Evangelists: Looking at Philip
For the past three years, God has prompted me to pray for people, sometimes even visit people and this has been difficult for me. Even though I am naturally a "people person", every time God has prompted me to pray for the sick, call the sick and give them a passage, it has been one of my greatest challenges. I am glad, for the many times I have obeyed these instructions. At times I had to call people out of my comfort zone, at odd times, and these incidents have left me appreciating God speaking to me in this way.The story of the Ethiopian eunuch presents us with a big challenge of how God directed Philip to one man the same way he had directed him to many people in Samaria. This prompting, to such a significant conversion, gives us a life lesson in the importance of personal evangelism. I believe every Christian has a responsibility to talk about Jesus with someone on a personal level.
The two lessons that stand out for me in this passage are Philip's obedience and the zeal the eunuch has for God.
When God commanded Philip to go to the desert road, he obeyed. It is amazing to see that through Philip's obedience, the Lord opened a door for this opportunity to evangelise. Do we often see the opportunities God opens for us? I have not always seen every situation with my prompting as opportunities to serve, however, I have now since thanked God when I received instructions and had to share only to realise that, this is exactly what people needed. In Philip we see "Spirit-led boldness," of course most of us claim we don't have it and so we can't share the Good News about Jesus, my challenge has been to see the, "spirit-led boldness" in the small voice that invites you to share Jesus with the most insignificant people and or the most special people around you.
The second lesson from the Eunuch is how ready he was for God. As we often worry about how people will receive the message of Christ, let us remember that hearts are prepared by God. Often when we share in obedience we will be surprised how people would respond.
Are you on fire for Jesus? Does it sometimes look difficult to make a difference for God? Now what is the point of this story? What stands out in this story is that a very unlikely candidate for conversion, the Eunuch, is found and converted through the supernatural leading of the Lord himself, and not through human planning (John Piper). Therefore today step up and share the good news of Jesus and follow God's prompting.
| Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." 30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot 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 explains it to me?" So 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 speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth." 34 The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 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. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. (Acts8:26-40) |
(Tichaona Nigel Chikanya, husband to Savior and father to Deuel Chikanya, last served at Mowbray Presbyterian Church in South Africa and is currently serving at Eastwood Parish Church in Glasgow, a congregation in the Church of Scotland.)
