The focus in Acts after the conversion of Paul finds the Lord shifting the heart of the church to reach the Gentiles. At the end of Acts 9 and in Acts 10, we see the conversion of a Roman centurion, a Gentile, named Cornelius.

In this missions themed message, we look at God's call to Philip to take the Gospel to an Ethiopian official. This was the beginning of the Good News of Jesus going to the uttermost parts of the earth.

In this missions themed message, we look at God's call to Philip to take the Gospel to an Ethiopian official. This was the beginning of the Good News of Jesus going to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Acts 8:1-25 gives the blueprint of how the good news moved out of Jerusalem and into Samaria. It did not go forth through the apostles, but rather through the regular members of the faith family. 

Stephen was an ordinary man in the early church. He became the first Christian martyr. The stoning of Stephen was a turning point in the trajectory of the church, propelling the believers out of Jerusalem into Samaria, Palestine, and eventually to the furthest reaches of the Roman Empire.