In this past Sunday's sermon, Dr. Donovan Case shared a wonderful insight concerning the first-century church: The conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch brought the gospel from the Middle East to Africa, and this happened before the apostle Paul was brought to salvation.
The Ethiopian eunuch was introduced to the Lordship of Jesus by the deacon Philip. Philip, along with other ordinary servants of God, ran for his life after the zealot Saul consented to the stoning death of Philip's colleague Stephen. Although there is nothing wonderful about having to run away from home, Philip and other early church members did a wonderful thing: they continued to speak of the good news of Jesus Christ, sharing His love and truth with those they met on their journeys.
Let's consider three aspects of Philip's evangelistic moment with the Ethiopian official:
Philip's evangelism was Spirit-led, not research-based. Philip did not casually pick the official's chariot based on his own intellect or intuition, neither on socio-economic or regional factors; it was God who led Philip to speak to the eunuch.
Philip's evangelism was spontaneous, not rehearsed. There was no booklet, no pre-set speech. Philip simply asked, "What are you reading?", and from there he preached the simple message of Jesus Christ and His love for the world.
Philip's evangelism was shared, not remunerated. After Philip's ministry work was done, the Lord did not leave the official in a position to compensate Philip: the evangelist was supernaturally moved by God to another location. Though he was materially wealthy, the only "remuneration" the Ethiopian could give was to share the salvation story with others, just as it had been freely shared with him. And, interestingly enough, the act of sharing his new-found faith proved far more valuable.
- Do you have any stories of men, women, or children who shared their faith with you?
- Have you ever taken time to share the story of Jesus with someone else?
- Is your approach to evangelism based on culture, convenience, the leading of the Holy Spirit, or a combination of things?
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