The believers in Jerusalem church began fleeing the city due to the continued persecution they faced because of their testimony for Jesus Christ.  But what the enemies of the faith meant for evil, God used for good, as the scattering believers carried with them the message of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Philip, the disciple of Jesus Christ, fled Jerusalem and headed towards Samaria, where his commitment to preaching the gospel led to the salvation of multitudes.  An ordinary man, a surge of persecution, and a touch from the Holy Spirit led to considerable conversions in the city of Samaria.  As Jesus had prophesied, the gospel message made its way from Jerusalem into the uttermost parts of the world (Acts 1:8). Samaria was a borderland between Jew and Gentile, but in preaching to the eunuch, Philip was on entirely Gentile ground.

 

Philip had no special command either to flee to, or to preach in Samaria, but ‘an angel of the Lord’ directed him to the Ethiopian statesman. Philip might wonder why he should be taken away from a successful work in a populous city and be dispatched to the lonely road to Gaza. But he obeyed at once. He did not know why he was sent there, but that ignorance did not trouble or hinder him. It should be enough for us to see the next step: “We walk by faith, not by sight,” ; for none of us know what lies ahead and we get light as we go and along the way.

 

The eunuch, on his way back after worshiping in Jerusalem, was reading aloud from the book of Isaiah, the prophet.  Philip ran to him as the Spirit said, “Go near and overtake the chariot.” Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”  The reply was "how can I unless someone guides me?”  This great man’s invitation to Philip to sit in his chariot shows how eager he was to learn the truth behind the Scripture.  This action had quickly knit a new bond between the two, who had never heard of or seen each other before.  So the chariot rolled on, the Ethiopian reading the book of Isaiah, not knowing who this great, tragic Figure represented. His question on who this person was goes to the root of the matter, and is a burning question even to this day, as it was centuries ago. Philip had no doubt of the answer: Jesus was the ‘lamb dumb before its shearers.’

 

The Ethiopian's baptism in the quiet stream by the side of the solitary road was a mighty step in advance of the gospel. Probably Philip was quite unconscious of the nature of his act, but it was done, and in it was the seed of many more. When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away, so that the Eunuch saw him no more, but he went on his road with full of joy.  This could have been the seed for spreading the Gospel to Ethiopia and from there to the African continent.

 

How should we act in this kind of given situations? 

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• We are to go where we are ordered to go
   

• We are to connect with people
   

• We are to tell about Jesus, because GOOD NEWS MUST BE SPOKEN
   

• We must finish what we are called to accomplish

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God can do the extraordinary through you if you are a willing instrument in His hands— be willing to yield to the Holy Spirit who works in you to accomplish God-ordained tasks.

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Life Application:

‘Always allow faith and obedience to be exercised to have its best yield.’