Under the leadership of Saul a great persecution broke out against the church, and the church scattered. Saul was a terrorist who went house to house imprisoning Christians. God used the persecution to fulfill Acts 1:8 – as the church scattered they preached the Word. Philip preached in Samaria to the joy of the city. Simon the Magician believed under Philip’s preaching. The people were baptized in Jesus’ name, but didn’t receive the Holy Spirit, the Spirit was given then through the laying on of the Apostles’ hands, Simon wanted the power to do this too. Peter told him his heart was not right before God, and to repent and ask God that the wicked intent of his heart would be forgiven. Simon asked Peter to pray for him that what he said wouldn’t come on him. They returned to Jerusalem preaching the gospel in the Samaritan villages as they went. An angel of the Lord told Philip to go to a desert place down from Jerusalem to Gaza. He met an Ethiopian eunuch there. He came to Jerusalem to worship and was returning reading Isaiah. The Spirit told Philip to go to the chariot. He did and asked the Eunuch if he understood what he read, and the Eunuch responded, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” He was reading Isaiah 53, and Philip told him it was about the good news of Jesus Christ. He baptized him, and the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away. The Eunuch went his way rejoicing, and Philip passed through Azotus preaching the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
In Acts 1:8 Christ declared that the disciples will be Jesus’ witnesses everywhere, in Acts 8:1 we see how God’s providence did this, through persecution and the scattering of the church. Philip especially shines in preaching the gospel here. Notice too, that they are always preaching the Bible, and the Word or the gospel of Christ. This is the mission and center of our focus as a church – expositional preaching and application of the Bible.