There is a reason why Jesus called His first disciples with the command, “follow me.” His invitation is, indeed, an invitation to follow. It is an invitation to walk so closely that we listen to His direction and follow wherever He leads. Scripture is full of stories about people who followed God when He led them, even when they did not have a lot of answers or know exactly where He was leading them. We will study one of these people today, a man named Philip, who was extraordinarily faithful to God.
BREAK THE ICE
Who is someone whose advice you would follow no matter what? Why?
SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS
Bible Study Questions
1. What does it mean to follow someone or something?
WATCH SERMON RECAP
2. Read Acts 8:26-28. What details did Philip receive from the angel of the Lord in this instruction? Describe Philip’s response to this command.
Acts 8:26-28
"As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah."
3. Read Acts 8:29-34. What stands out to you about this interaction between Philip and this Ethiopian man? What was the ultimate result of this interaction?
Acts 8:29-34
"The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.” 30 Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him. 32 The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.33 He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” 34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?”
"The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”
30 Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.
32 The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.33 He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?”
4. Read Romans 10:8-15. What is Paul’s instruction for sharing the good news of Jesus?
Romans 10:8-15
In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
In fact, it says,
“The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.”
And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
Application
1. Is there anything that is holding you back from fully following Jesus?
2. Who is on your heart who needs the hope of Jesus? Did you struggle to come up with a list of 5 people during the weekend service? Why?
3. What is one step of obedience you believe God is calling you to take?
MOVING FORWARD
One way we can follow Jesus is by telling the people around us about Jesus. As a group, commit to praying for a list of 5 people on your lists who are far from Christ. Then, over the next couple of weeks, invite them to one of our Christmas eve services.
GOING DEEPER
We heard in the weekend service that if we are waiting for God to make sense to us before we are willing to take the next step He wants us to take, we will be standing in the same spot for a very long time. The truth is God often asks us to do things that do not make sense to us. This news is okay because God’s knowledge and understanding far outweighs our own. Theologians describe God as omniscient, which means all-knowing. Because His understanding is infinitely greater than ours, we can trust Him even when what He asks us to do does not make sense. Today we are going to look at what Scripture says about God’s omniscience and understand why He is trustworthy even when He calls us to do things that we do not understand.
God’s understanding is Unlimited:
God’s omniscience means that He knows everything. There is nothing outside of His knowledge and comprehension. Therefore, when we cannot understand, we can lean on His knowledge, which always surpasses our own understanding.
1. Read Psalm 147:5. What does this verse teach us about God’s understanding?
2. Read Isaiah 55:8-9. What do these verses teach us about God’s understanding versus our own?
3. As you consider what these verses teach us about God’s understanding, how does God’s omniscience give you comfort when you think about what God has called you to do that does not make sense?
God Sees the Bigger Picture:
Our human minds are finite. We can try to predict what will happen based on our actions, but we cannot truly know. God, on the other hand, knows everything. He sees what we cannot. He sees the bigger picture that we do not see. Because of this, we can trust His understanding instead of our own.
1. Read Isaiah 46:9-10.
2. What do these verses teach us about God’s understanding?
3. Compare our understanding of the future verses God’s.
4. When you feel uncertain about things God has called you to do that you do not understand, how do these verses give you confidence?
Because God is Omniscient, He Knows What We Need:
God’s omniscience is broad. It applies to every person and every moment in time. It is also personal. It applies to each one of us individually. Because He is omniscient, Scripture teaches that God knows what we need. Like any good loving father, our perfect Heavenly Father gives us what we need when we need it, especially when we do not understand what He is asking us to do.
1. Read Matthew 6:7-8.
2. What do these verses teach us about God’s omniscience pertaining to us?
3. Based on what we know about God, how do you expect Him to respond when He knows what we need?
4. What does this understanding mean as we think about what God has called us to do that we do not understand?
Because God is omniscient, we can trust His plan for us even when He asks us to do things that do not make sense. His understanding outweighs our own understanding and He sees the bigger picture that we cannot. As a group, select one of the verses we have studied to memorize together. Let the verse you chose to memorize encourage you and give you comfort that when God asks you to do something that does not makes sense, He can be trusted.
MONTHLY MEMORY VERSE (Available for download on Sagebrush App)
“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Luke 2:14
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