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These small group Bible studies of Acts 8:26-39 contain commentary, discussion questions, and practical applications. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.
Acts 8:26-39 Bible Study and Questions – A Divine Encounter with the Ethiopian Eunuch
I. Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-40)
Discussion Questions
• Why do you think Luke records that the place Philip was sent to was a desert place?
• What other important encounters in Scripture take place in the desert?
• What do you observe about Philip’s response?
• What can we learn about God’s sovereignty in salvation?
• Have you ever felt you were part of a “divine appointment?”
• How do you see God helping the gospel spread to all nations?
• What observations do you have about this Ethiopian?
• Did you ever share the gospel with someone who seemed totally “ready?”
• Does the Spirit ever prompt you to share with people? How do you respond?
• What do you learn from Philip’s approach in initiating the conversation?
• What section of Scripture was the Ethiopian reading? How does that point to Christ?
• What do we learn about baptism?
• Are baptism courses essential? Why are they implemented?
• What happened after Philip baptized him?
• What takeaways can you take from this passage to apply to your own life?
Cross-References
Proverbs 11:14 – Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
Isaiah 53 – This chapter points clearly to Jesus and the sufferings He faced as the Messiah. The Ethiopian was reading from this section of Scripture.
Acts 22:16 – And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.
Romans 6:4 – We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. Go toward the south… a desert place –
An angel told Philip to go toward the desert. He was an evangelist. His job was to preach the gospel to people. There aren’t a lot of people in the desert! But God knew what He was doing.
Philip “rose and went.” It is an important lesson in trusting God. His ways are not our ways. If Philip made the “logical” decision, he would have gone to a place with a lot of people and missed the opportunity to share with the Ethiopian who was ready to believe.
Sometimes God’s instructions are counter-intuitive.
• Turn the other cheek.
• Return good for evil.
• The last will be first and the first will be last.
• It is more blessed to give than to receive.
• You get more joy by giving it away.
Application – The simple lesson from this is to trust God. He works in mysterious and often miraculous ways!
Romans 11:33 – Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
Reflect – How has God worked in your life in a surprising or unexpected way?
2. God made sure the gospel spread –
In this passage, we see that the gospel is truly going out. It has already gone from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria. Now it is going to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
While believers were His chosen tools to spread the gospel, God is the Mastermind. He will make sure this task is accomplished whether that means giving believers a nudge to move beyond their comfort zones or literally whisking them away to another location (Acts 8:39-40).
Jesus predicted the spread of the gospel.
Matthew 24:14 – And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
The Lord desires people from every tribe, nation, and tongue to come to Him. He will accomplish it in His time.
Church tradition tells us that the Ethiopian spread the gospel on his way back to Ethiopia. He was one of the first to take the gospel to Africa. In AD 333, Ethiopia made Christianity its official religion. They were the second nation to do so. The Christian tradition in Ethiopia goes back to very early in the New Testament era. Archaeological evidence also points to a heavy Christian influence there.
Application – It is a blessing that God chooses us (as He chose Philip) to be part of this process. What are you doing to fulfill the Great Commission?
3. A eunuch is saved –
The gospel also does not exclude any type of person. The Ethiopian was a eunuch. Many men were forcibly castrated at that time and forced to serve in the palace. He could have been born that way or made that way by men (Matthew 19:12). Either way, God loved Him. By believing the gospel, he could receive a full, complete, and healthy body in heaven.
4. A divine appointment –
If there was ever a divine appointment, this was one! Philip encountered a man whose heart was ready to receive the gospel. He had traveled a great distance to Jerusalem to worship God. But he didn’t know much about Jesus yet. Of all the Scriptures he could have been reading, he was reading Isaiah 53! That passage more clearly points to Jesus than any other in the Old Testament.
Jesus said that the disciples were fishers of men. In this case, the fish was practically jumping into the boat. There is no doubt that the Lord sovereignly arranged this meeting. At the same time, Philip’s role was important. His job was to obey the Spirit and answer God’s call. As ready as this man was, he still needed someone to clearly explain the gospel to him.
Romans 10:17 – So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
God knows the hearts of those He has prepared and will ensure that the gospel will get to them. It is a great blessing to be part of that process.
Reflect – Have you ever been part of a divine encounter? What did that teach you about God?
In 2002, I was on a short-term mission trip in Asia. I was walking through a local university with the mission team. We were just walking through praying that God would use us and open doors for the gospel. As we were walking through, we saw a group of around forty students practicing something called “Crazy English.” They shouted the English words and phrases loudly so that they wouldn’t forget them.
As we were passing by, we heard loud calls, “Hello! Can we be friends with you?” We told them, “No, we are busy looking for new friends we can share the good news with.” Not really! God answered our prayers. We quickly struck up conversations. That evening, we were able to meet with many of them and share the gospel with around thirty of them. Not only did some of them receive Christ, but some of us moved to that country and still serve there today over twenty years later.
