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Read (and listen!) through the amazing story of Luke and Acts!
Immerse: Luke and Acts is part of Immerse: The Reading Bible, which takes you on a new and unique journey through the books of Luke and Acts in the New Testament. This fresh arrangement of the books highlights the depth of the New Testament’s fourfold witness to Jesus the Messiah. The Son of God, who fulfills all the longings and promises of the collected Scriptures. The goal of Bible reading is to understand the sacred writings in depth so we can learn to live with them. Using the text of the New Living Translation (NLT) from Tyndale Publishing, now you can experience Luke and Acts the same way the original readers did and be fully immersed in the most amazing story of all time!
Alan: Welcome to Immerse Luke and
Acts, Day fourteen, Week three
.
But the believers who were
scattered preached the good news
about Jesus wherever they went.
Philip, for example, went
to the city of Samaria.
And told the people
there about the Messiah.
Crowds listened intently to Philip because
they were eager to hear his message
and see the miraculous signs he did.
Many evil spirits were cast out,
screaming as they left their victims.
And many who had been
paralyzed or lame were healed.
So there was great joy in that city.
A man named Simon had been a
sorcerer there for many years,
amazing the people of Samaria
and claiming to be someone great.
Everyone, from the least to the
greatest, often spoke of him as
the Great One, the power of God.
They listened closely to him
because for a long time he had
astounded them with his magic.
But now, the people believed
Philip's message of good news
concerning the kingdom of God
and the name of Jesus Christ.
As a result, many men
and women were baptized.
Then Simon himself
believed and was baptized.
He began following Philip wherever he
went, and he was amazed by the signs
and great miracles Philip performed.
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that
the people of Samaria had accepted God's
message, they sent Peter and John there.
As soon as they arrived, they
prayed for these new believers
to receive the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon
any of them, for they had only been
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then Peter and John laid their
hands upon these believers, and
they received the Holy Spirit.
When Simon saw that the Spirit
was given when the apostles laid
their hands on people, he offered
them money to buy this power.
Let me have this power, too.
He exclaimed, So that when I
lay my hands on people, they
will receive the Holy Spirit.
But Peter replied, May your
money be destroyed with you for
thinking God's gift can be bought.
You can have no part in this, for
your heart is not right with God.
Repent of your wickedness
and pray to the Lord.
Perhaps he will forgive your
evil thoughts, for I can see that
you are full of bitter jealousy
and are held captive by sin.
Pray to the Lord for me, Simon
exclaimed, that these terrible things
you've said won't happen to me.
After testifying and preaching the
word of the Lord in Samaria, Peter and
John returned to Jerusalem, and they
stopped in many Samaritan villages
along the way to preach the good news.
As for Philip, an angel of the Lord
said to him, Go south down the desert
road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.
So he started out, and he met the
treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch
of great authority under the
Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia.
The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to
worship, and he was now returning.
Seated in his carriage, he was reading
aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
The Holy Spirit said to Philip, Go over
and walk along beside the carriage.
Philip ran over and heard the man
reading from the prophet Isaiah.
Philip asked, Do you understand
what you are reading?
The man replied, How can I,
unless someone instructs me?
And he urged Philip to come up
into the carriage and sit with him.
The passage of scripture he had
been reading was this, He was led
like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb is silent before the
shearers, he did not open his mouth.
He was humiliated and received no justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.
The eunuch asked Philip, Tell
me, was the prophet talking
about himself or someone else?
So beginning with this same scripture,
Philip told him the good news about Jesus.
As they rode along, they came
to some water, and the eunuch
said, Look, there's some water.
Why can't I be baptized?
He ordered the carriage to stop,
and they went down into the
water, and Philip baptized him.
When they came up out of the water, the
Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away.
The eunuch never saw him again,
but went on his way rejoicing.
Meanwhile, Philip found himself
farther north, at the town of Azotus.
He preached the good news there,
and in every town along the
way, until he came to Caesarea.
Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats
with every breath, and was eager
to kill the Lord's followers.
So he went to the high priest.
He requested letters addressed to the
synagogues in Damascus, asking for
their cooperation in the arrest of any
followers of the way he found there.
He wanted to bring them, both men and
women, back to Jerusalem in chains.
As he was approaching Damascus on
this mission, a light from heaven
suddenly shone down around him.
He fell to the ground and heard
a voice saying to him, Saul.
Saul, why are you persecuting me?
Who are you, Lord?
Saul asked, and the voice replied, I
am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city.
And you will be told what you must do.
The men with Saul stood speechless,
for they heard the sound of
someone's voice, but saw no one.
Saul picked himself up off the ground.
But when he opened his eyes, he was blind.
So his companions led him
by the hand to Damascus.
He remained there blind for three
days, and did not eat or drink.
Now there was a believer
in Damascus named Ananias.
The Lord spoke to him in a
vision, calling, Ananias!
Yes, Lord!
He replied.
The Lord said, Go over to Straight
Street, to the house of Judas.
When you get there, ask for
a man from Tarsus named Saul.
He is praying to me right now.
I have shown him a vision of a man
named Ananias coming in and laying
hands on him so he can see again.
But, Lord, exclaimed Ananias, I
have heard many people talk about
the terrible things this man has
done to the believers in Jerusalem.
And he is authorized by the
leading priests to arrest
everyone who calls upon your name.
But the Lord said, Go, for Saul is
my chosen instrument, to take my
message to the Gentiles and to kings.
As well as to the people of Israel,
and I will show him how much
he must suffer for my namesake.
So Ananias went and found Saul.
He laid his hands on him and said,
Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who
appeared to you on the road, has sent
me so that you might regain your sight
and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Instantly, something like scales fell from
Saul's eyes, and he regained his sight.
Then he got up and was baptized.
Afterward, he ate some food
and regained his strength.
Saul stayed with the believers
in Damascus for a few days.
And immediately he began preaching
about Jesus in the synagogue,
saying, He is indeed the Son of God.
All who heard him were amazed.
Isn't this the same man who
caused such devastation among
Jesus followers in Jerusalem?
They asked.
And didn't he come here to arrest them?
And take them in chains
to the leading priests?
Saul's preaching became more and
more powerful, and the Jews in
Damascus couldn't refute his proofs
that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.
After a while, some of the Jews
plotted together to kill him.
They were watching for him day and night
at the city gates so they could murder
him, but Saul was told about their plot.
So during the night, some of the other
believers lowered him in a large basket
through an opening in the city wall.
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he
tried to meet with the believers,
but they were all afraid of him.
They did not believe he had
truly become a believer.
Then Barnabas brought him to the
apostles and told them how Saul had
seen the Lord on the way to Damascus,
and how the Lord had spoken to Saul.
He also told them that Saul had preached
boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.
So Saul stayed with the apostles and
went all around Jerusalem with them,
preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.
He debated with some Greek speaking
Jews, but they tried to murder him.
When the believers heard about this,
they took him down to Caesarea and
sent him away to Tarsus, his hometown.
The church then had
peace throughout Judea.
And it became stronger as the beliefers
lived in the fear of the Lord, and
with the encouragement of the Holy
Spirit, it also grew in numbers.
This concludes today's
Immerse Reading Experience.
Thank you for joining us.