The Work of an Evangelist
Acts 8:26-40
Sitting in his Roman cell, knowing that the time of his death was at hand, the apostle Paul wrote one last letter to his protégé, Timothy, and encouraged him to remain faithful to the very end. He told him to 2Ti 4:5 …be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Do the work of an evangelist. Now, what is the work of an evangelist? Isn’t it to preach Jesus to the lost so that they might believe and be saved? You bet it is, and that is the mission and ministry that every Christian is called to. We are called by the Lord Jesus Himself to Mat 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;
The Great Commission is our call to evangelize the world. It applies to every believer, without exception. And if you are a believer, but don’t have the desire to tell others about Jesus—if you don’t want to win souls for the Kingdom of God, then I’ll warn you right now that I’m fix’n to hurt your feelings. I’m going to offend you, because if you aren’t willing, if you don’t want to tell your neighbor about Jesus Christ, if you are not endeavoring to bring men, women, boys, and girls to Jesus, then you are not right with God.
Friends, there’s no way around this. We may be shy. We may be nervous. We might even be scared out of our minds, but if we want to be obedient to our Lord’s commands, then we must do what He tells us to do. The Great Commission is not the Great Suggestion. It’s not an “if you want to” request. It is a command. We are to make disciples. We are to do the work of an evangelist. This applies to every believer, without exception.
I want you to think of it like this: God didn’t save us to become members of Christians Anonymous. Jesus lit the lamp faith within us when He saved us, and like He said Luk 11:33 No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. We are to be out and in the open for all to see. The light that He lit within us is to be a beacon, a signal light to everyone that illuminates the way to salvation! He said Mat 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Do you remember that old VBS song This Little Light of Mine? I’m going to let it shine, right? Well, we are to shine brightly for Jesus. But do you know what happens when your light shines brightly? The darkness doesn’t like it. The evil one and those who follow evil will fight against the light because Joh 3:20 …everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
Evil does its worst under the cover of darkness. Either the darkness of night or the darkness of the human soul that’s lost. It hates the light because like cockroaches that scurry into hiding when the cabinet door swings open, so does evil when its wickedness is exposed by the light coming on.
Darkness fights against the light, and in the book of Acts we see what happens in the world when the light of the gospel starts to shine brightly. After the martyrdom of Steven, severe persecution broke out against the Church in Jerusalem. A Pharisee name Saul, from Tarsus became one of the chief persecutors of Christians. He chased them from town to town, arresting then and taking them back to Jerusalem for imprisonment or death.
The goal of persecution was to destroy the Church, but what it did instead was to cause the Church to spread out, to expand, and to grow. As believers fled to other places to escape Act 8:4 …those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
God will take even the wickedness of men and use it for His glory. Nothing, and I mean nothing ever takes God by surprise. The One who dwells in the eternal present, knows the beginning from the end. He used the persecution of the Church as a catalyst to spread the gospel throughout the world. One of the seven deacons that was chosen to assist the apostles in the daily tasks of the Church, so they could devote their time to prayer and the ministry of the Word was named Philip. He was the first missionary of the early Church and was also the very first to be given the title of “Evangelist.” As Saul made havoc of the Church, Philip went to Samaria and held a revival!
Act 8:6-8 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. (7) For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. (8) And there was great joy in that city.
God was doing amazing through Philip. Multitudes were being saved as he did the work of an evangelist. He was a deacon, but he was also an evangelist, just like you and I are to be evangelists. Not everybody can be a preacher, but every single one of us can be a reacher! And so, here he was in Samaria being used of God in a mighty crusade for Christ when right in the middle of it the Angel of the Lord spoke to him and said, “Hey Phil, I know you’re right in the middle of a great revival here in Samaria, but I want you to go down to Gaza, go down to the desert, and you’ll find out why when you get there.”
Act 8:26-40 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert. (27) So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, (28) was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. (29) Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot." (30) So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" (31) And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. (32) The place in the Scripture which he read was this: "HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO THE SLAUGHTER; AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT, SO HE OPENED NOT HIS MOUTH. (33) IN HIS HUMILIATION HIS JUSTICE WAS TAKEN AWAY, AND WHO WILL DECLARE HIS GENERATION? FOR HIS LIFE IS TAKEN FROM THE EARTH." (34) So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?" (35) Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. (36) Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" (37) Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." (38) So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. (39) Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. 40) But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.
