Good Morning,
Read Acts 8.4-40
Today’s passage focuses on Philip the evangelist and his encounters in Samaria, and with the Ethiopian Eunuch. The Good News of Jesus is spreading beyond the traditional Jewish centers and ways of life.
We met Philip back in Acts 6.5 as one of the men tasked with helping take care of the Greek widows. Now with the persecution in Jerusalem he along with others have spread out into non-typical Jewish areas. The animosity between Samaria and Israel ran deep. Yet Philip proclaims the Messiah to them and does many signs.
Peter and John come from Jerusalem to certify Samaria is receiving the Good News. Remember that this is the same John who wanted to command fire down upon Samaria in Luke 9.51-56. And now here in Acts 8 he is praying for the fire of the Holy Spirit come down upon them, just like they received at Pentecost in Acts 2. We might call this the Samaritan Pentecost.
Philip follows the direction of an angel of the Lord and travels down a desert road toward Gaza. The Spirit tells Philip to go and join an Ethiopian Eunuch on his chariot. This eunuch just happens to be reading from Isaiah 53 and so Philip proclaims the Good News of Jesus again.
For many of us, Philip may seem like the all-star follower of Jesus, something we can never attain. But Philip simply followed the Spirit’s nudges in his life. He interacted with people who were eager and seeking God, and he simply explained Jesus to them. I think sometimes we make evangelism too complicated. We bang our heads against the wall because people don’t want to listen to us. Philip doesn’t proclaim the Good News to people who don’t want to hear it. No, he partners with what the Holy Spirit was already doing in people’s lives.
This is something each of us can do. We can pray for God’s Spirit to lead us to people who are open and honestly seeking God, but just need a little guidance. As you reflect on the life of Philip here in Acts 8, ask God to reveal to you the people in your life who might be seeking God but need a guide. Pray about if God might use you in this relationship. Pray to be responsive to the Spirit’s leading in your life. Prayer isn’t just talking to God, but having a conversation, listening for what God might be saying to you. Allow space for God to speak in your prayer life today.
Grace and Peace,
Matt
Inductive Questions: (These will be included each day and your work on them will be the foundation we build upon at our Wednesday evening in-person and Zoom Bible Study as we explore the church, mission, and Holy Spirit in Acts.)
Pick at least one of these to be a focus for all of Acts, but answer as many of them as you want.
- What does the church look like in Acts? Who is a part of it? What do they do? How is it formed? How does it relate to mission and the Spirit? In other words (fancy, technical terms) What is the ecclesiology of Acts?
- What does mission look like in Acts? Who does it? What do they do? How does it happen? How does it relate to the church and the Spirit? In other words (fancy, technical terms) What is the missiology of Acts?
- What does the Holy Spirit look like in Acts? What does the Spirit do? How is the Spirit active? How does it relate to church and mission? In other words (fancy, technical terms) What is the pneumatology of Acts?
Answer the question with the language of Acts as much as possible and cite the chapter and verse reference in your notes.
P.S. Here is the link for the next Bible Project video in their Acts series: