Question 1

Why did persecution scatter the church from Jerusalem in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Persecution broke out after Stephen’s death, and many believers had to leave Jerusalem to escape arrest and violence. Saul went from house to house, dragging men and women off to prison. Yet this scattering was not wasted. As they fled, they went everywhere preaching the word about Jesus. What looked like defeat actually spread the message into Judea and Samaria, just as Jesus had said it would. God used a dark time to move his people out and carry the good news into new places.

Question 2

Who is Simon the sorcerer, and what was wrong with his request?

Accepted Answer

Simon was a man in Samaria who used sorcery and had amazed people for a long time, so they thought he had the power of God. When Philip preached Christ, Simon believed and was baptized, but his heart was still not right. When he saw that the Holy Ghost was given through the apostles’ hands, he tried to buy that power with money. Peter rebuked him sharply, saying God’s gift cannot be bought, and told him to repent because his heart was bound by sin and bitterness.

Question 3

What is the significance of Philip preaching in Samaria?

Accepted Answer

Philip going to Samaria shows the gospel crossing old barriers. Jews and Samaritans had a long history of division, but Philip preached Christ there, and the people listened with one accord. Unclean spirits were cast out, the sick were healed, and there was great joy in the city. Later, Peter and John came, prayed for them, and laid hands on them so they received the Holy Ghost. This shows that the good news of Jesus is for people who were once seen as outsiders, and that God unites them in one faith.

Question 4

Who was the Ethiopian eunuch, and why is his baptism important?

Accepted Answer

The Ethiopian eunuch was a high official under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He was in charge of all her treasure and had come to Jerusalem to worship. On his way home he was reading the prophet Isaiah but did not understand it. God sent Philip to join his chariot, explain the passage about the suffering lamb, and preach Jesus to him. The eunuch believed with all his heart that Jesus is the Son of God and asked to be baptized. His baptism shows the gospel reaching beyond Israel to distant nations and to a man of high rank yet humble faith.

Question 5

What does the eunuch’s question, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” teach about Scripture?

Accepted Answer

The eunuch was reading Isaiah and honestly admitted he did not understand who the passage was about. His question shows that Scripture is clear in its message, but we often need help to see how it points to Christ. Philip did not bring his own ideas; he began at that very passage and preached Jesus. This reminds us that we should be humble when we read, willing to be taught, and that good teaching connects the words of Scripture directly to the person and work of Jesus.

Question 6

Why did Peter tell Simon, “Thy money perish with thee”?

Accepted Answer

Peter’s words to Simon were strong because Simon’s sin was serious. Simon treated the gift of the Holy Ghost like something that could be bought and sold, as if God’s power were a trade or a trick. Peter said he had no part in this matter because his heart was not right before God. By saying, “Thy money perish with thee,” Peter warned him of the danger he was in, but then called him to repent and pray for forgiveness. It shows that using spiritual things for gain is wicked, yet there is still a call to turn back to God.

Question 7

What does this passage teach about the Holy Ghost and the laying on of hands?

Accepted Answer

In Samaria, people had believed Philip’s preaching and had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, but they had not yet received the Holy Ghost in the special way seen at that time. When Peter and John came from Jerusalem, they prayed for them and laid their hands on them, and then they received the Holy Ghost. This showed that the same Spirit at work in Jerusalem was now at work in Samaria too. It marked the unity of the church and made clear that this power was a free gift from God, not a skill humans could control.

Question 8

How does this passage show God using hardship for good?

Accepted Answer

The story begins with heavy persecution and sorrow over Stephen’s death. Saul is tearing the church apart. Yet as believers are scattered, they preach wherever they go. Philip’s ministry brings joy to Samaria. An Ethiopian official hears and believes the good news far from Jerusalem. What started as an attempt to crush the church becomes the means for the message to spread wider. This does not make the suffering light, but it shows that God can turn even harsh trials into chances for his word to reach new people.

Question 9

Why did the Ethiopian eunuch go on his way rejoicing after Philip disappeared?

Accepted Answer

After the eunuch confessed his faith in Jesus as the Son of God, Philip baptized him in the water they found by the road. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again. Still, he went on his way rejoicing. His joy did not rest on Philip staying with him, but on the salvation he had received and the truth he had just understood from Scripture. Once he had Christ, he had enough to travel on with a glad heart.

Acts 8:1

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.

Saul Persecutes the Church

Philip in Samaria

Simon the Sorcerer

Philip and the Ethiopian

Philip and the Ethiopian

Saul Persecutes the Church

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Acts 8:1

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.

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Saul Persecutes the Church

Philip in Samaria

Simon the Sorcerer

Philip and the Ethiopian

Philip and the Ethiopian

Saul Persecutes the Church

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