The Book of Acts - David Rich - Sunday Morning Class
Teachers
Lesson Summary
The class began with a quick review of last week’s study of Acts chapter 8, where the teacher recapped Simon the sorcerer’s attempt to purchase the Holy Spirit and Peter’s firm rebuke. The group then discussed Philip’s angel‑directed meeting with the Ethiopian eunuch, emphasizing the clear biblical description of immersion baptism found in verses 8:36‑38, and contrasted it with modern sprinkling practices. Moving into Acts chapter 9, the teacher traced Saul’s persecution of Christians, his blinding encounter on the road to Damascus, and his three days of darkness and fasting, setting the stage for Ananias’s divine commission. The discussion highlighted Ananias’s initial hesitation upon learning he must visit the notorious persecutor, illustrating how God often calls ordinary believers to extraordinary tasks. The class affirmed that Saul (later Paul) met the apostolic qualifications outlined in Acts 1:8 and was chosen not merely to be saved but to become a pivotal witness to the Gentiles, as Paul later declared before Agrippa (Acts 26:22‑23). The session concluded with reflections on divine readiness, obedience, and the ongoing impact of these early Acts narratives on today’s mission.
Key Scriptures
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
As they went along the road, they came to a place where there was some water. The eunuch said, 37 ‘Look,’ he said, ‘here is water. What prevents me from being baptized?’ 38 Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you can.’ The eunuch answered, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ And he ordered the chariot to stop. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.