Beyond the Weekend: Spaces
Where does God meet us? Throughout Scripture, he meets his people in real places—mountains, deserts, seas, and the temple. Each place teaches us something about who he is. Join us for The Places Where God Meets Us, a six-week series exploring how these spaces point forward to Jesus, the one who meets us still.
Philip on the Road
During the Spaces series, Beyond the Weekend will preview the coming weekend’s message rather than looking back at the previous one—mirroring our group curriculum and helping prepare our hearts for the upcoming sermon. This week, that means looking ahead to The Road.
Read: Acts 8:26-39 | Listen: Acts 8
“Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” Acts 8:30–31
The good news about Jesus spreads through Jerusalem after he returns to heaven, and thousands believe. Meanwhile, on a desert road outside the city, an Ethiopian official rides home in his chariot. He’d traveled all the way to Jerusalem to worship. Yet as a foreigner and a eunuch, he would have stood in the temple’s outer courts as an outsider looking in. On this lonely stretch of road, he seeks to understand Scripture, reading the prophet Isaiah. God sends Philip to meet him on the road and explain how that very Scripture points to Jesus, who welcomes him in. Through his belief in Jesus, he’s no longer an outsider looking in.
People surround us every day who feel like outsiders, too, searching for answers and hope. Maybe it’s a coworker asking honest questions about faith, a neighbor walking through loss, or a friend who’s not sure about God or their faith anymore. We might feel unqualified to help or uncertain of what to say. We don’t need every answer. All we need is the willingness to go, trusting that God will work through us as we share what we know about Jesus. He still sends his people to those who are searching, often in the most ordinary moments of an ordinary day. When we stay ready and willing, God can use our simple obedience to move someone from searching to believing, from feeling like an outsider to a child of God.
TODAY: Write the name of someone who comes to mind who is searching for answers or hope. Begin praying for them today and ask God for an opportunity to point them to Jesus.
Learn how to engage in conversations to share Jesus with confidence and compassion. Join us for Ada Bible Academy: Grounded Apologetics starting October 15. This four-week course equips you to engage today’s biggest cultural narratives. You’ll learn a practical, repeatable approach for these conversations and how to offer the hope of Jesus. Learn more and register HERE.
