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SERMON SERIES: We’re currently in a sermon series through the book of Acts. Today we’ll read the Ethiopian Eunuch’s story.
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south[a]to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place.27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”[b] 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
What to do when faith doesn’t make sense:
- Keep showing up
Acts 8:26-27, 2:42, Heb. 3:13, 10:25, 1 Thess. 5:11, Matt. 18:20
- Keep reading God’s word
Acts 8:28, Heb. 4:12, Jer. 23:29, Is. 55:11, Eph. 6:17, Ps. 119:130
- Ask for help
Acts 8:29-31, Matt. 7:7, 21:22, John 14:13-14, 15:16, Ps. 121:2
- Trust that God will answer you
Acts 8:30-31, Jer. 33:3, 1 John 5:14-15, Ps. 145:18, Matt. 17:20
- Remain faithful after God answers you
Acts 8:36-38, 2 :41, Mark 16:16, Rev. 2:10, 2 Pet. 1:10, 2 Tim. 4:7
- Rejoice in the Lord
Acts 8:39, Phi. 4:4, John 14:27, 15:11, James 1:2-4, 1 Pet. 6-7
- Commit yourself to the mission
Acts 8:40, 1:8, Matt. 28:18-20, Eph. 2:10, 2 Cor. 5:20
Reflecting on God’s Word
Getting Started
- Take some time to read over Acts 8:26-40 and pray.
- Have you ever read or heard about this before? What stood out to you as we were talking about it?
- As you think about this sermon series through the book of Acts, what observation do you have?
- As you think about the Ethiopian Eunech’s story, and what he did, what comes to mind? What observations do you have?
- Have you ever been in a season of your life where faith just didn’t make sense to you? What happened?
- Are you in a season of your life right now where faith doesn’t make sense to you? What has led to that?
Diving In
- Even though the Ethiopian Eunuch didn’t understand everything he read, he kept on reading God’s Word, which eventually led to him understanding it. How well do you keep reading God’s Word, even when it doesn’t totally make sense to you?
- After the Ethiopian Eunuch came to faith, he remained faithful by asking to be baptized. After God answers you, how well do you remain faithful?
- After the Ethiopian Eunuch was baptized, he rejoiced. Read Philippians 4:4. How well do you do at rejoicing in the Lord? What would the outcome be if you were able to do this better?
Applying the Scripture
What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word?
Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?
What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture?
How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord?
Small Group Guide:
Open with prayer.
Go around and give everyone a chance to share about how the past week has been. What’s one highlight? What’s one lowlight?
If your small group has talked about it before, feel free to use this time to hold people accountable to what they’ve asked to be held accountable for previously, and go through the “missional” part of this discussion guide.
Prayer Time:
Pray for each other in your small group to be faithful take the step(s) that you shared above. Pray for each other and the interactions that they have with those who don’t know Jesus. Pray that God would soften the people’s hearts to what He has for them. Pray that God would give everyone opportunities to share the Gospel.
Staying Missional:
Share spiritual/missional conversations you’ve had where you live, work, and play:
Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
Who in your life do you think could be discipleable or open to spiritual/missional conversations?
What’s next?
Discuss the next step for your small group. When will we gather again and what purpose will it fulfill?