same flood of reckless indiscretion, and they heap abuse on you.

⁵But they will have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

⁶That is why the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead,so that they might be judged as men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

⁷The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray.

⁸Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

⁹Show hospitality to one another without complaining.

¹⁰As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another.

¹¹If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

Suffering as Christians

¹²Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you.

¹³But rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the revelation of His glory.

¹⁴If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

¹⁵Indeed, none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or wrongdoer, or even as a meddler.

¹⁶But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God that you bear that name.

¹⁷For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?

¹⁸And,“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

¹⁹So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should entrust their souls to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

The Evanescence of Wealth

¹Hear this, all you peoples;listen, all inhabitants of the world,

²both low and high,rich and poor alike.

³My mouth will impart wisdom,and the meditation of my heart will bring understanding.

⁴I will incline my ear to a proverb;I will express my riddle with the harp:

⁵Why should I fear in times of trouble,when wicked usurpers surround me?

⁶They trust in their wealthand boast in their great riches.

⁷No man can possibly redeem his brotheror pay his ransom to God.

⁸For the redemption of his soul is costly,and never can payment suffice,

⁹that he should live on foreverand not see decay.

¹⁰For it is clear that wise men die,and the foolish and the senseless both perishand leave their wealth to others.

¹¹Their gravesare their eternal homes—their dwellings for endless generations—even though their lands were their namesakes.

¹²But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure;he is like the beasts that perish.

¹³This is the fate of the foolishand their followers who endorse their sayings.Selah

¹⁴Like sheep they are destined for Sheol.Death will be their shepherd.The upright will rule them in the morning,and their form will decay in Sheol,far from their lofty abode.

¹⁵But God will redeem my life from Sheol,for He will surely take me to Himself.Selah

¹⁶Do not be afraid when a man grows rich,when the splendor of his house increases.

¹⁷For when he dies, he will carry nothing away;his abundance will not follow him down.

¹⁸Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—and men praise you when you prosper—

¹⁹he will join the generation of his fathers,who will never see the light of day.

²⁰A man who has riches without understandingis like the beasts that perish.