Introduction
God's message is able to transcend cultures, stereotypes, and geographical boundaries. The story from Acts of Phillip and the Ethiopian official provides encouragement to anyone who wants to see God at work in international students.
Read Acts 8:25-40
1. What cultural, social, religious, and practical barriers were necessary for Philip to overcome in order to meet this foreigner?
2. What caused Philip to do the things he did? What can we learn about God from that?
3. Did God require Philip to be an expert on Bible history or take classes about evangelism? What does that mean for us?
4. How had God already prepared the foreign official to hear the Good News?
5. How are international students similar to the official? How can we be like Philip?
6. What barriers are keeping us from working with international students? How can we change?
7. "[he] went on his way rejoicing." (v39) How does this give us hope and encouragment in our witness?
Key Verse
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
Philip came to the foreign official to offer his knowledge of Jesus as the Messiah. God had done the work of preparation - all that was required was for Philip to obey the prompting to talk about Jesus. Often, life-changing conversations are begun by a simple offer of yourself to another.
Additional Verses
1 Kings 8:41-43
Psalms 67:2-7
Isaiah 56:6-8
Matthew 28:18-20
Luke 12:11-12
1 Peter 3:15
