In Acts 8, the first-century Jesus-followers were scattered or dispersed from Jerusalem following some intense persecution that came on the heels of the amazing growth of the first church.
While we can only imagine how difficult that time was for the Christian families, it turned out to be a great help to the spreading of the gospel because as people were dispersed, they preached wherever they went (Acts 8:4). One of these preachers or (I think you could say) evangelists was named Philip.
While we do not know much about Philip, we know at least that he was a man who was faithful to God, had a good reputation, was Spirit-led, and was full of wisdom and understanding from God.
The apostles and the first church congregation had recently noticed Philip’s faithfulness and positioned him as a servant leader within one of the church’s ministries (Acts 6:1-7).
However, according to Acts 8, Philip eventually stepped away from that position at his church because he left Jerusalem entirely to preach the gospel in another town called Samaria.
God moved in miraculous ways as Philip “preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (v. 12), resulting in people getting convicted of their sins, believing in Jesus, getting baptized, and then getting filled with the Holy Spirit (which only happened after the apostles showed up for some reason). It was an incredible and fruitful time for them in Samaria.
But God was not finished with Philip yet. He wanted to use him to make an even greater impact for the kingdom, but not necessarily in an up-front, obvious preaching role like he had already experienced (and would experience again later in other places).
The greater work that God had for him now was so subtle and simple. The writer of Acts explains what happened in Acts 8:26-39.
Just at the precise time and place, God sent Philip to explain the gospel to and baptize this man who was an important official to the Queen of Ethiopia.
This is an amazing story of how God can work. From this account in the Book of Acts, we can learn five ways that we, like Philip, can be used by God to make an even greater impact than we thought possible.
1. Be Available to God’s Work
Even though Philip was already doing “good” work preaching the gospel in Samaria, he was ready and available to be sent to do God’s “best” work. You may have heard that “good is the enemy of best.”
While I’m sure that statement could be taken to an unhealthy place of perfectionism, the principle stands true that whenever we settle for what we consider is “good enough,” we run the risk of short-changing ourselves and possibly even being disobedient to God.
No matter what good work we are doing for the Lord, for our church, for others, or just for ourselves, we must be a good soldier in the Lord’s army who is always available to be sent to do a greater work.
2. Be Sensitive to God’s Voice
Like Philip, we must keep our spiritual “ears” open and not be distracted by all the other voices that we hear around us and inside of us. We must have our spiritual “antennae” up and be tuned into the frequency of the Holy Spirit’s leading voice.
I have heard it said many times that we are currently living in the most distracted generation, and I’m sure that is true. But every generation and every culture has its own variations of distractions.
No matter what noise is going on around us, if we are going to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in our lives, then we must live holy lives so that sin does not block our hearing. We must be already in motion to do God’s work, and we must create regular rhythms of getting into quiet, open, distraction-free spaces so we can hear him well.
3. Be Obedient to God’s Command
The most powerful word that we can say in life is “yes.” Saying yes says “no” to all other options; it sets our lives in a new direction, and it turns potential into reality.
But being obedient to God is not a one-time decision at an altar during a worship service; it is constantly and consistently choosing to say “yes” to God and “no” to sin, evil, and our fleshly desires.
As Paul says in Romans 12:1, we are called to live as a “living sacrifice.” Think about it this way: the apostles were obedient to Jesus to go and make disciples, which included Philip.
Then Philip was obedient to go and disciple this eunuch from Ethiopia, who no doubt took the gospel back to his family and friends. Over time, the gospel has been passed down from obedient person to obedient person… and eventually to you and me!
4. Be Knowledgeable of God’s Word
When Philip got up into the chariot to talk with the man from Ethiopia, he was put into a position where he had to answer a question about the meaning of a passage of Scripture.
I know it is only speculation, but think about what would have happened if Philip’s response to the man was “I don’t know” or “Sorry — I have never been to seminary.”
He would have missed out on a huge opportunity to make a disciple, right? Thankfully, Philip was familiar enough with the Scriptures that he “told him the good news about Jesus.”
If we are living for Christ, it is inevitable that people are going to ask us questions about our faith, about church, about Jesus, and about the Bible.
In those situations, we can be used by God to make an impact in someone’s life if we make it a point to read, study, and become knowledgeable about God’s Word also.
5. Be Faithful to God’s Plan
The most evident attribute of Philip’s life is that he was faithful. He trusted God’s Word enough to keep preaching it.
He was so surrendered to God’s plan for his life that he was willing to go and do whatever he wanted. And in the end, when we all stand before God, whether we were faithful to what God gave us will matter the most (Matthew 25).
On this side of heaven, we will never be perfect or know everything about Scripture — but we can be faithful to do what we can with what we have where we are.
That is the message that Jesus gave when he said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
God wants to use us to make an even greater impact on the world around us. So, let’s be available to his work, sensitive to his voice, obedient to his command, knowledgeable of his Word, and faithful to his plan.
For further reading:
Are You a Good Steward of the Gospel?
How Can We Prepare to Share the Gospel?
7 Steps to Share the Gospel with a Stranger
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/freedom007