Ethiopia was a large kingdom south of Egypt which began somewhere around where the Aswan Dam is located today, and it stretched south into modern Sudan as far as Khartoum. To the Greeks and Romans, it was the outer limits of the known world, but during the Jewish Kingdom period, there had been interaction between Cush (OT name for Ethiopia) and Israel in both trade and war. So, it’s no surprise that the Jewish faith had spread to that region.
This eunuch that Philip met up with was a court official of Candace, which isn’t a name but a title of the royal Queen Mother who held the reigns of power at that time. He was the Minister of Finance, or the Secretary of the Treasury, and the fact that he was a eunuch isn’t surprising since many court officials back then also were. What is surprising though is that being a eunuch excluded him from participation in temple worship. Deu 23:1 He who is emasculated by crushing or mutilation shall not enter the assembly of the LORD.
So, he wouldn’t have been able to enter the assembly in the temple, but his faith was so strong that he had come to Jerusalem to worship anyway! He was seeking God, but within the system of Judaism, he would not be able to fully approach Him. Yet God always has a way, doesn’t He? His plan has always been to reach all men of all races through all the ages. This eunuch in chapter 8, could represent the descendants of Ham. In chapter 9, Saul, a man from the middle east, could represent the descendants of Shem. And then in chapter 10, a man from Italy named Cornelius, could represented the descendants of Japheth. These 3 descendants of Noah represent God’s message going out into all the world.
This story of the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch isn’t simply a story. It’s more than that. It’s a pattern that shows us how God can use us, you, and me. It demonstrates to us that God never leaves a fully surrendered and cleaned vessel unused. Do you want to be used? Would you like to be a witness? Would you like to meet Jesus one day “bringing in the sheaves” with you? Well, then the first step you need to take is…
I. Follow the Spirit’s Direction
Follow the Spirit’s Direction! You know, I’m thinking that most of us would like to have the very specific directions from God like Philip had. Not only would we like to know what to do and where to go, but also how to get there. But most of the time the instructions we receive aren’t so detailed. I also wonder that if we did receive more detailed instructions, would we really obey any better?
The reason I ask is because God has already given us very specific directions in His Word. So, how closely do we follow and obey what we can clearly see in the Bible? Friends, the better we are at obeying God in the specific commands given in the Scriptures, the better we will be at following the leading of the Spirit in the details of life that aren’t specifically listed in the Scripture.
If we say that we are truly following the Lord, and we’re not listening, then we’ve got a problem because from a human standpoint, what the Holy Spirit told Philip to do doesn’t make a lot of sense. Right in the middle of a great revival in Samaria, Philip is given his marching orders. The Lord told him to pack up and head to Gaza. Not only was he told to go to Gaza, but he was told very specifically how to get there. This is interesting because the normal route, the easier route to Gaza from Jerusalem was to head west to Emmaus and then continue west to connect up with the coastal road and then go south to Gaza. But instead of that, he’s told to head south to Hebron and then west across the desert to Gaza.
You see, God’s ways are often unexplained. Philip wasn’t told why he was going to Gaza. He was told to go. Neither was he told why he should take the harder and possibly more dangerous route. He was just told to take it. But what’s important here is that he went. He obeyed. He basically had some sealed orders from heaven, and he obeyed because *perfect obedience doesn’t need to know why. Perfect obedience simply obeys.
God’s ways are often unexplained, but many times they are also unforeseen. Philip had no idea what was awaiting him in Gaza. He didn’t know that an incredibly important man needed to hear to gospel message. And in the same way, none of us know what may come of our own witness. When the Spirit told Philip to speak to the Ethiopian eunuch, he had no way to know what the far-reaching effects might be. That high placed eunuch carried the gospel of Jesus Christ back to his own land and opened the continent of Africa for Christ!
This eunuch’s heart was open to hear the Word of God, and Philip was the Lord’s obedient servant. He never asked why. He didn’t try to deflect or find excuses, he simply obeyed. He did as the Spirit led him, and the results were enormous. They were huge.
God had a man whose heart was open. He also had a man who was a willing servant. When the willing servant meets up with an open heart, great things happen. For example, Jesus at one point was leaving Judea again and going to Galilee, and the Scripture tells us that Joh 4:4 …He needed to go through Samaria. Why did He need to go through Samaria? He could have just as easily gone around on either side like all the other Jews did. They hated the Samaritan’s, so they would either travel east and cross the Jordan and then travel up toward Galilee, or they would travel west and catch a boat that would take them north to Galilee. So, why did Jesus “need” to go through Samaria? Well, because there was a woman at a well who needed to hear the gospel, and there were people of a village called Sychar who needed to hear her testimony. He had a divine appointment to keep.
