Someone who has placed their trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins and begun a personal relationship with Him has declared that they are citizens in the Kingdom of God. Once a citizen in God’s Kingdom, the King’s commission is to “make disciples of all nations, …” (Matt 28:19) and to be His “witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, …” (Acts 1:8). That can feel like a mission best left to the professionals, but it is a commission given to everyone.
“Make disciples who make disciples who make disciples…” This can seem like an extraordinary task, yet God doesn’t require your skills or experience, just your willingness to say YES and let Him do the work through you. Yet that can feel like a dauting challenge, especially when it seems we are just not gifted for that role.
Philip, a deacon of the Jerusalem church (not Philip the Apostle) very possibly thought the same things; he was a worker with his hands, not his words or intellect. Yet when God called him to preach to a random stranger on the road, Philip’s YES led to an adventure of Biblical proportions. Read Acts 8:26-40 for the full story.
Availability (v30)
Philip wasn’t planning on leaving Jerusalem, and found himself in a spot he didn’t expect to be in. Have you ever been there? He simply said YES when provided with an opportunity to serve God, and then ran with it, as we see from earlier in chapter 8. Philip made himself available to God. Consider that specific day, though – walking non-stop all day, on the run from persecution to then be interrupted by the Spirit to go talk to a stranger. Yet Philip obeyed the Spirit, despite everything else going on. He was available and ready to talk. Part of being available means being ready.
Teachability (v35)
Philip wasn’t one of the main teachers in Jerusalem (one of the Apostles), but he had to have been a student of scripture. As a deacon in that context, his focus was on hands-on serving duties, such as feeding people. But we see him run towards the Ethiopian to talk about scripture and an eagerness to engage in a conversation about God. That shows Philip cared about learning and growing in his faith. After all, who runs to join a conversation about a topic that they care nothing for? Philip wasn’t just available to let God work though him, but he cared about participating in the work of God by preparing himself ahead of time. Philip didn’t just talk about scripture though. He helped lead the conversation to conversion. He saw the opportunity and took it.
Faithfulness (v38)
Whether we are out for a walk in our neighborhood or at work, we are on a mission. Jesus commissioned us in Matt 28:19 to MAKE DISCIPLES, wherever we are. Philip saw an openness and willingness in the Ethiopian and led the discussion from Isaiah to Jesus—which was certainly helped by the fact that Isaiah was talking about Jesus too. He didn’t forcefully push the Ethiopian to convert, but he followed God’s lead and saw it all the way through. We are not always called to lead someone through a conversion experience. Our connection may be a simple as developing a relationship or sharing a testimony, not necessarily a full gospel presentation, but like Philip, we need to recognize those moments for godly connection with others and intentionally be Jesus to other people.
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