JOIN US FOR WORSHIP
Worship isn’t about performance; it’s about participation. This Worship Guide serves as a weekly resource as we join in singing, praying, and celebrating the work God is doing in our community. Whether you’re at the Lyric Theatre or tuning into our live stream, we’re so glad you are joining us!
Let’s jump in.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”
The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
Acts 8:26-40 NIV
PRAYING TOGETHER
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.|
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the
Power and the glory forever. Amen.
COMMUNITY: TALK IT OUT
Each week, we approach the Scriptures with 4 primary questions:
1. What does this tell us about God?
2. What does this tell us about ourselves?
3. How does this help us love
our neighbor?
4. How can we put this into practice?
These questions help guide our conversation around the Scripture each week, and encourage us to move beyond knowledge and into action together.
Next Step Questions:
1. Philip never planned on being in Samaria, but persecution brought him to the very place where Jesus said they’d be his witnesses. How has God used a season of crisis and struggle to position you for who he is calling you to be?
2. Like Philip, God is already preparing people in your path who will have an encounter with Christ through your obedience. What might it look like for you to listen and follow the Holy Spirit’s lead into the ordinary spaces of your day to day life?
NEXT STEPS AND RESOURCES
The idea of listening and following the voice of God in our lives can seem intimidating… or even outlandish. Walking with an expectation and experience of God’s voice in our lives is a way we live with the same posture Jesus did (John 5:19). This book by Dallas Willard is the best I’ve come across in helping us understand and discern the voice of God in our lives.
– Justin
