Philip’s Ministry

Title ideas:Philip leads people to Jesus.Philip, the Sorcerer, and the Official from Ethiopia.Buying Jesus or believing Jesus?

[Saul had helped the men who killed Stephen.] Saul wanted to kill all the Christians in Jerusalem. So, he would go with soldiers to Christians’ houses, arrest [seize] them, and put them in jail [prison].

Many Christians fled [escaped] from Jerusalem to other provinces [regions]. Everywhere they went, they said to people, “Jesus is the king whom God promised long ago he would send to our nation [the Messiah]!”

There was a Christian leader named Phillip, who was a wise man, and who let God’s Holy Spirit lead [guide] him. Phillip fled [went] to a province called Samaria.

In Samaria, Philip spoke to many people about Jesus. He also cast evil spirits out of people, and some paralyzed and lame people were able to stand up and walk again.

Many people in Samaria came to Phillip for healing [to get healthy] and to hear about Jesus. So, many more people were glad to hear about Jesus and they were baptized [to show that they had put their trust in Jesus and started a new life].

In Samaria [Town], there was a magician [sorcerer] named Simon, who used to amaze people with his tricks [magic]. Simon used to be glad when people would say, “Simon has God’s great power!”

Simon also believed Phillip’s words about Jesus, and so he was baptized, and was following Philip. Simon was amazed when God would heal people when Phillip talked about Jesus.

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that people in Samaria were putting their trust in Jesus, the apostles Peter and John traveled [went] there [to Samaria].

When Peter and John came and saw the new Christians, they prayed, “O Lord! Please give your Holy Spirit to these people who believe in you!” Then, when they would lay their hands on [touch] people, the Holy Spirit would come to them!

Simon saw that when the apostles laid their hands on Christians, the Holy Spirit came to these people. So Simon said to the apostles, “I will pay [give] you money, if you will give me power so that I may lay my hands on people to give them the Holy Spirit.”

Peter replied, “You will die with your money, because you believe that we sell God’s Spirit for money! You are wrong about God, for [because] God gives his Spirit freely! You must repent [stop believing] your wicked thoughts!”

Then Simon said, “Please! Pray to the Lord [Jesus] for me, so that I will not die!”

Peter and John testified [preached / spoke] to people in Samaria, saying, “We ourselves saw Jesus after he rose [came] from death to life!” After they taught people in Samaria about God, they left to go to Jerusalem. On their way, they told the good news about Jesus in many villages.

One day, the Lord sent an angel who said to Phillip, “Go to the road to Gaza!” [Phillip obeyed and went.]On that road, Phillip met a government official from a country called Ethiopia, who was going from Jerusalem to his own town.

The official was sitting in his horse chariot, reading a part of God’s holy book [Holy Bible] that a prophet named Isaiah had written.

The Holy Spirit said to Phillip, “Go [walk] near to that chariot!” When Phillip came near, he heard the official reading, and asked him, “Do you understand [know] the words that you are reading?”

The official replied, “I do not understand these words. Can you explain these words for me? Please, come sit in my chariot.”

The official was reading these words from Isaiah: “Men led him away to slay [kill] him in the way that men slay a sheep. But he remained silent [said nothing]!

“He was humble, but no one treated him justly [fairly]. So, he died without children. He was no longer alive on earth [in the world]!”

The official asked Phillip, “Whom was Isaiah writing about? About himself? Or about someone else?”

Phillip explained [said], “Isaiah was writing about Jesus!” Then Phillip told the official the good news about Jesus. The official understood the good news, so he put his trust in Jesus.

The chariot began moving along the road. Soon they came near to [saw] some water [a stream] beside the road. The official said, “Look! There is water! Please, baptize me!” [Phillip agreed.]

The official ordered his horse driver man, “Stop the chariot here!” Then both men went together into the water and Phillip baptized the official.

When they came out of the water [stream], suddenly, Phillip was no longer there, because God’s Spirit had moved him to another place [town]. Although the official never saw Phillip again, he continued [went] on his way rejoicing [happy].