God needed Peter to go to the Gentiles, the offspring of Japheth. So, He worked on Peter through visions, teaching him to put aside his racial prejudice’s because there was a man named Cornelius he needed to speak to. At the same time, God worked on Cornelius and told him to send for a Jew named Peter.
Friends, when you are sensitive to the Spirit and willing to obey, He is going to use you, and He will send you to someone who needs Jesus. Now some might say that “God never brings anybody to me to witness to.” But could it be that maybe you’re just not listening? If you are listening and willing, God will use you, and He will use you in ways you may have never imagined!
So, the most important step we need to take in this Christian life is to follow the Spirit’s direction. The next step is to…
II. Obey the Spirit’s Demands
Check this out, the Bible tells us that Act 8:29-30 …the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot." (30) So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
Philip had to run. He had to run to catch up with the chariot! Now, it probably wasn’t going too fast because there might have been some others on foot travelling with him. Nobody travelled very far back then by themselves. It was just too dangerous, and this guy would have been a perfect target for criminals. So, it stands to reason that someone in his position would have soldiers travelling with him for protection. Now, instead of soldiers walking with him, he might have had a troop of horsemen. But when travelling great distances, and especially in desert areas, you spare the animals, so, they still wouldn’t be going too fast. Faster than someone on foot, sure, but not too fast to wear out their animals.
So, if Philip hadn’t been willing to run, he would have missed this opportunity. He could have also used any number of excuses. I know this because I have an unlimited supply of excuses to use myself, and I’ve used them. We all tend to rationalize our reasons for not doing something we really don’t want to do, don’t we? Excuses like, “He’s reading. I don’t want to interrupt him.” “He’s not the right race” “He’s a charioteer” (Or, today we might say, “He’s a biker.”) “He’s too important. He’ll never listen to me.”
Philip could have used excuses to run a little slower. He could have decided to not run at all, but if he had, he would have missed out on something great. We all miss a lot of golden opportunities because we aren’t swift enough. We don’t immediately obey the Spirit’s demands, so we miss out. The opportunity slips right through our fingers. We argue. We stonewall. Sometimes we even just walk away.
We miss out on the blessings of God because we pause, we don’t immediately do what we’re told to do. The race though, goes the swiftest, right? So, we need to Follow the Spirit’s Directions, Obey the Spirit’s Demands, and be…
III. Fixed on the Spirit’s Desire
We need to be fixed on the Spirit’s desire. We are to focus on what the Spirit focuses on. But what is the Spirit’s desire? Well, listen to what the Lord said.
Joh 15:26-27 But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. (27) And you also will bear witness
Joh 16:14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
Act 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Act 8:35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.
What is the desire of the Spirit? To glorify Jesus. To tell the world about Jesus. The desire of the Holy Spirit is that we tell people about Jesus Christ! I want you to look at verse 35 of our text today. Philip didn’t talk about denominations. He did talk about racial issues. He didn’t talk about woke philosophy. He didn’t talk about politics. He talked about Jesus. The desire of the Spirit is that we share the Lord Jesus.
When he heard what passage of Scripture the Ethiopian eunuch was reading he used this OT gospel of Jesus to preach Jesus. Isaiah 53 is the OT’s perfect picture of what Jesus did for us, so when he got into that chariot with the Ethiopian, using the Scripture he was reading, he let him know that he was a sinner who needed saving because Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way;
He let him know that we are sinners who need a Savior, and our Savior is Jesus Christ because Isa 53:5 …He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
He also let him know that salvation is by faith alone. Not by works. Not by any good deeds. It was by faith because it is a gift of God. We read in Acts that Act 8:36-37 …as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" (37) Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
Philip, fixed on the desire of the Spirit, preached Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch and the sign that the Ethiopian was saved is the fact that he wanted to be baptized. He asked, “What hinders me from being baptized?” Because he believed in Jesus, nothing hindered him.
Salvation is by grace alone by faith alone, and if you are here today and you believe in Jesus, have you been baptized? If you haven’t done this yet, then to be obedient to Christ’s command, are you willing to do it now? Once he believed in Jesus, nothing hindered the Ethiopian eunuch. But if you believe, all that hinders you is yourself.
Oh friend. What a privilege we have that the very angels of heaven don’t have. We can bring souls to Christ, but the angels can’t. Today we have an opportunity in this world that we won’t have in the world to come, and that is to be a witness of Jesus Christ.
God is calling you to do the work of an evangelist, and you need to Follow the Spirit’s Direction, Obey the Spirit’s Demands, and be Fixed on the Spirit’s Desire.
Invitation
