If you’ve ever lost your eyesight, even for a little while, you’ll know what a harrowing and disorientating experience it can be. Saul was blinded by the light of Christ on his way to kill Christians in Damascus and fell to the ground. His companions didn’t see Jesus, like Saul did, but they heard the sound of his voice, and realised that something incredible had happened. When Saul got up from his fall he was blind. What had happened to his eyesight? Had he lost his sight forever? Was this Jesus coming back to finish him off? These may have been the questions running through his mind.

Saul had a lot of time to ponder these questions; three days! In the black and confusion of this time he didn’t eat or drink anything. This would have been further distressing, but who could blame him? Saul may have been wracked with guilt at the hatred and evil he had harboured in his heart. He’d persecuted Christians, and by extension he’d persecuted Jesus himself.

This proud religious man who had used his eyes to learn the law and hunt down Christians was suddenly disabled beyond recognition. The fear and anxiety of those three days must have been agony but God was using those three days of blindness to reveal to Saul his spiritual blindness. Without Jesus we cannot see anything clearly. God must open our eyes and show us our sin, his salvation, and the fullness of life found in him. Only then will we be able to sing with Saul, and with many disciples of Jesus since that day, “I was blind but now I see!” DB

1. Why do you think God had to issue such a radical and upsetting experience to fix Saul’s spiritual blindness?

2. What are your spiritual blind spots? How does God help us to see him more clearly?

3. How can you help others in your life to see God more fully?

God who restores sight to the blind, help us to see you for who you truly are. Forgive us for our spiritual blind spots and help us to see you more fully today. Amen!


Saul was a passionate Jew. He had risen through the ranks, learned the Jewish Law by heart and was passionately pursuing God in every facet of his life. He wasn’t persuaded by these ‘stories’ of Jesus of Nazareth. The man was a heretic who had deluded Jews who should have known better and who had claimed to be the ‘Son of God’. What’s more people were claiming that Jesus who fellow Pharisees had persuaded Pilate to crucify, had come back from the dead! This movement had to be stopped!

Saul had heard that this crazy cult had travelled as far as Damascus in the north. What if it kept going and made it to his home city of Tarsus, or worse yet Rome! He went to the high priest to get letters for the synagogue leaders in Damascus to warn them and unite all Jews against this dangerous superstition. The disciples called themselves ‘the Way’ but Saul would take them all the way to jail in Jerusalem where they belonged.

God breaks into the lives of the most unlikely people. Drug dealers, prostitutes, fundamentalist zealots, and people like you! Sometimes he does this in dramatic and instantaneous ways and sometimes he does it in subtle and gradual ways. What the conversion of Saul shows us is that God can break the hardest heart and no one is beyond his grace. We should never see someone as a lost cause or too hard to crack. A personal encounter with Jesus can break a heart of stone and redeem it forever. Whose heart can you be praying for and speaking into today? DB

1. Why do you think Saul hated Christians so much? Why did God ask Saul “Why are you persecuting me?” when he was persecuting Christians?

2. How did you first encounter Jesus? How did this affect you?

3. Whose heart can you be praying for and speaking into today?

Risen Jesus, thank you so much that a personal encounter with you can change a heart of stone. Please break our hearts for what breaks yours and help us to see people the way you see them. Help us to bring others to encounter you and be saved. Amen!


Having met with, chatted, and baptised the eunuch, Philip is now once again led away by the Spirit to preach the Gospel. Presumably, as God had led Philip to connect with the eunuch, he then would have connected the eunuch with a local body of believers so that he could continue to be discipled and grow. It’s worth mentioning this because sometimes we can elevate one role in the Body over another, however, it’s so important to acknowledge that we all play critical parts in people becoming and growing as Christians. That doesn’t of course diminish the responsibility of every Christian to be prepared and willing to give an answer for what they believe, but it should encourage us as we recognise that we do this together. God brings different people into our lives at different time, but always with the potential for a Gospel opportunity.

