Acts 8:26 But as for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go over to the road that runs from Jerusalem through the Gaza Desert, arriving around noon.” 27 So he did, and who should be coming down the road but the Treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was now returning in his chariot, reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the chariot.”
30 Philip ran over and heard what he was reading and asked, “Do you understand it?”
31 “Of course not!” the man replied. “How can I when there is no one to instruct me?” And he begged Philip to come up into the chariot and sit with him.
32 The passage of Scripture he had been reading from was this:
“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before the shearers, so he opened not his mouth; 33 in his humiliation, justice was denied him; and who can express the wickedness of the people of his generation? For his life is taken from the earth.”
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Was Isaiah talking about himself or someone else?”
35 So Philip began with this same Scripture and then used many others to tell him about Jesus.
36 As they rode along, they came to a small body of water, and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! Why can’t I be baptized?”
37 “You can,” Philip answered, “if you believe with all your heart.”
And the eunuch replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
38 He stopped the chariot, and they went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, and the eunuch never saw him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Meanwhile, Philip found himself at Azotus! He preached the Good News there and in every city along the way, as he traveled to Caesarea.
In the beginning, there were seven men chosen to oversee the feeding of widows of various ethnic groups. Stephen served as administrator, while others filled various positions. Philip was one of those selected for this task. While Stephen was a gifted orator, Philip was one of those guys who had never met a stranger. Philip’s mother used to say that Philip could talk the legs off a donkey. Philip would simply smile, shrug his shoulders, and find someone else with whom he could chat. Philip has just been in Samaria telling Samaritans about Jesus and marveling at the results the Holy Spirit has brought. But never in Philip’s wildest dreams has he imagined how God is about to use him.As one of Stephen’s colleagues in the Christian program for feeding widows, Philip has fled Jerusalem after Stephen’s death and has been preaching in Samaria. Now God gives Philip a weird order. “Go over to the road that runs from Jerusalem through the Gaza Desert, arriving around noon.” The first miracle is that Philip hears God; the second is that Philip obeys implicitly, arriving precisely when God commands. God’s timing is perfect and Philip soon finds himself witnessing to the Treasurer of Ethiopia, one of the key officers under Candace, Queen of Ethiopia. And now for the third miracle: the Ethiopian is reading from the Book of Isaiah, the Scripture that contains more prophesies about the Messiah than any other Old Testament book. Philip sidles up and introduces himself.
The Ethiopian is entranced by the description of the suffering Messiah and begins asking Philip piercing questions. Thrilled, Philip immediately begins telling about Jesus, quoting many other Scripture passages describing Jesus. The fourth miracle comes when the Ethiopian asks to be baptized. How does this man know about baptism? Has Philip told about Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist or the teachings of Jesus about baptism? We don’t know; perhaps the Holy Spirit speaks to his heart. And there is a pool of water available. Those of us living in temperate climates might pass over that small statement; however, this is a DESERT place and water of any kind is very scarce, let alone a pool large enough to accommodate a baptism. Philip conducts the baptism, thrilling the Ethiopian official. Then as the two men are coming up out of the water, God picks Philip and transports him to Azotus on the coast. The Ethiopian official goes on his way rejoicing while Philip, equally joyful, preaches his way up the coast from Azotos to Caesarea.
Stephen and Philip-two men who both answer the call to serve; yet, their fates are quite different. Stephen dies swiftly, his death forcing believers to leave Jerusalem, scattering throughout the known world. Philip lives for many more years, eventually being martyred in Phrygia, now part of modern Turkey, by being crucified upside down in a death similar to that of Peter’s. What makes the difference for the two men?
God is the One who calls and equips. God knows that Stephen will speak convincingly to his murderers, witnessing to them even as he is dying. Whether or not Saul/Paul realizes it, God uses Stephen’s death to convince him when the time comes. Only in eternity will we know how many others came to faith in Christ as Stephen lay dying.
Evidently, Philip has a winsome personality, the kind of fellow who can speak to people, gain their trust, and then explain Scripture with a heart of burning love. Not only has Philip closely studied Jesus’ life and teachings, but he also has a deep breadth of knowledge of the Scripture. Some people are born to teach the Bible while others only gain that ability after years of study. But nobody can be an effective Bible teacher unless he or she passionately loves God and His Word.
Writing to Timothy, Paul advises, “And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus—who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom— 2 to preach the Word of God urgently at all times, whenever you get the chance, in season and out, when it is convenient and when it is not. Correct and rebuke your people when they need it, encourage them to do right, and all the time be feeding them patiently with God’s Word.
3 For there is going to come a time when people won’t listen to the truth but will go around looking for teachers who will tell them just what they want to hear. 4 They won’t listen to what the Bible says but will blithely follow their own misguided ideas.
5 Stand steady, and don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Bring others to Christ. Leave nothing undone that you ought to do.” (2 Timothy 4:1-5)
Stephen’s career as a believer was cut short by an early martyrdom. Philip traveled extensively, preaching wherever he went and eventually dying for his faith. The question for us is this: Do we love God? Do we love His Word? If we will only ask, God will give us a love for Him. The more we love God, the more we will love His Word as well. One blessed friend who is now with Jesus used to pray, “Lord help me to love You more each day than I did the day before.” Let that be our prayer.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, our hearts are heavy and cold. Please send Your Holy Spirit to light the fire of love for You in our hearts. Let that fire burn forever. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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