This is a powerful, rich story of evangelism. It speaks to the cross-cultural nature of the gospel and connects Jesus to the prophesies of the Hebrew scriptures. What strikes me upon reading it this time, though, is that Philip responded so enthusiastically to the angel’s command. Usually, when I feel the Spirit nudging me to share about my faith with someone who is not a part of my congregation, family, or circle of friends, I find all sorts of excuses. I don’t want to offend this person. I don’t want to seem too pushy or self-righteous. What if I can’t express myself very well or say the wrong thing? We can learn from Philip’s method. First, he responded to the call and approached the chariot. Before he said a word, he listened. He waited for an invitation and then accompanied the man. The man asked a question and Philip answered to the best of his ability. This method must have been effective as evidenced by the man’s desire to be baptized.
Can you think of a time when you had an opportunity to speak about your faith, but didn’t seize on it? What kept you from doing it? If you felt the Spirit nudging you to share your faith with someone right now, how would you respond? How would you go about doing it? How might forming a plan make it easier when the opportunity comes?
In prayer, ask God for the willingness to risk failure when it comes to sharing about your faith, and for the tools to be an effective witness.