As Philip heads off, he now goes to Azotus which was one of the five Philistine cities, but he is actually en route to Caesarea. At this point, it might be easy to think of Philip as just going from place-to-place, but when he gets to Caesarea he’ll be there for a while. In fact, his next appearance (cf. Acts 21:8) is some 20 years later! What a great example to us that wherever we go, be it short-term or long-term, that we must be prayerful and open to whatever opportunities there might be to proclaim Jesus. Over the years, I’ve often been astounded by the opportunities that come up when I’m travelling, yet I’m equally amazed by the long-term evangelism through relationships when we’re at home. The point is: whether at home, away, at work, at play, or even en route, God wants to use it all to make disciples. We might not always feel ready, but God is. AL

1. Have you ever had an opportunity to share something - even something very small - about Jesus when travelling?

2. What are the long-term relationships that you have with people who are not yet passionate followers of Jesus? How can you pray for them?

Heavenly Father, thank you that you are preparing opportunities for us to share the Gospel wherever we go. Please embolden and ready us for those times. Please soften hearts and give us wisdom, that many people might come to put their trust in Jesus as their Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.


What a phenomenal conversion story! Having wanted to understand the Bible, and Philip having now explained the Gospel, the eunuch was now ready to receive Jesus and be baptised! Philip must have been so clear in explaining the Gospel, along with the role of baptism, that the eunuch is very quick to point out, to paraphrase, “Well, what’s stopping me?! I’m here, your here, we just need some water!”. And so the rest is history and the eunuch was baptised that very day! Sometimes when we hear accounts like this we can be sad that our conversations about Jesus might never seem to be quite as fruitful! But we shouldn’t fear, for often we just don’t know at what stage the person is at in enquiry. It could be at their 100th conversation with a Christian when they convert, and your conversion could be number 99! Similarly, we don’t know for the Ethiopian if this was his first ever conversation or just one of many. The point for us is to be open to such conversations, being ready to meet people where they’re at, and then trusting in God’s good and perfect timing.

I was recently chatting with some leaders from our Church and we were sharing stories of how people grew as disciples in the last year. We were amazed by the people who had come to Christ just in the last 12 months. The stories of how they were connected, who spoke to them, and all of the events that had precipitated were often deeply interwoven and elaborate. No one could have fully predicted that ‘discipleship path’. But when they had been coming into contact with faithful Christians consistently, who were ready to show and share the Good News, all of the essential ingredients were there! We each have a role to play in the proclamation of the Good News, but how encouraging it is to know that we do that as a whole Body, empowered with the Holy Spirit. AL

1. Who do you know who has become a Christian, or grown significantly as a Christian, in the past 12 months?

2. Who can you be praying for to become a Christian in the next 12 months?

Thank you for the powerful way in which your Spirit is at work through your followers in the proclamation of the Gospel. May we never lose heart, but constantly trust in you, and keep pointing people to your Son. Amen.


Taking a detour from Acts 8, we’re challenged today by the role of every single Christian to point people to Jesus. The logic goes like this: If trusting in Jesus is the only way to be saved, and some people don’t know about Jesus, how then will they be saved!? Answer: By someone sharing the Gospel with them!

It’s easy for us to think in Australia that everyone knows about Jesus, but that simply is not the case. Research regularly indicates that not only do fewer and fewer Australians know about Jesus, but that what they know is often very basic or inaccurate. For example, in a 2017 national study on ‘Faith and Belief in Australia’ by McCrindle (in conjunction with Olive Tree Media), 18% of people said that they know ‘nothing at all’ about the church, 28% said that they know ‘very little or nothing’ about Jesus, 3% had never heard of Jesus, and 14% said that Jesus’ life is ‘not at all’ important with regards to the history and culture of the world. Yet incredibly, despite all of this, 23% of non-Christians in the survey said that they would consider or are very interested/quite open to exploring religion! Amidst a country so confused about Jesus, there remains a significant percentage of people who are open to hearing more. But how will they call on the one they have not believed in? How can they hear without someone sharing with them? How can anyone share unless they have been sent? I think you know the answer!

As followers of Jesus, we all have all been entrusted with the jewel of the Gospel. People desperately need to hear and receive it. Many people are open to hearing and receiving it! All that is left is for someone to speak. AL

1. Who first shared the Gospel with you?

2. Who do you know who might be even a little interested in Jesus?

3. How could you open a conversation up about Jesus today?

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the saving power of Jesus! Thank you that we know you and your saving grace. Please embolden us to share the Good News wherever we go. Please go ahead of us to prepare the hearts of those with whom we speak, that your Good News might take root in their lives. Amen.


