Philip Wants the Ball

In one paragraph

Pastor Nick preached from Acts 8:26-40 on the story of Philip and the Ethiopian official. The passage lands right after Philip had been in the middle of a revival in Samaria, and it follows him as he is redirected by a messenger of the Lord toward a desert road heading to Gaza. The sermon kept returning to one question: do you want the ball? Philip was in Samaria, where things were going well by...

Read together

1. 1 John 3 read aloud at the start of service to lead into worship: 'see what great love the father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God'
2. Psalm 86 cited as the source for a song about God's love and forgiveness: 'Lord, you're forgiving and good, you're abounding and steadfast love to all who call on you'
3. Acts 8:26-40 the main preaching passage, the account of Philip and the Ethiopian official
4. Isaiah 53:7-8 the passage the Ethiopian eunuch was reading aloud in his chariot, quoted in both the Septuagint form and the New Living Translation
5. Matthew 28:18-20 the Great Commission, cited toward the end as the basis for evangelism and baptism: 'all authority has been given to me...go and make disciples of all the nations'

Talk about it

1. The pastor talked about Simon Magus and said that if there is real salvation, there will be real change and transformation. How do you personally test whether your own faith is genuine rather than something you just thought you understood?
2. Philip responded immediately both times he received direction, even though it meant leaving a revival that was going well and walking dozens of miles in the wrong direction first. What makes that kind of immediate obedience hard for you, and what do you think Philip understood that made it easier for him?
3. The Ethiopian official said he could not understand what he was reading unless someone explained it to him. The pastor held that up as a posture of humility. Where in your own life do you find it hardest to admit you need someone to instruct you, and how does that affect your growth?
4. Philip started with the very scripture the official was already reading and told him the good news about Jesus from that point. Think about a conversation you have coming up this week with someone who is not a believer. Is there already something in their life or their questions that could serve as that kind of starting point?
5. The pastor pointed out that the great commission includes a participle that can be read as 'as you are going,' meaning in the course of ordinary life, not just formal mission trips. He closed by mentioning he is meeting a Turkish man that afternoon. What does your ordinary week look like, and where in it might God already be placing someone in your path?