***
SUMMARY
If it is true, as we have seen in Scripture the last two weeks, that we are spiritually blind apart from the work of the Holy Spirit and therefore unable to understand the things of God; and if it is true that the work of the Holy Spirit is to open our eyes, ears, minds and hearts to see the light of the Gospel and the glory of Christ; and if it is true that we are completely dependent upon the Spirit for that to happen; then we Christians don’t have to do anything right? We can just spend our time fighting with each other over what kind music to sing and what the end of the world will be like and lot’s of nit-picky theological points. Or we can just enjoy the comfort of being saved and being around other saved people, singing songs about being saved. If it’s all the work of God, then there’s nothing for us to do, right?
Sometimes I think we fall into the error of thinking that way. We excuse ourselves from the work of reaching out to others and back up our inaction with the fact that conversion is the work of the Spirit. Or if we don’t go that far, we hold that when God brings people to us, then we’ll talk with them; then we’ll show them the love of Christ. We just have to wait around until God someday brings people through our doors and then we’ll reach out to them – when their nice and tame.
It is true that conversion is fully the work of the Holy Spirit. It is true that human beings are totally dependent upon the Spirit to open their eyes and reveal Christ to them. It is true that no one can come to Christ unless the Spirit draws them. But it is also true that we have work to do. The Great Commission (that part when Jesus commands his followers to go into all the world and make disciples) was not hyperbole. Jesus was not overstating his case or kidding around. We have been summoned to action. We have a purpose. We have been commissioned to share the Good News and make disciples.
Our passage of Scripture this morning helps us with this. For in it, we find both divine and human agents involved in a person’s conversion. We see the Holy Spirit working, working through Scripture and working through a man named Philip. Please read Acts 8.26-40.
Who was Philip? Philip is often confused with one of the twelve disciples who had the same name. But the Philip of this passage was not one of the twelve, rather he was one of “the seven” (see: Acts 6.1-7). Philip was one of those chosen and set apart to care for the poor, minister and evangelize.
Who was the Ethiopian official? He was a royal official and so, like many royal officials at that time he was a eunuch. This was so that they would not be tempted to try to take the throne for themselves and their descendants. This man was a very important official, in charge of the treasury of Candace (a title for the queen of the Ethiopians). He was from the Kingdom of Ethiopia (or Nubia) which was a region located in modern day Egypt and Sudan. It was an old and important kingdom, having dealings even with King Solomon. This powerful and influential official had gone to Jerusalem to worship, possibly during one of the feasts. He therefore was either a “Proselyte” (a Gentile convert to Judaism) or “God-fearer” (one who worshiped the God of Israel but was not circumcised). Or he may have actually been Jewish, since the Jewish dispersion had reached Egypt and beyond.
Now what was going on at the time? When Philip met the Ethiopian, the Church had just been scattered because of the persecution that had broken out against it. Stephen (Philip’s co-worker) had been martyred in Jerusalem. And Scripture states that, “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.” And so Philip went to Samaria and preached Jesus. Then he was called to go to the Jerusalem–Gaza road. And there, the Spirit led him to the Ethiopian official.
In this story, I believe we see in Philip some essential characteristics for Christians to have - vital characteristics for us as we go out in obedience to our Lord’s command to be His witnesses and make disciples.
First, we find that Philip was ATTUNED TO GOD. In v. 26 we read, “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road - the desert road - that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” Philip listened for God to speak and listened to God when He spoke. It is said of Philip that he was full of the Spirit and wisdom. How is one filled with the Spirit? How does one grow in wisdom? By being attuned to God, by living in God’s presence, by living according to God’s way. Just like a radio needs to be tuned to the correct frequency in order to hear, so we must have our lives tuned in to God.
