The Journey: Following Jesus through Acts (6)
Scott Bayles, pastor
Scripture: Acts 8:26-40
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 7/30/2017
As most of you know, we’re six weeks into a ten-week journey through the book of Acts. The purpose of this journey is to follow in the footsteps of those who followed in the footsteps of Jesus, who continued the journey that Jesus started them out on. Hopefully, this first generation of followers can pave the way for us on our own spiritual journey.
Last week we zoomed in on the first part of chapter 6, where conflict and complaints arose in the early church. The Apostles responded to the situation by establishing a division of labor and new leadership roles in the church. While the Shepherds committed themselves to prayer, preaching and protecting the flock, the servants (or deacons) would organize and implement the specific ministries and programs of the church.
Seven men were originally chosen for the role of deacon and Acts 7 spotlights one of them in particular—Stephen. In Acts 7, Stephen preaches to a hostile crowd of Jews. Sadly, his impassioned pleas fall on deaf ears and the enraged mob seizes Stephen and stones him to death, making Stephen the first martyr of Christianity. Among the frenzied crowd, stood a dogmatic young man, named Saul. We’ll circle back to Saul next Sunday. In the meantime, the stoning of Stephen emboldened Christianity’s enemies and the Bible says:
“A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria” (Act 8:1 NLT).
Among those believers who retreated to Samaria was Philip, another of the seven original deacons. In Acts 8, Philip takes center stage. In the first part of the chapter, he preaches to the people of Samaria and leads many men and women to put their faith in Jesus, including a one-time sorcerer named Simon. But it’s the second half of this chapter that I’d like to focus on this morning. If you have a Bible or an app on your phone, please open it Acts 8:26-40.
This passage tells the familiar tale of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. It’s the story of one man’s journey—both literal and figurative—as he comes to saving faith in Jesus Christ. And I believe this encounter provides a pattern for believers today as we try to share our faith in Jesus one-on-one with our friends, relatives, neighbors and co-workers. This morning I want to highlight three essential ingredients in the Ethiopian Eunuch’s journey to Jesus.
The first ingredient is the witness.
• THE WITNESS
Fresh off a successful preaching circuit in Samaria, the Bible says:
As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Candace, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah. 29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.” (Acts 8:26-29 NLT)
I’m going to ask the obvious question. An “angel of the Lord” has appeared at various times in Scripture to give direction to certain people. An angel appeared to Hagar, Abraham, Moses, Balaam, Gideon, Elijah, Mary and Joseph, Zachariah, Peter, and many others. So, why didn’t this angel just talk to the Ethiopian eunuch himself? Certainly, the angel was capable of proclaiming the Good News about Jesus. So, why tell Philip to do it?
The obvious answer is—sharing the Gospel is our job, not the angel’s job. Remember what Jesus said in Acts 1: “you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere” (Acts 1:8 NLT). He wasn’t talking to angels; he was talking to his disciples and that includes you and me. Jesus intends for his followers to be his witnesses—that’s Plan A and there is no Plan B.
It’s not easy to share your faith though, is it? Maybe you’re just not an extroverted person. Neither am I. Maybe you don’t know what you’re supposed to say or how to broach the subject. And, of course, there is always the fear of rejection. What if they’re offended? What if it turns into an argument? What if I ruin an otherwise perfectly good friendship?
The first generation of Jesus-followers had a lot of the same concerns and, even worse, they had the threat of persecution to worry about. But they didn’t let that stop them. Take Philip, for instance.
There were plenty of differences between Philip and the eunuch that may have caused a less resolute person to shy away. There were racial and cultural differences, possible religious differences, vocational differences, socio-economic differences (the eunuch was obviously rich, while Philip was essentially homeless). Not to mention, Philip was a total stranger. The Ethiopian might have thought Philip was a robber, or a beggar, or a fool. Philip could have backed down for any one of those reasons. But he didn’t. Philip listened to the Holy Spirit’s prompting and approached a total stranger. Christians would do well to ask ourselves, “Do I follow God this simply and completely? Do I share Christ as boldly or do I back down?”
So, let’s say you want to share Jesus with people, but you don’t know what to say. Well, notice what Philip did. As he ran over, he heard the man reading from the Torah. After listening for a moment, Philip asked a brilliant question:
Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him. (Acts 8:30-31 NLT)
In asking this question, Philip demonstrated two of the most important characteristics of an effective evangelist: First, he demonstrated the power of observation. Philip looked for an opportunity to engage the man in spiritual conversation. Second, he expressed interest in the eunuch’s thoughts and beliefs. He waited to see where the man was on his spiritual journey before diving in with the gospel.
In fact, asking questions is perhaps the best way to engage someone in spiritual conversation. Evangelism/witnessing should be a dialogue, not a sales pitch. It’s about conversations that lead to conversions. So I want to encourage all of us to be witnesses like Philip. Listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and look for opportunities to engage someone in spiritual conversations.
The witness is the first ingredient in the Eunuch’s conversion. The second ingredient is the word.
• THE WORD
When Philip was invited to join the eunuch in the chariot, he discovered which passage of Scripture the eunuch had been reading—Isaiah 53. The portion cited in Acts 8 is just a small snippet of a much larger passage, but it says: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” (Acts 8:32-33 NLT).
