40 and Philip was found at Azotus, and passing through, he was proclaiming good news to all the cities, till his coming to Cesarea.
Then, indeed, Festus answered that Paul is kept in Caesarea, and himself is about speedily to go on thither,
those having entered into Caesarea, and delivered the letter to the governor, did present also Paul to him.
and on the morrow Paul and his company having gone forth, we came to Cesarea, and having entered into the house of Philip the evangelist -- who is of the seven -- we remained with him,
And there was a certain man in Cesarea, by name Cornelius, a centurion from a band called Italian,
and having tarried among them more than ten days, having gone down to Caesarea, on the morrow having sat upon the tribunal, he commanded Paul to be brought;
in power of signs and wonders, in power of the Spirit of God; so that I, from Jerusalem, and in a circle as far as Illyricum, have fully preached the good news of the Christ;
from Ekron and westward, all that `are' by the side of Ashdod, and their villages. Ashdod, its towns and its villages, Gaza, its towns and its villages, unto the brook of Egypt, and the great sea, and `its' border.
Festus, therefore, having come into the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea,
and Herod having sought for him, and not having found, having examined the guards, did command `them' to be led away to punishment, and having gone down from Judea to Cesarea, he was abiding `there'.
and on the morrow they did enter into Cesarea; and Cornelius was waiting for them, having called together his kindred and near friends,
And after these things, the Lord did appoint also other seventy, and sent them by twos before his face, to every city and place whither he himself was about to come, then said he unto them, `The harvest indeed `is' abundant, but the workmen few; beseech ye then the Lord of the harvest, that He may put forth workmen to His harvest.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Acts 8
Commentary on Acts 8 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 8
In this chapter we have an account of the persecutions of the Christians, and the propagating of Christianity thereby. It was strange, but very true, that the disciples of Christ the more they were afflicted the more they multiplied.
Act 8:1-3
In these verses we have,
Act 8:4-13
Samson's riddle is here again unriddled: Out of the eater comes forth meat, and out of the strong sweetness. The persecution that was designed to extirpate the church was by the overruling providence of God made an occasion of the enlargement of it. Christ had said, I am come to send fire on the earth; and they thought, by scattering those who were kindled with that fire, to have put it out, but instead of this they did but help to spread it.
Act 8:14-25
God had wonderfully owned Philip in his work as an evangelist at Samaria, but he could do no more than an evangelist; there were some peculiar powers reserved to the apostles, for the keeping up of the dignity of their office, and here we have an account of what was done by two of them there-Peter and John. The twelve kept together at Jerusalem (v. 1), and thither these good tidings were brought them that Samaria had received the word of God (v. 14), that a great harvest of souls was gathered, and was likely to be gathered in to Christ there. The word of God was not only preached to them, but received by them; they bade it welcome, admitted the light of it, and submitted to the power of it: When they heard it, they sent unto them Peter and John. If Peter had been, as some say he was, the prince of the apostles, he would have sent some of them, or, if he had seen cause, would have gone himself of his own accord; but he was so far from this that he submitted to an order of the house, and, as a servant to the body, went whither they sent him. Two apostles were sent, the two most eminent, to Samaria,
Act 8:26-40
We have here the story of the conversion of an Ethiopian eunuch to the faith of Christ, by whom, we have reason to think, the knowledge of Christ was sent into that country where he lived, and that scripture fulfilled, Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands (one of the first of the nations) unto God, Ps. 68:31.