--- title: "Philip’s Ministry" description: "From miraculous healings in the regions to an unexpected encounter on a desert road, the movement is growing rapidly despite attempts to corrupt its message with money." image: "" book: "Acts" bookId: "ACT" testament: "new" startChapter: 8 startVerse: 4 endChapter: 8 endVerse: 40 coversChapters: [8] aiTitle: "Spiritual Breakthroughs and Bold Confrontations as Faith Spreads" aiDescription: "From miraculous healings in the regions to an unexpected encounter on a desert road, the movement is growing rapidly despite attempts to corrupt its message with money." hasAiStory: true location: "Samaria" persons: ["Saul","Philip","Simon","Jesus","Apostles","Peter","John","God","Ethiopian eunuch","Candace","Isaiah"] hashtags: ["baptism","gospel","repentance","guidance"] genre: "history" readingTime: 4 type: "adaptive" slug: "ACT/philips-ministry" canonicalId: "ACT.8.4-8.40" chronologicalOrder: 1545 relatedSlugs: ["ISA/the-suffering-servant","1PE/submission-to-authority","ACT/three-thousand-believe","JER/the-broken-covenant","PSA/psalm-39-i-will-watch-my-ways","JER/babylons-punishment","ROM/walking-by-the-spirit","MAT/the-commissioning-of-the-twelve","ACT/the-holy-spirit-received","PSA/psalm-44-redeem-us-o-god","JHN/john-the-baptist","ACT/peters-report-at-jerusalem","MAT/jesus-before-the-sanhedrin","2KI/elisha-and-naaman","MAT/the-resurrection","HEB/jesus-is-above-moses","1KI/elijah-meets-obadiah","JHN/the-witness-of-scripture","HEB/jesus-is-above-the-angels","1TI/instructions-concerning-the-church-2","1PE/a-call-to-holiness-the-enduring-word","2KI/elisha-succeeds-elijah"] prevSlug: "ACT/the-stoning-of-stephen-saul-persecutes-the-church" nextSlug: "ACT/conversion-of-saul-of-tarsus" --- The movement is picking up incredible momentum as messengers fan out across the region. In a major city, a man named [Philip](/persons/philip) has been drawing massive crowds, not just with his message, but with tangible results. He is reported to be healing the paralyzed and freeing people from dark spiritual influence, causing an outbreak of pure joy among the residents. The scene took a strange turn when a local sorcerer, [Simon](/persons/simon), tried to integrate himself into the movement. Initially, Simon seemed moved by the miracles, even getting baptized. However, tension reached a boiling point when he witnessed the [apostles](/persons/apostles) conferring the power of the Holy Spirit. In a shocking display of arrogance, Simon attempted to purchase this divine authority with cash. The response from the leadership was immediate and severe. [Peter](/persons/peter) sternly rebuked Simon, telling him his money was worthless and that his heart was clearly not aligned with the truth. Simon was warned that his desire for power was a form of spiritual poison, and he was urged to seek genuine forgiveness before it was too late. Meanwhile, the mission took an even more personal turn when Philip was directed to a remote desert road. There, he encountered a high-ranking official from Ethiopia who was struggling to interpret ancient scrolls while traveling. Seeing the man's genuine hunger for understanding, Philip hopped into his chariot and broke down the message regarding a coming savior. The encounter ended in a spontaneous act of commitment. Upon passing some water, the official requested to be baptized immediately. Following the act, witnesses claim Philip was moved elsewhere by the power of the Spirit, leaving the official to continue his journey back home, completely transformed and filled with excitement. ### [Philip](/persons/philip) in Samaria Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the [Christ](/persons/jesus) to them. The crowds gave their undivided attention to Philip’s message and to the signs they saw him perform. With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many of the paralyzed and lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city. ### [Simon](/persons/simon) the Sorcerer Prior 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, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine power called the Great Power.” They paid close attention to him because he had astounded them for a long time with his sorcery. But when they believed Philip as he preached the gospel of the kingdom of [God](/persons/god) and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip closely and was astounded by the great signs and miracles he observed. When the [apostles](/persons/apostles) in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent [Peter](/persons/peter) and [John](/persons/john) to them. On their arrival, they prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit. For the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money. “Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for the intent of your heart. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity.” Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me.” And 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 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an [Ethiopian eunuch](/persons/ethiopian%20eunuch), a court official in charge of the entire treasury of [Candace](/persons/candace), queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his return was sitting in his chariot reading [Isaiah](/persons/isaiah) the prophet. The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that chariot and stay by it.” So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. The 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. In His humiliation He was deprived of justice.Who can recount His descendants?For His life was removed from the earth.” “Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As 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?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When 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. But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through that region, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

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