Acts 8:4

They therefore that were scattered abroad, went about preaching the word.

'WENT ABOUT PREACHING THE WORD'-And future passages reveal that such preaching resulted in great success (Acts 11:19 ff).

Points to Note:

'as they fled, far from going into hiding, or even maintaining. prudential silence, preached the word wherever they went...What is plain is that the devil (who lurks behind all persecution of the church) over-reached himself. His attack had the opposite effect to what he intended. Instead of smothering the gospel, persecution succeeded only in spreading it.' (Stott p. 146)

Thus we see that the devil isn't all-knowing or all-wise. His methods of temptation or persecution are not destined to succeed. Rather, he only wins, if we react in. sinful manner (1 Peter 5:8).

Such preaching was possible because the members of the Church in Jerusalem had taken advantage of the teaching offered by the apostles (Acts 2:42; Matthew 28:20; 2 Timothy 2:2)

Reese notes, 'Some try to excuse themselves from this responsibility by saying, "I can't do anything", or ". don't know what to say". One wonders how they would have become. Christian in the first place if everyone in the world had acted and spoken the way they are...When. man makes such. statement as "I can't" or "What do. say?" he is admitting his ignorance of the plan of salvation. And he is admitting his ignorance of how he himself became. Christian.' (p. 317)

The time period between Acts 2:1 and this dispersion is somewhere between 4-6 years. Thus in this period of time members had become able to "teach others also" (Hebrews 5:12).

PHILIP AMONG THE SAMARITANS: