I love to study the great evangelistic passages of Scripture, and as we continue the build-up for our Gospel Festival in Ethiopia, this passage in Acts 8 holds just that much more significance. The Church had been scattered abroad, due to persecution, and because of that Philip found himself in a city in Samaria.
As he began to preach the gospel and pray for the sick, many experienced the healing and delivering power of God. The Bible says in Acts 8:8 “There was great joy in that City.” As a ministry, we have seen the effects of the gospel impact many towns and cities around the world. There is a wonderful atmosphere of excitement and anticipation, as all theChurches rally together with one purpose in mind – to see precious people swept into the kingdom of God.
As people begin to see the miracles of God and witness others as they are being saved, set free and delivered, the whole city is abuzz with excitement. Phillip’s ministry, as an Evangelist, was impacting thousands; entire cities. Then the Spirit of God spoke to him “Draw near a chariot and stay near it.” (Acts 8:30) The Spirit of God drew Phillip to one person. Philip had no idea where this Ethiopian Eunuch was, but the Spirit of God did!
Let me say, at this point, that I love the different models and methods of Evangelism, and I celebrate any effort to reach people for Jesus, but I believe there is no greater method than following the leading of the Holy Spirit; following Jesus, the Great Fisher of Men! The Eunuch was a man of great influence, treasurer to the Queen of Ethiopia, and God has a plan to use him to extend the Kingdom of God in his home country.
This treasurer was thirsty and hungry for God and was reading Isaiah 53; one of the great Messianic passages, which speaks of the life, ministry and death of Jesus. Philip began to work with him right where he was and pointed him to Jesus. That is the job of the Evangelist, to point precious, unsaved people to the Source of all healing and salvation!
Preachers spend time in the exegesis of scripture, studying the historical and biblical context of the of various biblical passages, as they prepare their messages. As believers, we also need to be those who spend time in the exegesis of the people we are reaching out to. That we understand the culture and context of the people we are looking to reach for Christ.
There are those who have no awareness of God at all and those who are very close to receiving Christ as Savior. In every biblical account we see Jesus and the disciples working with the people exactly where they are. In many western countries, the culture is so secular, that we need to build bridges people can relate to. Appeals to the possibility of an Intelligent Designer or Creator, the miraculous and testimonies of lives changed by the love of God, are often the best kinds of bridges we can build. In the case of the Eunuch, he was already aware of the existence of God and was studying Scripture. Philip only had to take him the next step to connect with Christ.
I remember a time when the Holy Spirit had me walk up to a group of Pacific Island students and ask “Which one of you is ready to receive Jesus?” One of them replied, “It’s me, I’ve been going to Church for months and have been waiting for an opportunity to pray the prayer of salvation.” Not everyone is always going to be that close, but the Spirit of God knows where people are at!
When I was in Zimbabwe, a few months back, I had the opportunity to visit Victoria Falls, discovered by the great missionary explorer David Livingstone. I had studied his legacy in Seminary, and to my amazement I discovered that he only had one convert in his entire ministry. His strategy was to lead the chief to Christ and that the tribe would follow.
Unfortunately this strategy did not work as planned, initially. Chief Sechele converted to Christ and the tribe did not convert automatically. Chief Sechele then backslid for a time, but when he rededicated his life to Christ, he later became a great missionary evangelist to Southern Africa. It was said of him that he did more to promote Christianity in Southern Africa than any other single European missionary in the 19th century.
Of course, David Livingstone’s work also opened the whole of Africa to the gospel. His was a powerful pioneering work. We can never underestimate the impact of our sharing the gospel with just one person. Every person is incredibly precious to God and if Jesus had to come and die for just one person, He would have.
God knows where people are, He knows their hearts, and He has the key to their hearts. God wants to make all of us fishers of men. It is interesting to me that Paul said to Timothy (2 Tim 4:5) to do the work of an Evangelist. He didn’t say do the work of a Teacher, Apostle or Prophet, he wanted Timothy to make sure the highest thing on his priority list was the fulfillment the Great Commission.
I believe as a people and the Church of Jesus Christ, when we make reaching the unreached our highest priority, we touch the heart of God. Deep within the heart of God a fire burns; it burns with love for you and me, but more than anything it also burns with love for precious people people who don’t know Jesus.
Today I’m believing that you will experience a measure of God’s great love for the unreached of the world. That the fire of Evangelism would fall powerfully upon your heart and life, and God will use you mightily to win people to Jesus. I want to encourage you that every effort, to reach out to people for Christ, is never in vain, God will bless and honor each step with His love and favor. When you reach out in love to those who don’t know Christ, you reflect the heart of God.
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