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Acts #24 - How Far Will You Follow The Spirit?
Acts 8:26-40 (NIV)
Read by: Kim Koi
How far are you willing to follow when the Holy Spirit leads you?
Today on Daily Ready we hear the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. While this passage might be familiar to some of us, we each have much to reflect on as we listen carefully to the leadership of the Spirit, the obedience of Phillip to take some pretty significant risks.
First we have to remember, this is the time when severe persecution had broken out against the followers of Jesus. To be out and about willing to proclaim the good news was risky enough. The LORD calls Phillip to go down a largely deserted road, and he obeys. And on that road he encounters a Eunuch from Ethiopia. Now, this Eunuch is described as a very powerful official in the Queen of Ethiopia which was considered the ends of the earth. To be the head of the Treasury, to be riding in the chariot, to have in his possession a scroll of the prophet Isaiah, and to be able to read it, places him in a number of categories of influence and power. In this time one did not simply approach a person with immense power without being invited. But the Spirit tells Phillip to.
Meanwhile there is another layer at play. Remember how Philip just got done preaching to the Samaritans, who Israel despised because they were seen as compromised ethnically and spiritually, well the Ethiopian’s eunuch status places him in a significantly subordinated group in the eyes of the Jews. Eunuchs weren’t allowed to be full converts to Judaism. So this passage is full of the Spirit pushing the boundaries of who can belong to this new family of God as we’ll continue to see throughout Acts.
----------REFLECT----------
1. What stood out to you about the Spirits direction, and Phillips obedience?
2. Has the Spirit ever prompted you to go to a place or head in a direction without you fully understanding why? What did you experience in that moment and why did you respond in the way that you did? (If you haven’t experienced the Spirit's leadership in that way, ask the LORD why not?)
3. Can you think of a situation, a relationship, or a sphere of influence in which the direction of the Spirit is leading you towards significant risk? What can you learn about God’s character from this passage that will give you courage and comfort to face that invitation with boldness?
----------GO DEEPER----------
Bible Project: Acts 1-12 Overview >>
InterVarsity Press Selections: Acts >>
----------CONNECT----------
Find an InterVarsity Chapter >>
Start an InterVarsity Chapter >>
Learn More >>
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By InterVarsity Alabama
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Acts 8:26-40 (NIV)
Read by: Kim Koi
How far are you willing to follow when the Holy Spirit leads you?
Today on Daily Ready we hear the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. While this passage might be familiar to some of us, we each have much to reflect on as we listen carefully to the leadership of the Spirit, the obedience of Phillip to take some pretty significant risks.
First we have to remember, this is the time when severe persecution had broken out against the followers of Jesus. To be out and about willing to proclaim the good news was risky enough. The LORD calls Phillip to go down a largely deserted road, and he obeys. And on that road he encounters a Eunuch from Ethiopia. Now, this Eunuch is described as a very powerful official in the Queen of Ethiopia which was considered the ends of the earth. To be the head of the Treasury, to be riding in the chariot, to have in his possession a scroll of the prophet Isaiah, and to be able to read it, places him in a number of categories of influence and power. In this time one did not simply approach a person with immense power without being invited. But the Spirit tells Phillip to.
Meanwhile there is another layer at play. Remember how Philip just got done preaching to the Samaritans, who Israel despised because they were seen as compromised ethnically and spiritually, well the Ethiopian’s eunuch status places him in a significantly subordinated group in the eyes of the Jews. Eunuchs weren’t allowed to be full converts to Judaism. So this passage is full of the Spirit pushing the boundaries of who can belong to this new family of God as we’ll continue to see throughout Acts.
----------REFLECT----------
1. What stood out to you about the Spirits direction, and Phillips obedience?
2. Has the Spirit ever prompted you to go to a place or head in a direction without you fully understanding why? What did you experience in that moment and why did you respond in the way that you did? (If you haven’t experienced the Spirit's leadership in that way, ask the LORD why not?)
3. Can you think of a situation, a relationship, or a sphere of influence in which the direction of the Spirit is leading you towards significant risk? What can you learn about God’s character from this passage that will give you courage and comfort to face that invitation with boldness?
----------GO DEEPER----------
Bible Project: Acts 1-12 Overview >>
InterVarsity Press Selections: Acts >>
----------CONNECT----------
Find an InterVarsity Chapter >>
Start an InterVarsity Chapter >>
Learn More >>