Evangelism Lessons from Philip...
| Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road---the desert road---that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 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. The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." 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?" Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they travelled 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 travelled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea (Acts8:26-40) |
We are inspired by the powerful lessons, the calling and the interest in evangelism from Philip, and how he spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others. The Bible states that Philip reaches out to the people of Ethiopia, Azotus and Caesarea. We find obedience, discipline, listening skills, discernment and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit before he could embark on the journey to be a witness of Christ Jesus. The evangelism lessons from Philip are challenging and critical to the generic approach to ministry.
We often preach to revive [imvuselelo] the people we know, in our comfort zones. Here, Philip is led by the Spirit to spread the Gospel to everyone, regardless of race, nation, gender, or background (Acts 8:27) he met the Ethiopian eunuch. At times we are so relaxed and take comfort in the fact that people come to our Church buildings as a tradition to worship God, receive sacraments, confirmations, weddings and hope for dignified funerals. But, no personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Above all, we pride ourselves that sivangela emingcwabeni [we evangelised in funerals], while people came at their purpose, which God permeates to their hearts through His Word, preached for comfort and healing. However, today we are challenged by Philip knowing that God can do without us, but He involves us in His ministry. The Eunuch was reading the scriptures alone but needed someone to interpret for him. Like Nehemiah says, "Someone has come to promote the welfare of the sons and daughters of Israel, (2:10)"
The Bible says, "So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him" (Acts 8:31). What a great invitation and an opportunity for Philip to meet the need of the Ethiopian which led him to intsindiso [Salvation]. We learnt a lesson here that even though this man could read Isaiah, he could not understand. This strikes us to wonder how many of today's Christians read the Bible but are unable to understand evangelism as the key to witness Christ or ufakaza ngo Jesu, let alone share the good news with those close to them. The book of Romans says, "How can they hear without someone preaching to them (interpreting to them) (10:14)?"
In conclusion:
- Evangelists must go where God sends them (Acts 8:26)
- Evangelists should be sensitive (determine the Spirit) to God's voice (Acts 8:26)
- All Christians are Evangelists and desperately needed for evangelism work (Acts 8:30-31)
- When evangelists preach, every Scripture leads to Jesus (Acts 8:32-35)
- The Spirit sends evangelists wherever they are most needed (Acts 8:39)
Wonke Buqa ministering at BE Ngubane Congregation, Alexandra, eGoli Presbytery. He is married to Bongeka, blessed with a son Bukho and two dogs Chopper and Roroza, an aerobics fanatic and loves research writing.
