Acts 8:1-40 Saul was present at Stephens death and approved of it. At that point Saul began to persecute the church and break it up by raiding homes and putting the christens in prison, men and women alike,.

Many christens left Jerusalem and preached the word of Christ wherever they went. Philip went to Samaria and did many miracles in the name of Jesus Christ. Many of the people accepted Christ and were baptized, but the Holy Spirit had not come to them.

When the apostles heard of the saving of the Samarians they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived they prayed for the Holy Spirit to come to them. Then Peter and John laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

Now a sorcerer named Simon was saved and baptized and he told Peter that he would pay them to lay hands on him so he could also lay hands on someone and give them the Holy Spirit.

Peter told him no, all Simon wanted was to profit from God's gift, and Simon was not right with God, to go and ask Gods forgiveness, as he was full of bitterness and sin.

As Peter and John went back to Jerusalem, they preached Christ's message to the Samaritan's

On the way an angel came to Peter and told him to take the desert road, and on his way Peter met a Ethiopian eunuch, that was in charge of the queens treasury.

The eunuch had been to Jerusalem to worship. And on his way home he was studying Isaiah. Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading? He said no so Philip told him that the passage pertained to Jesus Christ, (Isaiah 53:7,8) the Ethiopian accepted Christ and asked to be baptized so when they came to a pool of water Peter baptized him and the holy Spirit came upon him. Then the Spirit of God whisked Peter up and took him to Azotes where he preached his way to Caesarea.

When the Jews scattered and preached to people outside their race it was a big thing as it was the first crossing of racial barriers. The Jewish people had contempt for the gentiles as they believed they were barbarians because they had so many gods.

If someone came to you and said you must bow your knees to Joe Blow or you would lose everything you own, your car, your home, your bank account, your job, plus if you said no you had one mo. to change your mind or you and all your family would go to jail, your children would be taken and raised by the state and taught to worship Joe Blow. How would you choose? would you run , would you die for Christ, would you go to prison?

These are the things that will happen in the times to come and they will weed the children of God to the bone will you be one of the weeded, or will you be one of the steadfast? Christ will come but I believe we will be tried first. And God will winnow the chaff from the wheat. Will you be the wheat God wants?

FAITH IS..... "Choose for yourself this day whom you will serve......But for me and my house we will serve the Lord." Joshua24:15

Faith is a very private matter. It's your decision. Your up to bat. You can't avoid the moment. Choose faith: take a swing at it ! become a believer.

After all faith is the only positive option open to you. The other alternatives are negative! Nothing productive ever follows negative decisions!

MAY YOU ALWAYS BE IN THE HANDS OF GOD

MAY YOU ALWAYS KNOW HIS ABIDING LOVE

Your loving sister in Christ Sharon Rose