Hello Everyone,
I hope you are keeping well. Last week, at our House Group from church, I equipped us on the story of Philip in the Book of Acts 8:26-40. I shared 3 lessons from the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Man.
The Bible tells us how God led Philip to a high-ranking Ethiopian official to help him understand the Gospel.
Who was Philip?
Philip was among the first deacons ordained by the early church in Jerusalem. He was also one of the seven men chosen to serve at the table in the daily distribution of food to the widows.
Philip was not only a man of service, but he was also a man of evangelism.
After the death of Stephen, Philip went to Samaria and preached to the people there. The people were receptive to his message, and many were baptised.
While in Samaria, in Acts 8:26, an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
Philip obeyed and, on the road, he saw a man from Ethiopia who was a Eunuch. He was reading from the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah. The man was not able to understand what he was reading. Philip approached the man and asked him if he understood what he was reading.
The man said he did not understand what he had read and he asked Philip to explain it to him. Philip then began to preach Jesus to the man, and as they rode along in the chariot, the man believed and was baptised.
Who was The Ethiopian Eunuch?Acts 8:27 recorded that The Ethiopian Eunuch was of great authority under Candace, the queen of Ethiopia. He was on his way back to his country. He was in Israel to worship the Lord at the temple, which means he was probably a Jewish convert. On his way home, God planned to change his life for good.
3 LESSONS FROM THE ACCOUNT OF PHILIP AND THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH
1) Be quick to obey God's instructions for you
When the Spirit of God tells you to do something, obey quickly.
Acts 8:26 - 27 says
" When the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip to arise and go towards the south along the road down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the Bible says that ”he arose and went.”
The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip to arise and go to a particular area, Philip rose and went immediately. This time around in Acts 8:29 -30, the Spirit of the Lord spoke to Philip, and Philip obeyed immediately.
Acts 8:29-30 say
"Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
Philip was quick to obey God. He didn’t doubt the incomplete instruction; instead, he obeyed.
How many opportunities have you missed because you failed to act on God’s instruction and nudging?
Proverbs 3:5-6 says,
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Sometimes we may not know why God is asking us to do something, but we can trust that He knows what He’s doing.
2) The GOSPEL IS FOR EVERYONE
The Ethiopian Eunuch was a man of great authority. Sometimes, we think someone that has gone far in their sin, or someone of a particular faith/beliefs or non-beliefs, or someone that is way too far from God won't want to know Christ.
We may even think someone may not need the gospel because they are wealthy and well respected, or they have an honourable position in society. Do you know these views are not Biblical?
The Ethiopian Eunuch was a Royal official with a high rank. He belonged to another culture but responded to the Gospel and Salvation. The Gospel does not have a bias toward personality or status. The Gospel is not only for the poor or the wealthy; the Gospel is for all!
The Gospel must be preached to everyone, regardless of status, race, tribe, position, colour, or language. We must take the Gospel everywhere and preach it to everyone.
Acts 8:30-31 say
"So Philip ran to him and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him."
While this is telling us that the gospel is for everyone. It is also telling us that we need the help of others to understand the Bible. Who are the people that help you gain insights into God's Word?
3) The role of God is important in whatever we do, and in evangelism
The Bible says in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
We need God to lead us. The angel of the Lord and the Spirit of God led Philip to the Ethiopian Eunuch.
God sent His interventions to help with the evangelism but Philip had to play a role.
I trust you have gained insights from the above lessons.
I love hearing from you in the comment section. Please take a minute to say hello in the comment section.
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Yours in Christ,
Mysses Lafunky
I have a free e-book for you. The book (15 Women of the Bible: How they lived a Purpose-Driven Life). This e-book was written by my Bible Study Group. To download it on Google Drive for free, click here.
