Phillip & the Ethiopian Official

Title:

Philip followed instructions from an angel of the Lord and went to a very important man riding in a chariot. The man was a chief official of the Queen of Ethiopia. He was reading from a scroll of Isaiah but could not understand it. Philip joined him in the chariot and explained that the Scripture was talking about Jesus.  The man began to believe in Jesus, and when the chariot passed by some water, the official asked Philip to baptise him (and he did!)

Bible verses used in this episode:

Acts 8:26-40

Outline:

1. An angel directs Philip where to go (Acts 8:26-29)
2. Philip taught and baptised an important man from Ethiopia (Acts 8:30-38)
3. The two men each go a separate way (Acts 8:39-40)

Tips for teaching children:

• Show the locations of this story on a map. 
• Make a chariot or scroll craft.
• Invite a Bible teacher, elder, preacher or other church leader to attend your Bible class as a guest.  Ask them to talk about helping people understand the Bible.
• Sing the song: Roll, Roll, Chariot Roll. 

Tips for teaching adults:

• To get a feel for what the eunuch was reading and the challenge of Phillip, have the class read out loud a larger section from the place he was reading from.  Have the class read Isaiah 52:7–56:8.  You can divide the text into sections and have different members read a section.  Ask the class, “How would you preach Jesus using only this section from Isaiah? Or using only the book of Isaiah?”
• Show the locations of this story on a map. 
• Here is a more detailed map showing Philip's travels.  

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  Philip Teaches the Man from Ethiopia 

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

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