PHIL AND THAT OTHER GUY

PHIL AND THAT OTHER GUY Acts 8:26-40 With grateful acknowledgement of these sources of direction and inspiration: the Holy Spirit; the Word of God; Joseph Aldrich, Gentle Persuasion; Paul Borthwick, Stop Witnessing and Start Loving; Robert Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism; Michael Green, One To One; Don Richardson, Eternity in Their Hearts May 1, 2005 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introductory This morning I’d like to tell you a story, the story of a man named Phil, and another man whose name I don’t know. They had an encounter—some would say a chance encounter—but I think when you hear the story you’ll agree with me that their meeting was no coincidence. Phil was a Christian. In fact, he was one of the first Christians in his city. He took his faith very seriously, too. He was heavily involved in Bible study, learning from church leaders, helping with various projects the church was involved in. Most people who knew Phil thought of him a model Christian. He was eventually appointed a deacon in his church and started working full-time with their benevolence ministries. Everyone loved Phil and they often described him as a man who was full of the Spirit and wisdom. It wasn’t long before Phil moved beyond the office of deacon and became an evangelist. In fact, when a terrible persecution against the church started in his town, and he was driven away from his home, well, I guess it was then that Phil started his full time ministry. He found himself in a city in a neighboring county—one where most other Christians would not go—it was a cultural issue, with long-standing bigotry and hatred involved. But Phil felt a calling from the lord to go there and preach the word of Christ. Almost immediately, God began to work miracles through Phil. He prayed for paralytics and other handicapped people and they were healed. He even was used of the Lord to deliver demon-possessed people. Word had it that when Phil prayed over a demoniac, the demons would scream and shriek as they visibly left the bodies of their victims. Phil quickly became famous as the Christian minister who brought joy to that city. One day an angel of the Lord came to Phil with a message. And that’s where my story begins—the story I’ve entitled “Phil and That Other Guy.” Let’s read the story in the New Testament book of Acts, chapter 8, beginning at verse 26. Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south, to the road— the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem, to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” The Available Disciple Now Phil is a remarkable Christian man. He strikes me as a disciple who is “available” to God. Clearly God doesn’t use all believers in such powerful ways, but He used Phil. And if we ask why God chose to use him, part of the answer would have to be that Phil made himself available to God. He was serious about his faith and he endeavored to stay close to the Lord, so that he could serve Him in broader and more effective ways. Frankly, when you do a good job, you usually get promoted. Here was a follower of Christ who was determined to be prepared for serving His Lord. He had studied, prayed, and courageously launched out into any ministry God led him into. He was a prepared disciple—one whom God could use in ever-increasing ways. Now, Phil would be the first person to tell you he was not perfect, but he was growing in his faith. Phil knew that believers should be humble, but that shouldn’t keep them from aggressively growing in their faith. If you were to ask Phil about why God was using him, he would tell you that it was God at work through him. Press him a little further about his own faith and dedication and you would learn that he was a man who was full of the Holy Spirit, and who was determined to not only live by the Spirit, but also to walk in him. That’s what his fellow church members had unanimously seen back in Jerusalem. The apostles said they needed some good leaders to take care of benevolence told the church to choose seven men full of the Spirit and wisdom. Phil was the second chosen, right after Stephen, the first martyr of the church. And now God was using him in a big way. Phil proves a truth for us: If you’re in Christ, and living for him, you’re ready to witness for Him. Phil was a man available to God because he diligently prepared himself, growing in his understanding of the Word, obeying every impulse of the Spirit’s leading and saying to the Lord on a regular basis, If You would be pleased to use me, I am available to You. This always honors God. But beyond his preparation, Phil was always listening to God. He was so intent on pleasing the Lord that he always had his ear tuned to God’s voice—waiting for His leading, His direction. His walk in the Spirit wasn’t a staccato effort of living for himself punctuated by a few seasons of seeking God’s will. He had his eyes on Christ and his ear turned to the Holy Spirit. We’ve all found it to be true that the more faithfully we try to listen, the more regularly we’ll hear. Charlotte is a patient woman, but even her patience stretches to the limit when she talks to me and realizes I’m not listening. I try to explain to her that if I’m reading or watching TV or working at the computer, I’m so focused that I can’t hear her. So she insists that when I hear her voice I need to change my focus. If we would be prepared disciples like Philip, we need to learn to give God exclusive focus. The disciple who listens will always find divine appointments. Perhaps the greatest reason Philip was so available to God is that he was so instantaneously obedient. Here is a man who when God speaks he responds, promptly and without hesitation. How could he do that? I think one of the reasons he was able to respond to God so spontaneously was that he had cleared his agenda of everything less important than the kingdom of God. His pure, deep devotion to Christ did not permit him to entertain competing priorities. He did not allow himself to be saddled with lesser things. If we are obligated to this and that and the other issues in our lives, we will find ourselves at a loss to respond quickly and decisively when