In Acts, Chapter 8, Philip was heading back south to Jerusalem and preaching the Gospel as he went, helping fulfill the Great Commission when he got a sudden change of plans. An angel of the Lord told him to take the road heading south of Jerusalem into the desert! Doesn’t sound like a big revival’s going to be down there! I mean, shouldn’t we go where all the people are? So what does Philip do? Philip didn’t hesitate! He simply obeyed! He got up and went. Like Abraham. Like Peter when Jesus said, “Follow me”. He got up and went! This is total trust and faith here as he headed south into the desert! And lo and behold, he sees this guy traveling in style in an “Escalade” chariot complete with all the bling (allow me to use some imagination here) with some nice rims. He’s bumping some tunes on his sound system.

Philip must’ve thought it was a mirage. What a sight in the middle of the desert! You’ve seen the movies. You see something coming through visible waves of heat rising and wafting over the sand under the hot sun. He’s probably got a shade over his head and he’s wearing some cool sunglasses. This guy is a eunuch who’s in charge of Ethiopian’s Queen Candace’s treasure, so it must’ve been a nice chariot! Certainly better than being in the desert on a horse with no name. And he’s reading the Book of Isaiah! What a coincidence! Philip just happened to run into him in the middle of the desert. I don’t know how loud the Spirit was, but I do know Philip needed to listen. And the Spirit said to go up and join him.

Once again, Philip didn’t hesitate! He ran up and, when he heard that he was reading from Isaiah, the Lord prompted him to ask a question. Philip said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The Ethiopian eunuch said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?”And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. It turns out that the man was reading from Isaiah 53, a perfect place to start describing Jesus and how He went to the Cross to die for our sins! When we engage someone to share the Gospel, it is good to ask questions. Find out where they are. Then doors will open to share the Good News! Philip did! And as a result, the Ethiopian believed and was baptized.

Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 8:25-40, Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 30:21, John 10:27