Talk about a ‘gospel’ opportunity! As Philip runs up to the Ethiopian, the passage of Scripture that the eunuch has opened, is none other than Isaiah 53! And with great wisdom, the eunuch wants to understand who is the person described? Who is the one who was led like a sheep to the slaughter? Who was this one humiliated and deprived of justice? Was it the prophet, Isaiah, or someone else? Such a brilliant question! And so beautifully addressing the very question that the eunuch has raised, Philip, starting with Isaiah 53, shares the Good News of Jesus. This is such an amazing model of how God is at work in drawing people to himself. In part because of Philip’s willingness to follow the prompting of the Spirit. In part because of the way that the eunuch was following his enquiring and yearning heart for God. In part, because Philip was willing ready to meet the eunuch where he was at, and able to give an answer for what he believed when he was asked (cf. 1 Peter 3:15).

As followers of Jesus who are seeking to make other disciples, that means that we not only need to be looking for opportunities to share the Gospel and responsive to the lead of the Holy Spirit, but we also need to be prepared. We need to be prepared not only in our understanding of the Gospel (as per yesterday’s reflection), but also to be willing to come alongside people and explore their questions. I love that Philip started with the eunuch’s question which beautifully led then to the sharing of the Good News. As we seek to proclaim Jesus, we need to be ready to meet people where they are at and explain the Gospel accordingly. As we do that, there is often the great privilege of coming to God’s Word together; reading it together, asking questions together, and ultimately, seeking Jesus together. AL

1. How do you understand Isaiah 53 to be fulfilled in Jesus?

2. If you wanted to share something from the Bible to someone enquiring about Jesus, what would you share?

Gracious Father, we thank you that your Spirit is at work in drawing people to yourself. Please help us to respond to the prompting of your Spirit, point enquirers to Jesus, and also be prepared to give an answer. Amen.


The Bible isn’t hard to understand, but sometimes we need a little help. Sure sometimes there are difficult names (Methuselah) and teachings that are hard to understand (did Jesus really want us to eat his body?) or apply (does Jesus really want us to put him first all the time?), but for the most part the Bible can be read by anyone. One of the awesome things about being able to own a Bible translation in the language we speak is that we can pick up and read God’s Word for us today.

When Philip meets the Ethiopian Eunuch though, the Eunuch needs a little bit of help to understand what he is reading. Fortunately Philip has been sent by God on a divine mission to do just that. Philip is the person who God appointed to help this Ethiopian hear the Gospel. Who did God put in your life to help you understand the Bible and hear the Gospel?

As with any text we sometimes need a little help to understand the Bible but one of the best ways to crystallise what you have learned is to teach others. Who has God put in your life to pray and read the Bible with. Who can you help to get more out of the Bible? If you can read, and have heard the Gospel, then like Philip, you ‘come and sit with’ someone to help them unlock the joy of reading God’s word and the salvation found in the Gospel. DB

1. What do you find difficult about understanding the Bible?

2. Who has helped you to get more out of the Bible? How did they help you gain more understanding?

3. Who can you help to understand the Bible?

Living Lord, we thank you for the gift of your word and that we can read it in our own language. Thank you for the people you have put in our lives to help us understand the Bible. Help us do the same! Amen.


‘Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip...’ That’s a powerful way to start a story but if you’re anything like me you may be asking God: “Where’s my angel?”. So often in life it would be great to have clear guidance from God about what he wants us to do. While looking at this verse in isolation may give us the impression that the first disciples had Angelic secretaries guiding their every step, a broader reading of the Bible tells us that followers of Jesus need to work a little harder to discern God’s will.

Growing in discernment is a big part of growing as a disciple, and a big first step in discerning God’s will is prayer. From Peter to Paul we see that disciples of Jesus spent time in daily prayer talking to God and asking for guidance. Prayer should be our daily starting point for all our decisions. Sometimes God will speak to us through a sign, vision, or angel, but more often than not we won’t get that sort of guidance in how we should live life. Fortunately prayer helps to orientate the thoughts of our hearts towards God and opens our minds up to the many ways God guides us.