Christ calls on us. If my career, or my debt or my hobbies or my fixation on the stuff of this world has me stuffed into its cramped collar I am not free to do the bidding of Christ. To the one who said he would follow Him, but only after he buried his father, Jesus said, "'Let the dead bury their own dead." [webmasters note: Matthew 8:22, Luke 9:60] The one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is not worthy of the kingdom. Honor Christ and do all you can to free yourself of such entrapments. There are people all around us headed for a Christless eternity all around us, the Lord commanded us to be witnesses to them for Him, and, as one author puts it, we’re busy playing our video games. What jumps out at you about Phil is that he is ready to go, ready to serve, ready to preach, at any time in any place. He’s prepared; he’s listening; and he’s instantaneously obedient. This is the kind of disciple who is at God’s disposal. Like Phil he is an available disciple. The Evangelistic Dialogue The next part of the story tells us about the dialogue that ensued between Phil, who was led by the Lord, and this unnamed foreign gentleman, to whom God had brought Phil. Verses 30-35 tell us about their evangelistic dialogue. You’ll recall that the Spirit, with whose voice Philip was so familiar, told him to go to that chariot and stay near it. Presumably it was parked—it would be hard to imagine someone trying to read a papyrus while holding the reigns of a horse and riding in a chariot on bumpy country roads. Verses 30: Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading  Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains  it to me?” So, he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Let’s pause the story right here long enough to make an observation. Can you imagine the confirmation Phil just got? The vindication that it really was an angel who sent him, and it really was the Spirit who directed him? The man is reading Isaiah! And he is in chapter 53, the most powerful Messianic prophecy in the Old Testament! Parked on the deserted road Phil was sent to! Maybe he didn’t need that kind of assurance, but I confess I would have. Right away Phil interposes himself with an innocent question designed to provoke religious discussion. That’s a good practice, isn’t it? Asking questions that draw others into a discussion about spiritual matters. We ought to put our creative minds to work on coming up good ice-breakers like that. Larry Cornett shared one with me a couple weeks ago: Do you ever think about spiritual things? Or how about, Do you ever think about God? What thoughts do you have about Him? Or, Do you think it is possible to know God personally? We should pray for good segues into meaningful conversations about God. Verses 32: "The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheet to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus." What a clear opening for the sharing of the gospel! This is what God had set up for Phil to step into. Why? Because Phil was a faithful servant. Right away this Ethiopian dignitary asks for instruction—he even says “please”! Some of the most powerful evangelistic encounters are set up when people admit a need for understanding about spiritual matters. It is a simple step to say to them, “Maybe I can help. I don’t know a lot, but there might be something I could share with you.” Maybe you’re thinking, Yeah, but I don’t ever run into such clear openings! Maybe not. Philip probably didn’t always have it so easy. The question I would ask is this, Would you have gone down to the deserted parking lot on Route 13 just south of Lenzburg if the Spirit had led you there? Would you have heard the instruction in the first place? And if you had, would you have instantly obeyed? I think God rewards faithful witnesses with great opportunities. You’re busy giving the dog a bath and the doorbell rings. Your two children are standing there, a fifteen year old and a four year old. Which one do you send to answer the door? You’re the head of the sales force. The CEO advises that a potentially lucrative deal is cooking with a prospect. Whom will you send: a rookie you just hired, or your most experienced salesman? We need to seriously seek the wisdom and guidance of God’s Spirit in order to be led to those who are ready to hear the gospel, who want to hear the gospel. And we need to faithfully listen for the openings He gives us. What did Phil do with that wonderful opening he received? He went right to the heart of the Scripture. He started at Isaiah 53 and he preached Jesus. He was not side-tracked into talking about who Isaiah was, how he as a Gentile was a foreigner to the covenant between God and Israel or when the end of the world was coming or anything else. Phil knew this man needed to come to faith in Jesus. Let’s take a lesson from Phil. Wherever our conversations begin, and whatever twists and turns they take, let’s doggedly move them in the direction of the topic of Jesus. Peter said, " ...there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved "[webmasters note: Acts 4:12] than Jesus. He alone is the way, the truth and the life. Have you ever had someone get impatient with you and say in frustration, Will you please just get to the point? Jesus is the point, He is the answer to whatever problem or need anyone has, and if we don’t point others to Him we’ve simply failed in our mission. Don’t get waylaid by doctrinal disputes and don’t get sidetracked by useless discussions about churches and preachers and who made whom go to church against their will. Cut through all that garbage and get to Jesus—quickly. Jesus cut through useless dialogue with Nicodemus when Nicodemus started talking about religious stuff. Jesus cut right to the chase and said, “Nick, you need to be born again.” [webmasters note: John 3:3] Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "I was determined to know nothing among you except Christ and Him crucified." [webmasters note: 1 Corinthians 2:2] Get to Jesus in your conversations. That way you don’t need to know a whole lot of other stuff. Once you get the chance to present the gospel to someone, you can slow down and let the Spirit do His work in the