Welcome to our new project, the Daily Bible Devotional. The goal is to help you understand and apply

scripture as you go through a New Testament Bible read five days a week, Monday through Friday,

as we move from Matthew straight through to Revelation. In under four minutes each morning, we will recap the chapter,

make some application, present thought questions for the day, and offer a prayer together.

I'm excited about exploring God's Word with you, so let's get started. Good morning.

Welcome to our study today from Acts the 8th chapter.

Saul is introduced as an aggressive persecutor of the church,

dragging people from their homes to imprison them.

Meanwhile, Christians flee and carry the gospel with them,

and the church continues to grow.

Philip, a devoted teacher, brings the teachings of the kingdom to Samaria,

where many believe in Jesus and are baptized.

One such man, Simon, soon forfeits his salvation

by trying to purchase his right to the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle Peter urges him to repent immediately so that he may be forgiven and restored.

Later, Philip is sent to an Ethiopian eunuch who is reading the book of Isaiah alone.

Philip uses the scripture to teach Jesus to the eunuch, and he is promptly baptized after

believing in Jesus, which leads to much rejoicing. Let's look at some application from these

varied stories as the gospel spreads. Comparing the characters in this chapter will help us

determine who we want to become. Believing he was right, Saul opposed the

disciples and sought to hinder them. In contrast, Philip was committed to openly sharing the gospel

with everyone to expand the kingdom, aim to emulate Philip in daily purpose and joy, and strive to be

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