Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city.
Acts 8:4-8

For most Americans, we are not used to the prejudices that some other countries experience and tolerate. While in Israel, my husband and I were surprised about the comfortable labeling of different nationalities. It is no secret that strife still exists between Jews and Palestinians…and for good reason.

The first deacons were quite the bold bunch. From being persecuted, (and for Stephen, stoned) and then scattered, I can just imagine what their life was like in this new “position” of ministry. Philip was “scattered” to Samaria and preached the gospel to the Samaritans. The Samaritan people accepted his teaching of Jewish Jesus being the Messiah, which was quite remarkable considering the prejudices between the Jews and the Samaritans. As people believed, miracles happened and great joy broke out in the city (we all have to wonder what in the world that looked like.) One man’s boldness produced great things for God. Most of us struggle with being bold for the gospel’s sake. We all have our excuses. But what about those times the Holy Spirit specifically presses upon our heart to be bold? Do we quench the Spirit? Or do we put aside our fear to obey? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you obey when He wants you to be bold.

Written by Kaye Dee Richards. Kaye Dee lives with her husband Colin in Morrison, CO. They have 4 children, Joshua, Amelia, Victoria, and Julia.

To contact Kaye Dee, leave a comment, message us on Facebook, or email comments@thebeautifulspirit.org.