1. Pray. Ask the Lord to open your eyes, that you might behold wondrous things out of his Law (Ps. 119:18). 

2. Read Sunday's passage. Feel free to read it more than once, or in another translation.

3. Review the sermon outline. Try to see how the points came out of the text.

4. Answer the questions below. Focus on personal application.

5. Pray. Praise and thank the Lord, then ask him to work in mighty ways. 

Remember, we live not by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God (Dt. 8:3; Mt. 4:4).

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south 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?” 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.

Intro: What a joy that we get to celebrate bapstisms together as a church! Before we do, we will consider a passage that has something to say about baptism, Acts 8:26–39. 

I. In God's providence, the Great Commission is being fulfilled. When we situate this passage within the broader context of Acts, we see something important. In Acts 1:8, Jesus told his disciples: "you will be my witnesses in Jersusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." This is called the Great Commission. It's no surprise that Acts 1–7 recounts the growth of the church in Jerusalem. Then in chapter 8, as persecution begins, the church spreads out into Judea and Samaria. And now at the end of chapter 8, we meet a man from Ethiopia, then considered the southern "end of the earth." Luke is showing us that Jesus' charge is being carried out! Specifically in our passage, notice the activity of the angel, the Spirit, and the use of the Scriptures. These all show us God's providential work, choosing to use people to bring about his plans. He is still doing this today. God will use us to carry out the Great Commission today if we are willing to be used, like Philip. 

II. Full inclusion in the people of God is now by faith in Jesus, the Christ. Within Judaism, the man from Ethiopia would have been welcome to worship Yahweh from a distance, but if he had wanted to enter the inner courts of the temple, or fully convert to Judaism, then he would have been prevented because he was a eunuch (see Deueteronomy 23). Now, however, because of the work of Christ for all of humanity, there is no barrier to entry. His physical condition no longer prevents him from inclusion in the people of God. The answer to his question, "What prevents me from being baptized?" is simple: absolutely nothing! Anyone who believes in Jesus - regardless of any other characteristics - is fully included in the people of God by their faith. If you beleive in Jesus as your savior, you can be baptized!

Conclusion:  If you haven't been baptized, ask the same question: "What prevents me?" Simply put, if you believe in Jesus as your savior, then baptism is your next step. And if you have already been baptized, then consider Philip's example in two ways: (1) His obedience to God. He went where God wanted him to go and did what God wanted him to do. (2) His ability to explain the Scirptures and share the Gospel. Could you explain to a friend how a passage of scripture connects to the Good News about Jesus? Consider devoting yourself to Bible study in this season, to getting to know the Savior, Jesus!

1. The Great Commission.

- What is the Great Commission?  

- Where can you find the Great Commission in the New Testament? 

- Which Old Testament passages point forward to the Great Commission? 

- Is the Great Commission still in effect today? Why or why not? 

- How does this passage show God's action in fulfilling the Great Commission?  

- If God is providentially in charge of this, then does this mean we are off the hook, and don't have to work? Why or why not?

2. Full Inclusion by faith in Christ.

- Have you ever been excluded from a group or special activity? What was that like? 

- Excluding eunuchs from full participation in Judaism seems discriminatory and harsh. Why was that their practice? Hint: What cultural or theological issues may have been at play when God gave these instructions in Deuteronomy 23? (You'll have to do some research for this one). 

- Why is it important that faith is the prerequisite to baptism? 

- What are you tempted to add to faith in order to "feel ready" to be baptized?

- What is the danger in doing this? 

- What questions do you still have about baptism? 

- Where can you go for answers? 

1. Praise God for inviting us to be aprt of his plan to bring the good news about Jesus to the ends of the earth! 

2. Thank God for people like Philip, who are willing to be used by God in whatever capactiy he desires.

3. Pray for someone you know who doesn't believe or has not been baptized. 

4. Ask God to show you how to minister to them in this season. 

Thanks for reading the Bible Study Guide! I pray it helps us "continue to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ" (Eph. 4:15).

Sincerely, your brother in Christ,

Tom Hansen, Senior Pastor