A question worth asking
Read in your Bible: Acts 7–8.
Stephen gives his witness and is killed, while persecution scatters believers. Philip serves in Samaria and then meets an Ethiopian reading Isaiah. Instead of assuming understanding, he asks a question and begins explaining the good news of Jesus from the passage.
Faithful witness can include courageous speech and patient personal conversation. Philip's question honours the reader's need for understanding rather than treating possession of a text as sufficient. The chapters also reject the attempt to purchase spiritual power, reminding us that God's gift is not a commodity.
Ask someone what they understand before offering a religious explanation. Read the passage together in context and allow questions. If offering support, keep it free from manipulation or any suggestion that money can buy divine favour.
Related reading and source notes.
Read the Bible passage first. These notes identify related Ellen G. White chapters; a related reading is not a claim that she wrote this interpretation. Any direct quotations are marked separately. The explanations and applications are The Earl Project’s own.
1The Acts of the Apostles · Chapter 11—The Gospel in SamariaAA, chapter 11
White's chapter on the gospel in Samaria is related reading on Philip's ministry and the widening witness beyond Jerusalem.
Read alongside: Acts 7–8
Read the original chapter on EGW Writings ↗A question to sit with
Am I explaining what a person actually needs to understand or delivering a prepared speech?
Read a short passage with someone who is interested and invite their questions before explaining.
Let us pray
God of good news, make my witness patient and truthful. Help me ask useful questions, explain Scripture carefully and offer care freely, without turning spiritual gifts or another person's interest into an opportunity for gain. Amen.
Your quiet reflection
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An original interpretation from The Earl Project, written from an Adventist understanding of Scripture. It is not an official church publication. Read alongside the beliefs that inform these reflections. Scripture quoted from the King James Version. Ellen G. White sources are cited separately from The Earl Project’s original interpretation.