Secondly, Philip was AVAILABLE TO GOD. In v. 27 it states, “So he started out.” Philip didn’t make excuses or drag his feet. He heard the message from God and he obeyed and went. Philip was available. His attitude said, “Ok, Lord, here I am. I am yours. Where you lead, I will go.” Philip knew he belonged to the Lord and so he trusted the Lord to send him where he would. How available to God are we? Are we willing to say, “Ok, Lord, here I am. I am yours. Where you lead, I will go – whether it be across the world or to the person at work or at school or next door”? And notice Philip wasn’t given too much information either. Are we willing to be obedient even when it is not clear what God has for us to do? Do we trust Him enough to follow anyway?
Thirdly, Philip was ATTENTIVE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT. Look at vv. 29-30: “The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." Then Philip ran up to the chariot ...” Sometimes we wish the Spirit was that clear with us – “Do this. Go there.” But however clear the voice of the Spirit was, Philip nonetheless recognized His voice. He was attentive to the leading of the Spirit. His focus and purpose were clear and so he discerned the Spirit’s voice. How attentive are we? With all the distractions in our lives and in the world, are we able to recognize the voice of God or does it get drowned out by all the noise and busyness?
Next, we find that Philip was BOLD. We read in v. 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.” Philip ran up to the chariot and boldly asked the official if he understood what he was reading. That took some audacity – to approach the official and question him on what he was reading. Philip confidently and courageously engaged the man in an intentional and specific conversation. He pushed feelings of awkwardness and timidity to the side and charged right in. Where did his boldness come from? Was Philip just a self-assured, type A, take charge, people person? Or did his courage and confidence come from His trust in God and the presence of the Spirit in his life? As the apostle Paul would later write about the hope that comes from knowing Christ, “since we have such a hope, we are very bold.” It is our hope in Christ that enables us to be bold.
And Philip was PERSONAL. In response to Philip’s question, the official replied in v. 31, “How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” Philip didn’t throw a tract at the man’s chariot as it passed by. He wasn’t wearing a sign and holding a bull horn shouting at him. He didn’t stop the chariot and offer to sell the official the new book he had just written about Jesus or give him a link to his blog. Philip entered the man’s environment, sat down with him and talked with him. His approach was personal. He didn’t treat the official as his pet project, but as a person. He spent time with him and communicated on a personal level with him. We can learn a lot from that.
Philip was PREPARED. Providentially, the official was reading from Isaiah 53 which speaks about the work of the Suffering Servant of the Lord, the Messiah, Jesus. And the eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” What a question to ask an evangelist! Philip didn’t sputter or skirt the question. He “began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” How was Philip able to do that without skipping a beat? Certainly, the Holy Spirit helped him, but also Philip was prepared. He knew God’s Word. He knew what He believed. He knew who Jesus was. Philip was prepared, not in that he had studied up on ‘evangelism tactics for Ethiopian Eunuchs’, but in that he had a living and active relationship with God and so he could naturally convey the message to others.
And finally, Philip was a COMMITTED COMPANION. Though he was not with the man for very long in this case, nonetheless he presents this important characteristic to us. We read in v. 36, “as they traveled along the road …” Philip was willing to journey with this man - to walk along with him. If the Spirit had not led Philip away, who knows how long Philip would have stayed with him? And we read in v. 38 that after the official asked to be baptized, “both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.” As we reach out to others with the message of Christ’s love, we must show them Christ’s love. Our methods have to match our message. We must be willing to come alongside others and journey through the challenges of life and faith with them - to be a friend to them; for friendship is one of the most effective forms of evangelism. Friendship provides the opportunity to model the message of Christ’s love. And friendship provides the opportunity to speak, for a friend is more likely to listen.
So Philip models essential characteristics for us as we go out to be witnesses of Christ and make disciples. But his story also helps us to understand how the work of Spirit and the active obedience of individual Christians go together.
In this story, we see that the Holy Spirit orchestrated the whole thing and opened the eyes of the Ethiopian man. And yet we also see the active obedience of a man of God, who in response to the leading of the Spirit, was a shining light – shining forth the light of the Gospel and the glory of Christ to eyes newly opened.
