“The God Who Loves the Excluded and Despised”
Acts 8:26–40

BIG PICTURE: Luke is highlighting the continuing fulfillment of God's promises to restore his people. The Davidic King reigns over his people and, as Isaiah anticipated, the scattered people of Israel and those excluded from the assembly of Israel are united through the message of the good news of forgiveness brought about through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

The flow of the passage:
· A divinely arranged encounter (8:26–31)
· Finding Christ in the scriptures (8:32–38)
· Philip’s continuing ministry (8:39–40)

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1 Cor. 1: 26-31 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.