Discussion starters, Acts 8:26-40

This entry is part 36 of 43 in the series: Discussion Starters
- Discussion Starters, Gen 3
- Discussion starters – Exodus 3 & 4
- Discussion starters – Exodus 11 & 12
- Discussion starters – the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20:1-21
- Discussion starters, Joshua 1-6
- Discussion starters – Judges 6-8
- Discussion starters, 1 Samuel 1-15
- Discussion Starters, 1 Samuel 16 – 2 Samuel 24
- Discussion starters – 1 Kings 17 – 2 Kings 2
- Discussion starters, Ruth
- Discussion starters, Daniel 1-6
- Discussion Starters, Mt 1:1-17
- Discussion Starters, Mt 5:1-12, Lk 6:20-26
- Discussion Starters, Matt 5:13-16, 21-26 & 38-48
- Discussion starters, Mt 6:9-13, Lk 11:1-13
- Discussion starters, Matt 8:23-27, Luke 8:22-25
- Discussion Starters, Matt 12:1-21, Mk 3:1-6, Luke 6:6-11
- Discussion Starters, Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:17-26
- Discussion Starters, Mt 6:9-13, Lk 11:1-13
- Discussion Starters, Mk 11:1-11; Mt 21:1-11
- Discussion Starters, Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:17-26
- Discussion Starters, Lk 2:1-21
- Discussion starters, Lk 2:41-52
- Discussion starters, Lk 7:18-35
- Discussion Starters, Lk 10:25-37
- Discussion Starters, Lk 22:39-23:55
- Discussion Starters, Luke 24:36-49
- Discussion Starters, Lk 24:50-52; Acts 1:6-11
- Discussion Starters, John 2:1-11
- Discussion starters, Jn 6:28-58; 8:12-20
- Discussion Starters, Jn 13:1-17; Lk 22:7-23
- Discussion starters, Jn 20:1-18
- Discussion starters, Jn 20:19-31
- Discussion starters, Acts 3:1-10
- Discussion starters, Acts 3 – 4:31
- Discussion starters, Acts 8:26-40
- Discussion Starters, Acts 9:1-19a
- Discussion starters, Acts 18:1-28
- Discussion starters, Paul’s epistles
- Discussion Starters, Gal 1:13-22
- Discussion starters, Ephesians 3:1-13
- Discussion starters, Phil 2:19-30
- Discussion starters, Revelation 2-3
(a) What had Philip been doing before this episode (see Acts 8:5-8)? Why might God have led him away from all of this, in order to evangelise this one man? Do you think that God sometimes takes us away from one thing (that seemed to be working very nicely, thankyou very much) and sends us to another (that doesn’t look so promising)?
(b) We sometimes talk about ‘beginning where people are’. The Ethiopian’s starting point was a passage of Scripture (Isaiah 53). What various starting-points do people have nowadays? How do we need to adapt our approach in evangelism to take account of these different starting-points?
(c) What can we learn from this account about (i) God’s concern for people of other nations; (ii) Christ as the fulfilment of Scripture; (iii) the role of the Holy Spirit in evangelism?