Here we can clearly see God sovereignly working behind the scenes. There is no better place to be reading in the Old Testament for a picture of Jesus than Isaiah 53. The chapter is Isaiah’s prophecy about the great suffering servant—his rejection, his silence before his accusers, his death with wicked men, the substitutionary nature of his suffering, his burial in a rich man’s grave and ultimately his resurrection. It’s all there in this one poignant passage.
It’s no wonder then, the Bible says, “So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus” (Acts 8:35 NLT). The Ethiopian eunuch found Jesus in the pages of Scripture. Today, the Word—the Bible—is still a precious and powerful tool for leading people to Jesus.
I read a story about a drunk guy who was spotted by a police officer looking for something. The drunk was down on his hands and knees and explained in slurred speech to the police officer that he was looking for his wallet. The police officer inquired, “Well, where did you lose it?” The drunk motioned with his hand as he replied, “About half a block that way.” The confused and amused policeman asked, “Well, why are you searching here then?” The drunk replied, “There is no street light down there!”
We’re a lot like that sometimes. When we have questions about life, or trouble comes our way, or relationships fall apart, and we lose our way—sometimes we look for answers in all the wrong places.
The Bible says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105 KJV). In other words, God’s word gives us direction in life; it shows us the path God wants us to be on—the path where Jesus is.
When this psalm was written, the lamp was a candle in a lamp people would carry around like a flash light. However, unlike a flashlight, you couldn’t point it ahead of you and see what’s coming in the distance. This kind of lamp only gives you enough light for the next step. You take that step, then it gives you light for the step after that. That’s what following Jesus is like—it’s always one step at a time.
Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you can trust that Scripture will light the path to Jesus. The Old Testament points forward to Jesus, the New Testament points backward to Jesus, and the Gospels are the story of Jesus. Whether you’re just staring your journey with Jesus or you’re a long-time follower, God’s Word will light the way.
The final essential ingredient in the Ethiopian’s conversion is the water.
• THE WATER
There’s no telling how long Philip’s conversation with the Ethiopian lasted, but the Bible says:
As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. (Acts 8:36-38 NLT)
Whatever Philip said to the court official, it obviously fanned the flames of faith in his heart. He became a believer during their conversation. Evidently, Philip explained that baptism was the first step in becoming a follower of Jesus.
We see this same pattern all throughout the book of Acts. Anytime a person comes to faith in Jesus, they were immediately baptized—in the river, along the side of the road, even at midnight. There were no unbaptized believers in the book of Acts.
From the very beginning, Peter urged believers, saying, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Act 2:38 NLT). It’s safe to assume Philip said something similar to the eunuch.
Today, just as it did then, baptism separates the tire kickers from the car buyers. It celebrates the union of sinner and Savoir. Inspirational writer Roy Lessin explains, “The waters of baptism paint a vivid picture of our Christian faith—symbolizing the cleansing of our hearts from sin, death to our old way of living, and our resurrection with Christ to walk in newness of life.”
It's also noteworthy that Philip and the Ethiopian “went down into the water” and then “came up out of the water.” While churches practice many modes of baptism—sprinkling, pouring, I’ve even seen a church spray believers with a hose—the method of baptism in the New Testament was always total submersion. And there’s a reason for that.
Paul explains it this way: “When we were baptized, we were buried with Christ and shared his death. So, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the wonderful power of the Father, we also can live a new life” (Romans 6:4 NCV).
The waters of baptism echo the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus—that plunge beneath the running water is like a death; the moment’s pause while the water sweeps overhead is like a burial; then rising up again into the air and the sunlight is a symbol of resurrection.
This powerful symbol of death, burial and resurrection poses problems, by the way, for those who were sprinkled as babies rather than immersed as believers. While it’s great to dedicate a child to God, faith in God expressed through baptism is a decision that every person must make for his or her self. If you’ve been baptized as an infant, be grateful that you had parents who cared enough to set you apart for God, but don’t neglect the chance you now have to fulfill their hopes for you by submitting to believer’s baptism. The symbolism of immersion is compelling—just as a person lowers you into the water, Christ lowers you into his pool of grace until every inch of you is covered, head to foot, with God’s love.
Baptism is not to be taken lightly. It’s a willing plunge into the promise and power of Jesus Christ. It embodies and represents our reunion with Jesus, our repentance of sin, our resurrection with Christ, and our rebirth into God’s eternal family. An old proverb says, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step.” For those determine to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, baptism is the first step on our journey.
Conclusion:
Each one of these ingredients played an important role in the Ethiopian Eunuch’s conversion to Christ. The witness, Philip, struck up a conversation about Jesus. The Word shone a light on Jesus, identifying him as the suffering servant who was pierced for our transgressions. The water personally and powerfully connected the eunuch with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.
Next week, we’ll continue our journey through the book of Acts.
Invitation:
In the meantime, wherever you are on your spiritual journey, I want to encourage you to be a witness like Philip. Get into God’s Word, like the eunuch. And if you haven’t already been submerged in the waters of baptism, I want to nudge you a little closer to the water’s edge. I won’t push you in; it’s your decision. But I want to encourage you… remove your shoes, bow your head, and take the plunge; this is a holy, awesome event. If you’re ready to make that decision, you can talk to me after church, call me at home, or come forward now while we stand and sing.
