Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
General Christian
Relationships and Religion
“Starting With That Passage”: Sharing the Good News

“Starting With That Passage”: Sharing the Good News

Last updated on: October 18, 2024 at 11:18 am by Rick Rice

0 Comments

“Starting With That Passage”: Sharing the Good News 2024-10-18T11:18:56-04:00 Rick Rice

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez

In Acts 8, Philip shares the good news with an Ethiopian official by “starting with that passage.” What can we learn from this encounter?

Scripture:

Job, chapters 3-4; Acts, chapters 8-9

Acts 8:26-39 (CEB):

An angel from the Lord spoke to Philip, “At noon, take the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) So he did. Meanwhile, an Ethiopian man was on his way home from Jerusalem, where he had come to worship. He was a eunuch and an official responsible for the entire treasury of Candace. (Candace is the title given to the Ethiopian queen.) He was reading the prophet Isaiah while sitting in his carriage. The Spirit told Philip, “Approach this carriage and stay with it.”

Running up the carriage, Philip heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you really understand what you are reading?” The man replied, “Without someone to guide me, how could I?” Then he invited Philip to climb up and sit with him. This was the passage of scripture he was reading: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent so he didn’t open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was taken away from him. Who can tell the story of his descendants because his life was taken from the earth?”

The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, about whom does the prophet say that? Is he talking about himself or someone else?” Starting with that passage, Philip proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. As they went down the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, “Look! Water! What would keep me from being baptized?” He ordered that the carriage halt. Both Philip and the eunuch went down to the water, where Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Lord’s Spirit suddenly took Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.

Observations: Preaching Along the Way

At the beginning of Acts chapter 8, persecution following Stephen’s death scatters the believers in Jerusalem. It’s interesting that “everyone except the apostles was scattered” (Acts 8:1, emphasis added). Up until that point, the apostles did most of the preaching and evangelizing. With Stephen’s death and the scattering of the other believers, that changed. The change was not that the apostles stopped preaching and evangelizing; instead, the other believers joined in. “Those who had been scattered moved on, preaching the good news along the way” (Acts 8:4).

Philip is one of these “others.” This is not the apostle Philip, whom we meet in John 1:43 (among other places). Rather, this is “Philip the Evangelist,” who is one of the seven selected by the Church in Acts 6:5 to oversee the distribution of food. Like the other members of his group, Philip was “well-respected and endowed by the Spirit with exceptional wisdom” (Acts 6:3).

The Spirit’s “endowment of wisdom” was not a one-time event. As we see in Acts 8, the Spirit continued to enlighten and direct Philip for God’s work. He preached and performed miracles in Samaria, leading to a great revival in that area (see Acts 8:5-8). When the apostles heard about this revival, Peter and John went to Samaria to see what was happening. They prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit, and they did. “After the apostles had testified and proclaimed the Lord’s word, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the good news to many Samaritan villages along the way” (Acts 8:25).

The Spirit Spoke to Philip

After the apostles left, God sent Philip in a new direction. An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, “At noon, take the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza.” I think it’s important not to read too much into the phrase an angel of the Lord here; clearly, the message came from God. Later, in verse 29, we read that The Spirit told Philip, “Approach this carriage and stay with it.” The point is that God was speaking – through His Spirit, and through angels – to direct Philip. This is exactly what Jesus promised his disciples in John 16:13 – the Holy Spirit would lead them.

When Philip approached the carriage, he heard the man inside reading from the prophet Isaiah. The passage is familiar to most believers; it is part of the Song of the Suffering Servant from Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12. We have the benefit of almost two millennia of Church teaching to help us recognize that this passage refers to Jesus. The Ethiopian, however, did not. When Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading, the man said, “Without someone to guide me, how could I?” That was all the opening that Philip needed.

Starting With That Passage

The key phrase in this passage to me comes in verse 35: Starting with that passage, Philip proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. Starting with that passage means that Philip responded to what God was already doing in the man’s life. Philip didn’t use a prepared speech; he started where the man was. That demonstrates two important facts: first, Philip understood Scripture well enough to start with that passage. He recognized that all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, encouragement, and correction (2 Timothy 3:16). Second, Philip stayed connected with the Spirit enough that he was able to hear and respond to the Spirit’s leading. He proclaimed the good news about Jesus to the Ethiopian, and the man put his faith in Jesus!

Application: Starting With That Passage

I fear that too many times we miss opportunities to join in what God is already doing because we have a planned program. That doesn’t mean that organized presentations of the basics of the gospel are bad! But rather than simply memorizing a few Scriptures to share the gospel, those presentations should help us to better understand the message – and to be more prepared to respond rather than recite.

When we look for how God is already at work, the Spirit helps us to know how we can join Him. Dr. Dennis Kinlaw talks about “the law of the second witness” – we are never the first one “on the scene.” The Holy Spirit has always been there before us, and He will lead us exactly where we need to go! Starting with that passage helps us not to miss the ways that God is already at work.

Finally, starting with that passage also helps us to understand and connect with whomever we meet. We listen to their questions and concerns. We recognize similar concerns, hopes, and pressures. The Spirit leads us in the truth and helps us to know what to say, and our willingness to listen and to help breaks down barriers that Satan tries to build to isolate us from one another. Starting with that passage keeps our focus on God and other people – and God can always use us that way!

Prayer:

Father, thank You for reminding us that You are at work all around us. You work in our lives to lead us in Your way, and You work in others, drawing them to Yourself. Thank You for the gift of Your Spirit, who leads us in the truth. We are so blessed to be able to join You in sharing the good news with others! Help us today to listen to You, and to respond as we sense the opportunities You present. Amen.

Evangelical

History and Religion

law of the second witness

Philip the Evangelist

starting with that passage

Previous Post

October 9, 2024

Embracing the Gracious Power of God: Nehemiah's Example

Next Post

October 21, 2024 The Heart of the Gospel: The Message of Grace

What spice was brought by the wise men to Jesus?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Cinnamon Myrrh Mint Pepper