We should be sensitive to what God is doing and quick to jump on board. Don’t miss an opportunity that is staring you in the face!
5. Lessons from Philip –
From Philip, we can learn several key principles about sharing the good news with others.
Being responsive to the Spirit
When the Spirit prompted Philip, he obeyed. He obeyed quickly. Philip didn’t ask questions, “Why go to the desert?” or “What if this foreign official doesn’t want to listen to me?” He just obeyed.
Reflect – Does the Spirit still move in us to pray for, serve, or share the good news with others?
He does. The Holy Spirit has not stopped working. There have been times in my life when I felt clearly led by the Spirit to approach someone and share. One of those was when I was around twelve. I was at a park and felt prompted to share with another kid. So I did. He didn’t believe at that time, but a seed was planted.
There have been other times when I quenched the Spirit. I felt nervous or shy so kept my mouth shut. I still regret those times that I didn’t share when I knew I should have.
Reflect – Share about a time when you were prompted by the Spirit to share the good news. How did you respond?
Asking Questions
Philip doesn’t start off lecturing. His first recorded words to the Ethiopian was a question, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
This gave space for the Ethiopian man to share his thoughts or even to politely decline conversation with Philip.
Question-asking is a great way to start a gospel-centered conversation. Here are some benefits of asking questions as we share.
Reflect – What are some reasons that asking questions is so powerful? Please stop and think before proceeding.
• Asking questions shows our care for the person and respect for their opinions.
• Asking questions allows us to share as a peer and not a boss.
• Asking questions gives us insight into what the other side is thinking. With that knowledge, we can better address the issues they have. For example, one person might have questions about the truth of God and the Bible while others may be emotionally hurt by a situation they have faced in the past.
• Asking questions gives space and time for the other side to think through and clarify their own thoughts. In a coaching seminar, I learned to “Let the silence do the work.” That means that we should ask a good question and wait. The “dead air” is not pointless. The wheels are turning and the mind is engaged.
Starting from Common Ground
He started where the Ethiopian was in his journey of faith, the Old Testament. They had common ground. Philip could start there and then expand.
Paul did the same thing in Athens when he started sharing with them about their statue of the unknown god.
Acts 17:23 – For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
What are areas of common ground with a Muslim? A Hindu?
Be ready
Philip was well-equipped. He was familiar with the Old Testament and able to pick it up at a moment’s notice and explain it. What a shame it would have been if after the Ethiopian told him what he was reading, Philip said, “Oh, I haven’t read that before!”
1 Peter 3:15 – But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.
We need to prepare ahead of time to be able to use different ways to share the gospel. That means we should study the Scriptures and be familiar with them. Then when we come to an open door, we can go through. Once you have that open door, it may only stay open for a short time. If someone is ready for us to share, it often won’t work that well to say, “Wait here. I will go learn the gospel and get back to you!”
Application – How can you prepare yourself to share the gospel, defend the faith, and answer hard questions about the Bible?
Encouraging immediate steps of faith
After Philip shared, the Ethiopian wanted to be baptized immediately. Philip wisely encouraged that. He struck while the iron was hot.
When you share the gospel, include a call to action. Ask the listener to make a response. The response could range from immediate baptism as in this case, to giving them a Bible and asking them to read the Gospel of Mark.
The Christian life is a journey. You should help show the person you share with the next step they can take. Don’t them hanging without a clear action plan for growth. Whenever possible, follow up.
6. The Ethiopian requested immediate baptism –
Acts 8:36 – 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?”
The KJV and NKJV have the following verse.
Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
These are not included in most modern translations because the oldest manuscripts do not contain this verse. While it was likely not in Luke’s original writings of Acts, the principle is clearly seen throughout the New Testament. There are scores of verses that tell us belief in Jesus is necessary for salvation.
Acts 8 is not a complete record of Philip’s conversation with the Ethiopian. It is certain that Philip would not have baptized the man if he did not believe in Jesus.
Philip agreed and baptized him immediately.
From this, we learn that attending a baptism course is not a Biblical prerequisite for baptism. At the very least, a conversation is very important. We see that they did have a conversation so Philip understood this man’s condition.
Many churches require attendees to go through a course because they want to build their Scriptural foundation and assess their readiness for baptism. This can be very productive. It is not unbiblical or wrong to have a course, but it is extra-biblical, meaning it is a tradition that is not commanded. Churches should be flexible and not legalistic.
Reflect – What are your thoughts on immediate baptism versus going through a baptism course first?
7. Peter is whisked away to the next divine appointment –
In these chapters, Philip is a busy and hard-working man. He goes from one place to the next faithfully preaching the gospel.
Building God’s kingdom is hard work. It takes a lot of time and commitment.
John 9:4 – We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.
Application – What is the Spirit telling you to do based on this passage?
