The Adventures of Philip

Philip goes on a Spirit-led adventure: he heals people, baptizes an Ethiopian and then finds himself suddenly whisked miles away - in an instant! In a single encounter with a “foreign” man - a non-Jewish Ethiopian - God gives us a glimpse of his plan: inviting those who were excluded from the Jewish faith into the family of this new faith in Jesus.

Read: Acts 8:4-8, 26-39 (NLT)

Explore the Theme: Christians are now being scattered and moved out of their comfort zones with the sole purpose of furthering the gospel. These ordinary believers are taking seriously the call to make Jesus known regardless of risk or fear of the ramifications that could befall them. How might the freshness of the death of Jesus inspire them as they share the gospel?

As one of those believers, Philip shares the gospel boldly with a fellow traveler. What do you think it took for Philip to be so in tune with the Spirit of God? What risks did he take?

Ask God: How do these verses inspire you with stewarding the gospel? Do you see yourself as eager as Philip is to respond to God’s voice? It seems super spiritual that an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, but God is speaking to us through the written word each time we read it; do you treat it as such?

Be honest with God about where you might fail to be more bold in sharing the gospel. Ask him to not only increase your boldness, but give you ripe opportunities to share with those who have open hearts to receive it. Ask him to give you a renewed passion for those in your life that are not yet saved.

Live it Out: After the resurrection right before Jesus ascended into heaven, he said, “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” This is for all of us, not just for those Jesus was speaking to in that crowd. How can you better obey this command in your daily life today? With God’s calling comes his enabling; ask him to enable you to share the gospel with bold confidence.