Pointing a Searching Friend to Jesus
Month 5: What About Other Religions? · Loving Others
Today's Scripture
Read together: Acts 8:30-35
30 So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth. 33 In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.” 34 “Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
Memory Verse
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.”— 1 John 4:1 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Judges 13-15
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 147 of 365 — the birth and strength of Samson, set apart from before he was born.)The Heart of It
Let's go back to Philip and the Ethiopian official. Let's watch how he loved a searching friend. First, Philip asked a question. He didn't give a lecture. He simply asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" (). He let the man do some talking. Second, he waited for an invitation. The official said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" Then he asked Philip to sit with him. Third, when the door was open, Philip didn't dance around it. "Beginning at this Scripture," he "preached Jesus to him" (). He was gentle, curious, and patient. And then he was completely clear about Jesus. That's the rhythm of loving a friend who's searching.
Loving people who believe differently doesn't mean we pretend all beliefs are the same. And it doesn't mean we bulldoze them with arguments either. It means we come alongside them, the way Philip climbed into the chariot. We listen long enough to understand what they really think. Questions are a gift. They show we care. They also help a friend discover the gaps in what they've been told. Then, when there's an open door, we lovingly point to Jesus. He's the best news we have. The goal isn't to win the argument. The goal is to win them. You're not trying to embarrass anyone. You're trying to introduce a friend to the One who loves them most.
Around the Table
Philip sat right next to the man and helped him kindly. We can help searching friends too. We can be gentle and tell them Jesus loves them.
Let's do it: Sit shoulder to shoulder with someone. Practice saying, "Want to hear about Jesus? He loves you so much!"
Philip asked a question. He listened. Then he pointed to Jesus. Questions help us love a friend instead of just arguing.
Let's talk: What's a kind question you could ask a friend who believes something different, to understand them better?
Notice that Philip waited for an open door. But once it opened, he didn't stay vague. He "preached Jesus." Loving people means we're patient and honest, not wishy-washy.
Let's go deeper: How do you stay truly curious about a friend's beliefs without giving up the truth that Jesus is the only way?
💬 Conversation Starter
Who's someone in your life who believes something different about God? What's one kind question you could ask them this week?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
The best apologetics often begins with a question, not an answer. A good question shows respect. It also uncovers what a person really believes. So we point friends to Jesus "with gentleness and respect" (). We're not judges handing down a verdict. We're fellow travelers who found bread and want to share it.
For Dad · Go Deeper
Philip's method is quietly profound. He engaged a man from a different culture and religion on the man's own terms. He met him in the scroll he was already reading. This is missional love that takes people seriously. Many of us swing to one of two failures. We either soften the message until there's no Jesus left, or we sharpen it into a weapon. Philip did neither. Sean McDowell argues the next generation needs to see apologetics as relational. It should be winsome, curious, and Christ-centered. Dad, think about how you talk about the neighbor of another faith, the coworker, the cousin who's wandering. The way you talk about them is teaching your kids whether truth and love can live in the same sentence. Show them that they can.
Draws on: Sean McDowell, So the Next Generation Will Know.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, give us love for friends who are searching. Help us ask good questions, listen well, and then point clearly to Jesus. Make us patient and bold at the same time, just like Philip. In Jesus' name, amen."
Loving a searching friend means sitting beside them, asking, and listening. Then it means pointing them to Jesus.