As we pray for God to guide us, we’ll often be more open to perceiving the way he wants us to go. God has given us common sense, the Bible to teach us, friends and family to run our ideas and choices past, and our church family to support us and guide us. God may not give us personal angel secretaries but he guides us in all sorts of ways. Let’s keep praying for discernment and God’s guidance each day. DB

1. Who in the passage is receiving guidance and how is it being given?

2. How could your prayer life improve in order to help you discern God’s will for your life?

3. Who can you call on to help you make decisions? How can you help people in your life to grow in discernment?

Guiding God, thank you so much for the various ways you guide your people. Help us to be open to your guidance and obedient to your will and ways. Thank you that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Amen!


“I’ve made a big mistake!” Have you ever found yourself saying that? I do it all the time. Sometimes when I say this it comes from a quick realisation that I’ve done the wrong thing, sometimes it comes from a rebuke from a fellow Christian, other times the Holy Spirit gradually convicts me of my sin and drives me towards righteousness. Fortunately when I’ve made mistakes, those discipling me have prayed for me and helped me get back on track.

Simon makes a big mistake. He offers Peter money to give him the Holy Spirit but Peter rebukes him. In v.24 Simon realises the gravity of what he has done and is backtracking quickly. We’re not told how Peter responds but here is a great opportunity to think about how you would handle someone who had made such as mistake. Would you need to check if their repentance was genuine? Could you forgive them? Would you pray for them?

We don’t know how Peter treated Simon after this but what Acts does tell us is that they don’t let Simon’s greed hinder the progress of the Gospel. Peter and John continue to proclaim the word of the Lord, preaching in many Samaritan villages. They don’t let Simon’s sin trip them up or hinder future Gospel proclamation. As we disciple others they will slip up, they will sin, some may repent and others won’t. We should be prepared to get our hands dirty, to forgive, to pray for our fellow disciples, and to get on with the vital work of proclaiming the Gospel. DB

1. Why does Simon repent? What does he ask Peter to do for him?

2. How can you rebuke, pray for, and help those you disciple to get back on track in a way that is healthy and doesn’t hinder your relationship?

Thank you Lord that you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. Thank you that Jesus offers us forgiveness and his mercies are new every morning. Holy Spirit please convict us of our sin and help us to bear fruits in keeping with repentance everyday. Amen!


As an ordained minister people often offer me money. Sometimes it’s in return for something like a funeral or a baptism, other times it’s money to put in the offering plate or money to give to someone who is doing it tough. There’s nothing wrong with receiving support for ministry and the people offering usually have good motives but sadly money can often muddy the waters and give people the wrong idea. This is the case with Simon.

Simon has followed Peter and John all the way to Samaria and seen the source of the Apostle’s power: the Holy Spirit. ‘Everything has a price’ is something we often believe today and Simon thinks he can buy the Holy Spirit’s power. A big theme in Acts is the power and deity of the Holy Spirit. You can’t buy God and Peter’s rebuke is warranted because Simon’s heart is not right before God. Simon’s heart is full of bitterness and captive to sin and Peter knows what happens when people take the Holy Spirit lightly.

Money can’t buy God. As we disciple others we must remember that money is a great servant to mission, but is a terrible master. Ministers of the Gospel need to be very careful to live with financial integrity and to avoid blurring the lines between being a missionary and a mercenary. We need to continuously make sure our hearts are right before God. We also need to realise that while we may tithe, give gifts to the church, and volunteer, ultimately that doesn’t give us ownership over God’s blessings or power. The Kingdom of Heaven cannot be bought. Access to God is a free gift and so is the impartation of the Holy Spirit. DB

1. Why does Simon want to buy Peter’s power? What is wrong with his motives?

2. How can we hold ourselves accountable to God financially?

3. How can we encourage others to prioritise God above their money?

Holy Spirit, thank you for your power, grace and mercy. Forgive us for the times when we put our money before you and let created things dominate our spirituality. Help us to live lives of integrity and humility before you and others. Amen!