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Announcements

CARS Clinic
Saturday, March 18th @ 9a
The Bridge Church Reno
If you are a single mother or older and in need of regular maintenance or small minor repairs on your vehicle; please sign up for our CARS clinic.  On March 18th at 9am the CARS team will be at the church helping with those things.  Please sign up at thebridgereno.com/cars
 
Baptism Class
Sunday, March 19th @ 11:15a
The Bridge Church Reno – Conference Room
If you are interested in being baptized or just want to know what the scriptures say about baptism, we will be hosting a baptism class on March 19th.  Please sign up using the connection card on The Bridge Church App.
 
Financial Peace University
Starting Sunday, March 19th @ 11:30am
The Bridge Church Reno - Learning Center – Bring a sack lunch
The Bridge Church will be hosting Financial Peace University on Sundays after church. Financial Peace University is a nine-lesson course that teaches you how to save for emergencies, pay off debt fast, spend wisely, and invest for your future. And no complicated financial blah blah blah over here. For over 25 years, Dave Ramsey’s been teaching commonsense, biblical money principles that work.  Sign up at thebridgereno.com/fpu

Message Notes

Unstoppable: How To Impact A Life

Pastor Bill West
March 5, 2023

And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
Acts 8:1

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there.
Acts 8:4–5

Leave Your Comfort Zone
Look and Pray for “Open Doors”
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 
Acts 8:26

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Colossians 4:2, 5–6

Address Your Prejudice
So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet.  
Acts 8:27-29

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.
Acts 1:8 

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Matthew 28:19

Walk Alongside First
The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
Acts 8:29

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
1 Peter 3:15 

Ask Questions, then Listen.
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 
Acts 8:30-34

Tell Them About Jesus.
Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
Acts 8:35–40

When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
1 Corinthians 2:1–2
Previous Messages Can Be Found Here

Small Groups Talk About It

Watch the latest Message Summary:

Discussion Questions
  1.  Share some of the insights you have gained from the Book of Acts so far. What new thoughts do you have about your faith as a result?

  2. Read Acts 8:1-4. How did God get the church to Leave their Comfort Zone?  How can our “comfort” keep us from sharing our faith? Who went about sharing the gospel?  Where did they go? What does this teach us about what God can do with the “disasters” of our lives?

  3. Read Acts 8:5-12. Where did Philip go?  What is the significance of him going there? Why did the Jews and Samaritans hate each other so much? What happened while he was there? What is God up to at this time?

  4. Read Acts 8:26-40. Discuss what is happening here.  What can we learn from this story about sharing our faith?  How did Philip respond in this situation?

  5. Read Colossians 4:2-6 and I Corinthians 2:1-2. Discuss how these verse apply to us in our world today. What is the significance of each of them?

  6. Bill discussed that “God Moments” happen in our lives, share a time when you know God provided you a moment that you missed and one that you walked through?

  7. Who are some of the people that you are praying for?  What does it look like to Leave Your Comfort Zone? In what way can you do that this week?

Spend Time praying for those you want to know Jesus.


Dig Deeper:  preparation for next week’s discussion, please do the following:

Monday and Tuesday: Read Acts 9: 1-31
  • What stands out to you in vs 9:1-4?
  • Acts 9:5-9: What do you believe Paul thought about this event? What about those who were with him?
  • What do you learn from Acts 9:10-19 about Ananias and his relationship with God? What risk was he taking? How can you become more like Ananias in your walk with Christ? 
  • Acts 9:19-31: What are your thoughts about Paul beginning to preach so soon? How would you have responded to Paul if you had been one of the disciples? What stands out to you about Barnabus?

Wednesday: Read Luke 15:11-32
  • Take a look at the actions of the older son and compare/contrast his actions to those of his father’s. 
  • Which person’s actions better built a bridge that truth could travel over? Which person does our world need more of today? 
  • Think of a time where the actions and attitudes of others helped to build a bridge for truth to travel over for you.  
  • How can you become more like them?

Thursday: Read 2 Timothy 2:22-26 and 1 John 3:18-20 
  • What guidelines are here that help to become more effective in sharing our faith? 
  • Which ones apply most directly to you at this time?

Friday: Read Philippians 1:12-14 and Colossians 4:2-6
  • What can you learn from Paul’s words about sharing your faith?  
  • What do you learn about the way we should approach people who do not yet know Jesus?
  • Pray for those whom God has placed on your heart that you want to come to know Jesus. 
  • How can you leave your comfort zone today and reach out to one of them? 
Previous Messages Can Be Found Here