September 27- The Word Grows Lesson #3- “Philip the Evangelist” :4-8, 26-40, Matthew 4:12-17

**Feel free to do these in any order.

Bible Story Lesson 1. Say monthly verse together. :24- Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers. 2. Give background: Have you ever gotten really good news? Or..have you ever been in trouble or confused, and someone came to help you at just the right time? Today we get to hear a true story about another apostle. This follower of was named Phillip. He and other apostles were spreading the good news about Jesus all over and to many people. This story shows how the Spirit of God can show us who needs us just at the right moment. 3. Share verses from Acts 8. And everywhere the believers were scattered, they told people the Good News. Philip went to the city of and preached about the . The people there heard Philip and saw the he was doing. They all listened carefully to the things he said. Many of these people had evil spirits in them. But Philip made the evil spirits leave them. The spirits made a loud noise when they came out. There were also many weak and crippled people there. Philip healed them, too. So, the people in that city were very happy. An of the Lord spoke to Philip. The angel said, “Get ready and go south. Go to the road that leads down to Gaza from Jerusalem—the desert road.” So, Philip got ready and went. On the road he saw a man from , a eunuch. He was an important officer in the service of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians. He was responsible for taking care of all her money. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and now he was on his way home. He was sitting in his and reading from the book of Isaiah, the prophet. The Spirit said to Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” So, Philip ran toward the chariot. He heard the man reading from Isaiah, the prophet. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He answered, “How can I understand? I need someone to explain it to me!” Then he invited Philip to climb in and sit with him. The verse of Scripture that he was reading was this: “He was like a sheep being led to be killed. He was quiet, as a sheep is quiet while its wool is being cut. He said nothing. He was shamed and was treated unfairly. He died without children to continue his family. His life on earth has ended.” :7-8 The officer said to Philip, “Please tell me, who is the prophet talking about? Is he talking about himself or about someone else?” Philip began to speak. He started with this same Scripture and told the man the Good News about Jesus. While they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The officer said, “Look! Here is water! What is stopping me from being baptized?” [Philip answered, “If you believe with all your heart, you can.” The officer said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] Then, the officer commanded the chariot to stop. Both Philip and the officer went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away; the officer never saw him again. The officer continued on his way home, full of joy. 4. Ask questions: How did Phillip know to go to the chariot with the Eunuch inside? (The Spirit of God told him.) What did Phillip help the man with? (understanding the , baptizing him, saving him) When we follow Jesus, His Spirit will sometimes nudge us and push us to help people. We might be told to share the , or we might just be urged to help someone, or to be kind, maybe to be a friend or share with someone. When you feel that nudge to do something that Jesus would do, pray for courage and do it! You never know who you might save! And imagine who else that person might help… 5. End with a short prayer.

Family Activities: 1. Family Discussion- Share a time when you felt a nudge to help someone, share the gospel, or be kind. Did you do it? Why, or why not? Pray together for hearts that hear the Spirit and courage to follow the Spirit. 2. Who can you share the Gospel with this week? Who can you help, share with, be kind to, include, do something nice for, call, write to, etc., this week?

Song Ideas: God’s Spirit https://youtu.be/1nIH0dGA8yc , I Will Follow (VBS), I’m All In (VBS) Prayer Time: Have open prayer. Pick one person to start and let each person speak as the Spirit leads them. Start with praise and thanks to God, then move to confessions, and finally requests. Someone can close the prayer.