FOCUS TEXT: Acts 8:26-40

In our “We Are Family” series, we’ve explored many different texts and subjects that help us walk together as the Family of God. This past Sunday, we continued this journey by diving into what I’d like to call the family business: making disciples. We discussed how to go into the world, reach people far from God, bring them into God’s family, and teach them to walk in the way, truth, and life of Jesus. The BIG IDEA was that Our mission as God’s family is to be Spirit-led disciple-makers, embracing and living out the Great Commission in every part of our lives. As part of our exploration of Acts 8:26-40, we considered four main truths.

1. We Must Love People with God-Centered, Christ-like Love

In Acts, we see Philip’s heart wide open to all types of people, reflecting the heart of God. Then in our focus text, we see Philip’s willingness to engage with the Ethiopian eunuch, a societal outcast among the Jewish people. This demonstrates Philip’s commitment to showing God-centered, Christlike love across ethnic, social, and religious barriers.

2. We Must Yield Daily to the Spirit’s Guidance

Philip’s journey is clearly guided by the Holy Spirit. The Lord directs him to go south, and there he meets the Ethiopian eunuch. Philip’s immediate and unwavering obedience to the Spirit shows the importance of being sensitive and responsive to God’s leading.

3. We Must Understand and Explain the Good News to People

Philip uses Isaiah 53 to explain the good news about Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch. His preparedness and knowledge of Scripture enable him to share the gospel effectively, leading to the eunuch’s conversion and baptism.

4. Jesus Has Given Us a Mandate to Multiply

Jesus’ final command to His disciples was to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything He has commanded. Following this mandate leads to the multiplication of disciples, groups, and churches. This mandate is central to our mission as the family of God. The story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch illustrates the Great Commission in action. Today, there are over 35 million Christians in Ethiopia!

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

• How can you show God-centered, Christlike love in your daily interactions with those who don’t fit your cultural norms or moral convictions?

• How can you cultivate a daily sensitivity to the Spirit’s guidance?

• Are you prepared to share the gospel effectively?

• How can you embrace the Great Commission personally in your daily life?

PRAYER RESPONSE:

Heavenly Father, thank You for calling us to be a part of Your family and giving us the mission to make disciples. Help us to love others with Christlike love, yield daily to the Spirit’s guidance, and be prepared to share the good news. Empower us to embrace the Great Commission in every aspect of our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

MEMORY VERSE: Acts 8:35

“Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.”