And so, may we be attuned and available to God, attentive to the Holy Spirit, bold and personal and prepared as we come alongside of others as a committed companion to shine the light of Christ for them. And may we have confidence that the Holy Spirit goes before us and behind us and in us and with us opening eyes to see the light of Christ that we shine.
Sometimes I think we fall into the error of thinking that way. We excuse ourselves from the work of reaching out to others and back up our inaction with the fact that conversion is the work of the Spirit. Or if we don’t go that far, we hold that when God brings people to us, then we’ll talk with them; then we’ll show them the love of Christ. We just have to wait around until God someday brings people through our doors and then we’ll reach out to them – when their nice and tame.
It is true that conversion is fully the work of the Holy Spirit. It is true that human beings are totally dependent upon the Spirit to open their eyes and reveal Christ to them. It is true that no one can come to Christ unless the Spirit draws them. But it is also true that we have work to do. The Great Commission (that part when Jesus commands his followers to go into all the world and make disciples) was not hyperbole. Jesus was not overstating his case or kidding around. We have been summoned to action. We have a purpose. We have been commissioned to share the Good News and make disciples.
Our passage of Scripture this morning helps us with this. For in it, we find both divine and human agents involved in a person’s conversion. We see the Holy Spirit working, working through Scripture and working through a man named Philip. Please read Acts 8.26-40.
Who was Philip? Philip is often confused with one of the twelve disciples who had the same name. But the Philip of this passage was not one of the twelve, rather he was one of “the seven” (see: Acts 6.1-7). Philip was one of those chosen and set apart to care for the poor, minister and evangelize.
Who was the Ethiopian official? He was a royal official and so, like many royal officials at that time he was a eunuch. This was so that they would not be tempted to try to take the throne for themselves and their descendants. This man was a very important official, in charge of the treasury of Candace (a title for the queen of the Ethiopians). He was from the Kingdom of Ethiopia (or Nubia) which was a region located in modern day Egypt and Sudan. It was an old and important kingdom, having dealings even with King Solomon. This powerful and influential official had gone to Jerusalem to worship, possibly during one of the feasts. He therefore was either a “Proselyte” (a Gentile convert to Judaism) or “God-fearer” (one who worshiped the God of Israel but was not circumcised). Or he may have actually been Jewish, since the Jewish dispersion had reached Egypt and beyond.
Now what was going on at the time? When Philip met the Ethiopian, the Church had just been scattered because of the persecution that had broken out against it. Stephen (Philip’s co-worker) had been martyred in Jerusalem. And Scripture states that, “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.” And so Philip went to Samaria and preached Jesus. Then he was called to go to the Jerusalem–Gaza road. And there, the Spirit led him to the Ethiopian official.
In this story, I believe we see in Philip some essential characteristics for Christians to have - vital characteristics for us as we go out in obedience to our Lord’s command to be His witnesses and make disciples.
First, we find that Philip was ATTUNED TO GOD. In v. 26 we read, “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road - the desert road - that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” Philip listened for God to speak and listened to God when He spoke. It is said of Philip that he was full of the Spirit and wisdom. How is one filled with the Spirit? How does one grow in wisdom? By being attuned to God, by living in God’s presence, by living according to God’s way. Just like a radio needs to be tuned to the correct frequency in order to hear, so we must have our lives tuned in to God.
Secondly, Philip was AVAILABLE TO GOD. In v. 27 it states, “So he started out.” Philip didn’t make excuses or drag his feet. He heard the message from God and he obeyed and went. Philip was available. His attitude said, “Ok, Lord, here I am. I am yours. Where you lead, I will go.” Philip knew he belonged to the Lord and so he trusted the Lord to send him where he would. How available to God are we? Are we willing to say, “Ok, Lord, here I am. I am yours. Where you lead, I will go – whether it be across the world or to the person at work or at school or next door”? And notice Philip wasn’t given too much information either. Are we willing to be obedient even when it is not clear what God has for us to do? Do we trust Him enough to follow anyway?
