Further Study: Read Ellen G. White, "The Gospel in Samaria," pp. 103-111, in The Acts of the Apostles.
"In this instance we have an illustration of the care of God for his children. He called Philip from his successful ministry in Samaria, to cross the desert and go to Gaza to labor for a single inquiring soul. The promptness with which the eunuch accepted the gospel and acted upon its belief should be a lesson to us. God designs that we should be prompt in accepting and confessing Christ, prompt in obeying him, and in answering the call of duty. The eunuch was a man of good repute, and occupied a high and responsible position. Through his conversion the gospel was carried to Ethiopia, and many there accepted Christ, and came out from the darkness of heathenism into the clear light of Christianity."—Ellen G. White, The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3, p. 305 
Discussion Questions: 
As a class, talk about your answer to Monday's final question. In fact, before you do that, it would be better to discuss your answer to Sunday's question.
Early on in the Lord's church, ethnic divisions arose. Even today, in various parts of the world, similar tensions exist among church members. What about in your own local church? How can you as an individual help your church see just how contrary to every principle of the gospel these attitudes are?
Philip baptized the eunuch immediately after he accepted Jesus as his Savior. Why does the Adventist Church not do the same today? Should or should we not? Justify your answer.
What are some of the needs in your community that your church could use an entering wedge in order to reach people with the gospel of Christ? How could you help your church in the crucial area of outreach?
Summary:
Philip provides another powerful example of what God can do through somebody who has dedicated his or her life to Him. Whether witnessing to the eunuch, sharing with the Gentiles in Samaria, or converting Simon the sorcerer, Philip's one goal was to uphold the name of Jesus. |
| I N S I D E Story | ||
| Salwa's Blessing Salwa was a faithful wife and mother living in a displaced persons camp in southern Sudan. Women were not allowed to worship in the mosque, and she knew little about God. Then she learned that some Adventist lay evangelists were holding meetings in the camp. She asked her husband for permission to go to the meetings. When he learned that Adventists have many beliefs in common with Muslims, he allowed her to go to the meetings. Salwa shared what she was learning with her husband, and soon he joined her. She learned that she was a sinner but that Jesus had come to forgive her and save her. She stopped brewing and selling alcohol, and soon her back pain, caused by carrying heavy loads of wood used to prepare the beer, was gone. Salwa gave her heart to God and asked to be baptized. Her husband didn't object, for he saw the differences in her since she learned about Jesus. She shared her new faith with other women in their homes and in the marketplace. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and several of her friends began attending church. Some even brought their husbands. When Salwa began attending the church, it had only four members, but within a year the church had grown to 32. Salwa's friends, Hidia and Alima, had new babies and couldn't attend the meetings, so Salwa shared with them what she was learning. Later these women began attending the church. Alima earned a living brewing beer, as Salwa had. She, too, stopped making alcohol and found another way to earn money. When people came to buy Alima's beer, she told them she was no longer making it. People asked questions, and more people learned about God's love and salvation. Sadia, one new convert, sums up the feeling of these women. "We fled here because of war, but here we have found peace in Jesus. I thank God that I had to be displaced by war in order to meet the Savior and have His peace." When it is again safe to return to their own villages, many will take with them a faith they found during a time of war, a faith in Jesus, who brings peace to their hearts. Your mission offerings help support the lay evangelists who serve God in Sudan and many other countries around the world. Thank you for your part in bringing peace to troubled hearts.
Salwa has returned to her home village near Bahr Naam, in southern Sudan, where she continues sharing her faith. | ||
| Produced by the General Conference Office of Mission Awareness. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org |
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