person your talking to. Notice that Phil doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to get this man saved, does he? He’s not like a lot of “evangelists” today who will say or do anything to get someone to pray a prayer of repentance so they can pronounce them saved. It often seems they’re just looking to put another notch in their witnessing belt. ‘Ready to run back to the other Christians and brag about bagging another one for Jesus. Much of what is called evangelism is really just a cattle-drive. Try to model Philip’s style. He did the job he was given to do, which was to present the gospel through simple teaching from the Word. We are not called to be persuaders. We are called to teach, to testify. I think that fewer Christians would be afraid of sharing their faith if they stopped believing the lie that they have to “win” people to Christ. Present the gospel and let the Holy Spirit do His work in the heart and mind of the other person. That’s what Philip did. Then look at what the Holy Spirit did in the heart of the Ethiopian. He changed Him. He met him in his need. A great theologian said, “Whenever you speak to men in the name of Jesus Christ, unseen instincts deep within them are reinforcing your words." Our task is to bring the message of the good news to people one-by-one. Our strategy is simple: Listening to the Spirit and ready to obey, we: 1) Look for the opening, 2) Get to the point quickly—that’s Jesus, and 3) Trust God’s work and His timing for the person’s conversion. The Exciting Deliverance Look at the exciting deliverance that occurs when Phil the evangelist does just that. Verses 36-40: As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the Eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” And he ordered the chariot to stop. Then both went down into  the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of  the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. You can just imagine the eunuch, drinking in the gospel, and thinking about the incredible coincidence of meeting a man on an abandoned stretch of road who had the answers to the questions he was pondering, and now as faith was forming in his heart, he hears Phil tell about how people can turn their lives over to Christ through repentance and be reconciled to God. How they become new creatures in Christ, and how that is symbolized beautifully in the Christian initiation rite called baptism—baptism in water. He looks up and there is a pond! Another coincidence! The same God who led Philip to him to teach him has now provided a body of water for his baptism! Amazing! Of course, Philip is so totally absorbed in his gospel teaching he barely hears when the Ethiopian interrupts him to ask to be baptized. Look—water! The very thing you’ve been talking about—baptism. Why can’t I do this now? What a beautiful thing when converts come to their own conclusions without being coached! It reminds you of the converts on Pentecost. They wouldn’t even let Peter finish his sermon, they were so convicted of their sin and their need for the Savior. So Peter said, All right, then—repent and be baptized… And that’s just what Phil did for this Ethiopian. He knew that he had faith and so he baptized him. What a beautiful simplicity in this response. The eunuch is saying Why wait? And Phil is almost caught off guard. God has done his work while Phil preached the Word of Christ. You see, for the true evangelist, it is not a laborious thing—sharing the gospel. You just tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and BINGO, God’s Spirit brings His conviction to the person’s soul. It’s as if Phil is only along for the ride! What happens when the gospel collides with faith and obedience? Joy. The Joy of Salvation. Speaking of Phil’s being along for the ride, I wonder what he was thinking about riding along in this chariot toward Gaza in the direction of Ethiopia? How was he thinking he was going to get back? He wasn’t! He knew God would take care of him, even if it took a miracle. And of course that’s just what happened. God whisks him away miraculously—but not back to Samaria. He has a new assignment for him—first in Azotus and then there was a pastorate waiting for him in Caesarea. And what about the Ethiopian eunuch? The text says simply, he "went on his way rejoicing." What a thrill it is when a person comes to the point of repentance, finally admitting that he is a sinner, confessing his need for a Savior and his faith in Christ. There is such joy in knowing you are forgiven, in knowing that what kept you from fellowship with the God who made you and who loves you—namely, sin—has been removed. You can experience that yet today. If you have not yet believed in Christ, you can do so today. That is what God calls us all to as His faithful witnesses. He calls us to faithfully share the word of our testimony and the truth of the gospel. To willingly engage in His pre-arranged coincidences, watch for series’ of miracles through our tiny acts of obedience, witness the faith of people who respond to His Spirit’s call, and share the joy of those who come to His salvation. Oh, one more thing about the eunuch. He made it back to Ethiopia just fine. Still rejoicing, too, apparently. Because tradition tells us that his boss, Queen Candace of Ethiopia, was converted to Christ through the eunuch's testimony, and that she subsequently use her office to promote Christianity in Ethiopia and the surrounding countries. She and her husband reigned c. 25-41 A.D. Conclusion So that’s our story. The story of how God prepared a traveling eunuch and an available witness for Christ for a special meeting. How in His providence, through that “chance” meeting and that seemingly insignificant conversion an entire continent heard the gospel. And He is still setting up quaint little appointments for His faithful witnesses. Arranged meetings that seem like odd coincidences. He uses the whispers of angels and the nudging of His Spirit, but only the spiritually aware, the humble servants of the Word who are willing to listen and obey, who will do whatever is asked of them, no matter how ridiculous—only they will respond. Because only they will hear, and only they will obey.   [Back to Top]