Thirdly, Philip was ATTENTIVE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT. Look at vv. 29-30: “The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." Then Philip ran up to the chariot ...” Sometimes we wish the Spirit was that clear with us – “Do this. Go there.” But however clear the voice of the Spirit was, Philip nonetheless recognized His voice. He was attentive to the leading of the Spirit. His focus and purpose were clear and so he discerned the Spirit’s voice. How attentive are we? With all the distractions in our lives and in the world, are we able to recognize the voice of God or does it get drowned out by all the noise and busyness?
Next, we find that Philip was BOLD. We read in v. 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.” Philip ran up to the chariot and boldly asked the official if he understood what he was reading. That took some audacity – to approach the official and question him on what he was reading. Philip confidently and courageously engaged the man in an intentional and specific conversation. He pushed feelings of awkwardness and timidity to the side and charged right in. Where did his boldness come from? Was Philip just a self-assured, type A, take charge, people person? Or did his courage and confidence come from His trust in God and the presence of the Spirit in his life? As the apostle Paul would later write about the hope that comes from knowing Christ, “since we have such a hope, we are very bold.” It is our hope in Christ that enables us to be bold.
And Philip was PERSONAL. In response to Philip’s question, the official replied in v. 31, “How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” Philip didn’t throw a tract at the man’s chariot as it passed by. He wasn’t wearing a sign and holding a bull horn shouting at him. He didn’t stop the chariot and offer to sell the official the new book he had just written about Jesus or give him a link to his blog. Philip entered the man’s environment, sat down with him and talked with him. His approach was personal. He didn’t treat the official as his pet project, but as a person. He spent time with him and communicated on a personal level with him. We can learn a lot from that.
Philip was PREPARED. Providentially, the official was reading from Isaiah 53 which speaks about the work of the Suffering Servant of the Lord, the Messiah, Jesus. And the eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” What a question to ask an evangelist! Philip didn’t sputter or skirt the question. He “began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” How was Philip able to do that without skipping a beat? Certainly, the Holy Spirit helped him, but also Philip was prepared. He knew God’s Word. He knew what He believed. He knew who Jesus was. Philip was prepared, not in that he had studied up on ‘evangelism tactics for Ethiopian Eunuchs’, but in that he had a living and active relationship with God and so he could naturally convey the message to others.
And finally, Philip was a COMMITTED COMPANION. Though he was not with the man for very long in this case, nonetheless he presents this important characteristic to us. We read in v. 36, “as they traveled along the road …” Philip was willing to journey with this man - to walk along with him. If the Spirit had not led Philip away, who knows how long Philip would have stayed with him? And we read in v. 38 that after the official asked to be baptized, “both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.” As we reach out to others with the message of Christ’s love, we must show them Christ’s love. Our methods have to match our message. We must be willing to come alongside others and journey through the challenges of life and faith with them - to be a friend to them; for friendship is one of the most effective forms of evangelism. Friendship provides the opportunity to model the message of Christ’s love. And friendship provides the opportunity to speak, for a friend is more likely to listen.
So Philip models essential characteristics for us as we go out to be witnesses of Christ and make disciples. But his story also helps us to understand how the work of Spirit and the active obedience of individual Christians go together.
In this story, we see that the Holy Spirit orchestrated the whole thing and opened the eyes of the Ethiopian man. And yet we also see the active obedience of a man of God, who in response to the leading of the Spirit, was a shining light – shining forth the light of the Gospel and the glory of Christ to eyes newly opened.
And so, may we be attuned and available to God, attentive to the Holy Spirit, bold and personal and prepared as we come alongside of others as a committed companion to shine the light of Christ for them. And may we have confidence that the Holy Spirit goes before us and behind us and in us and with us opening eyes to see the light of Christ that we shine.
