Tag: #Tibetan Text

The Acts of the Apostles – Acts 8:1-3 མཛད་པ། 8:1-3

Bro Brian.

(མཛད་པ། 8:1-3)

Acts 8.1-3 w B

 

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. (Acts 8:1-3)

 

Stephen’s execution was the beginning of severe persecution of the church. And the young man Saul was very active in arresting believers to be punished by the law-courts, even to be sentenced to death.

However there was no further imprisonment of the apostles for a while. They remained in Jerusalem, where previously they had been freed from prison by God (Chapter 6:17-21).

The Acts of the Apostles – Acts 8:4-6 མཛད་པ། 8:4-6

Bro Brian.

(མཛད་པ། 8:4-6)

Acts 8.4-6 w B

 

4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city. (Acts 8:4-6)

 

Jews thought of the Samaritan people as heretics who did not keep the Jewish  dharma ( chos byas ) correctly. However Yeshu had said that the good news would be preached first to the Jews and then to the Samaritans (Chapter 1 verse 8). The time for them to hear had now come.

Philip, along with Stephen, was one of the seven who had been appointed as servants to the young church (Chapter 6 verse 5). He was also an evangelist, which is how a preacher of the gospel is termed.

The Acts of the Apostles – Acts 8:9-13 མཛད་པ། 8:9-13

Bro Brian.

(མཛད་པ། 8:9-13)

Acts 8.9-13 w B

 

But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed. (Acts 8:9-13)

 

Simon claimed he had the power of God, just as some men do in present-day India. He was a kind of sorcerer ( snags pa ).

But seeing the miraculous signs that followed after Philip’s preaching of Jesus’s  name to the Samaritans ( see verses 6 and 7), even he also believed. And his amazement grew.