45 minutes
- Opening
- 4
- Passage
- 5
- Questions
- 24
- Application
- 7
- Prayer
- 5
Total · 45 minutes
Sermon Study · Leader Edition
A Guide for Life
July 26, 2026 · Austin Axen
Leader preparation · 2–3 minutes
Your aim for this conversation
Read Acts 8:26–40. Notice what Philip is told and what he does in verses 26–30, the conversation in verses 31–35, and the baptism in verses 36–40.
The conversation is for each person to see how they respond when the Spirit prompts them, and to name one next step with Jesus.
Essential questions: Q2, Q3, Q4. Use Q1 when time permits.
Timing plan
The Big Idea
The Holy Spirit lives inside every follower of Jesus as our guide for life, and he guides us to do good, to know God, and to always go.
Remember Sunday’s message
Sermon reminders
01
A Guide to Do Good
Told to rise and go, Philip rose and went, and when the Spirit said to join the chariot, he ran. Austin said the Spirit always prepares us to do good in our circle, and he will never lead us to do something contrary to the Bible.
02
A Guide to Know God
Philip started with a question and with Isaiah 53, and told the official the good news about Jesus. The Spirit uses people and Scripture to help others know God.
03
A Guide to Always Go
The official saw water and asked to be baptized right away. Austin said the Spirit always leads us to take our next step with Jesus and to help others take theirs.
Wednesday’s conversation
Reflect & discuss
Read Acts 8:26–40 together in the ESV.
1
Acts 8:26–27 · Optional · 5 minutes
Rise and go
All Philip was told was "Rise and go," and the passage says simply that "he rose and went." When you sense God nudging you to do something, do you tend to go right away or wait until you know more, and what usually makes the difference?
Leader notes
Follow-ups to have ready
- Austin asked whether we hesitate with fear or respond with excitement when the Spirit prompts us. What has helped you move from the first toward the second?
- Austin's safeguard was that the Spirit will never lead you to do something contrary to the Bible. How has that helped you when you were unsure whether a nudge was from God?
Background you may need
- Austin said Acts is descriptive of the early church and also prescriptive for how God works today. If the talk turns to whether every event in Acts should be expected now, return to what Philip did in verses 26–30: he listened, he went, and he ran.
If it stalls
Read verses 26 and 27 aloud and point out how little Philip was told before he went.
2
Acts 8:27–29 · Essential · 7 minutes
Be all there
Austin said, "It's providence that you are where you are." When have you looked back and seen that you were in a certain place to meet a certain person, and where this week do you most need to be "all there"?
Leader notes
Follow-ups to have ready
- Austin prayed for the people of Lake Tahoe as he rode around it, though he knew none of them. What would it look like to pray that way for a place you go every week?
- What most often keeps you from being all there: your phone, your schedule, your tiredness, or something else?
If it stalls
Offer a general example, such as a talk in a grocery line or a waiting room, and allow a moment of silence before anyone answers.
3
Acts 8:30–35 · Essential · 6 minutes
Five minutes, one verse
Austin summed up Philip's talk with the official as "Five minutes, one verse, and a little bit of courage." Which of those three is hardest for you to give someone, and what would it take for you to give it this week?
Leader notes
Follow-ups to have ready
- The official asked, "How can I unless someone guides me?" Who around you might be asking something like that without saying it out loud, and what question could you ask to learn their story?
- Austin left the man at Lake Tahoe with Romans 8:28. What one verse would you reach for, and why that one?
If it stalls
Read verse 35 aloud and point out that Philip began with the very passage the man was already reading.
4
Acts 8:36–40 · Essential · 6 minutes
What prevents me?
The official saw water and asked, "What prevents me from being baptized?" What is your next step with Jesus right now, and what is standing in the way of taking it before next Wednesday?
Leader notes
Follow-ups to have ready
- What would help you take that step this week, and how could this group help you?
- Optional, more personal: Austin spoke of "that thing that God has been calling you to do." Is there something like that you keep putting off, and what has kept you from doing it?
If it stalls
Read Austin's three next steps aloud: believe, be baptized, or help someone else take their next step. Let each person choose one quietly before anyone speaks.
Carry it into the week
Next Steps
From the sermon
- Ask what your next step with Jesus is: to believe in him and tell somebody, to be baptized, or to help someone else take their next step.
- If you have not read the story of Jesus, open the Gospel of Luke this week.
- Become a good question asker: learn other people's stories by asking good, intentional questions.
- Write down John 14:26 and study who the Holy Spirit is and how he works in our lives today.
- Be more attentive to the people in your circle, and be ready when the Spirit prompts you.
Application
Before next Wednesday, pick one place you go every week, and pray for the people there before you walk in.
My notes
Close in prayer
Thank God for the Holy Spirit who lives in us, and ask him to make each of us ready when he prompts us to do good, to speak about Jesus, and to take our next step.
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV Bible, © 2001 by Crossway. Text Edition: 2025. Used by permission. Permissions. Prepared for this small group from the July 26, 2026 sermon; questions and applications are editorial study material.
Sermon Study · Independent small-group resource · locsermonstudy.com