"A Meeting of the Minds" (Acts 8:26-40)

We have been talking about witnessing to Jesus. Last week we talked about being able to share the hope we have through telling our story, and linking our story to both another person’s needs and to the gospel story, always doing so with gentleness and respect.

What good things do you notice in this text about witnessing to faith in Jesus?

1. Being in the right place at the right time (v.26-30)

But what will this require of us?

(a) Being attuned, attentive and obedient to the Spirit of God. This is even when being directed to a “wilderness road”. This involves constantly listening for the supernatural promptings and being willing to “go”.

Here we have a scene of two people meeting while on two very different journeys, but with a remarkable outcome. God had no doubt been already working in the life of this Ethiopian eunuch, and possibly other people too had already been involved in sowing seeds such that this man was so inquisitive and actually reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah searching for answers.

Being generically identified as “Ethiopian” designates that he was a dark-skinned African, perhaps, given the geography here, from the region of modern-day Sudan. Being described as a eunuch, doesn’t just raise the possibility of him having been physically castrated, but also the cultural possibility that he was metaphorically deemed castrated, as he was in a position of servitude to a female ruler.

Given that he had been worshipping in Jerusalem, he was either a convert to the religion of the Jews, or one who was very much interested in their monotheistic beliefs and ethical standards (and watching on from a distance). But now he was seeking even more depth and more truth. It could have been that, due to being an emasculated eunuch or an uncircumcised foreigner, this Ethiopian had not been accepted into the Jewish faith (and thus keenly felt a sense of unacceptance and unsuitability). Therefore, he was really looking for something and somewhere where he could be wholly accepted and fully belong. And how many people would find themselves in just a similar position today!!

Here was a ‘spiritual outcast’ actively looking for a new home. To complete the picture, and to bring this Ethiopian into an experience of salvation, Philip needed to decisively follow the Spirit’s leading. Philip, who had been identified as having wisdom and being “full of the Spirit”, was one of those who had become leaders in the church in Acts chapter 6. And in this passage we see Philip directly prompted by Divine characters on three occasions (v.26, 29, 39). In response to the first of these promptings, we read that Philip “got up and went”, indicating that this prompting was strong and undeniable ... he had an irresistible impulse ... he just had to go this way!

Do we respond like this to the promptings of God? This Scripture begs the question as to whether we are open enough to God to even hear such promptings?? For Philip, this would not be an easy journey. And it probably wasn’t particularly convenient. But Philip went anyway, and put himself in the place where God could use him best! [For me, despite my natural preference to stay home and read a book or potter in the garden, the place to be will be the Point Cook Market, the Laverton Festival and Christmas by the Lake.]

(b) (Getting over any nervousness and ...) Approaching people with an offer of friendship, hospitality or welcome (even, at times, people very different from ourselves).

Whereas there are many people who we would naturally and easily interact with, sometimes there is someone who needs us when no-one else is available. If fear cuts in, we should remember that God is with us, and also that God has already been preparing the other person for this particular interaction.

At the second Divine prompting, we read that Philip “ran up to [the chariot in which the Ethiopian was sitting]” – meaning that under the Spirit of God’s influence, Philip knew that this encounter was the reason why he had been sent this way ... thus no wonder he gathered all the courage that was needed and actually became rather enthusiastic about this. Also him “running” – suggests that the chariot may have been moving, leading to the picture of Philip initially walking (maybe rather briskly) alongside this chariot while sharing conversation and developing the Ethiopian man’s trust. We are often left playing catch-up when it comes to sharing about faith in Jesus for many people have left this idea way behind).

This all gives us the further picture of one person journeying with another as a living invitation to hear the gospel is given. Eventually Philip is given closer access, becomes welcome in the life of the Ethiopian, and gains further opportunity as he is invited into the chariot.

2. Embracing where another person is at (v.30-35)

(a) Being interested in the other person’s concerns and questions.

It was the customary practice of the time to read aloud, thus making it easy for Philip to identify what the Ethiopian was reading; yet what would Philip say! Philip may have noticed a confused or enquiring look on the Ethiopian man’s face, so a tactful question of some kind was probably in order.

We would often need to find just the right question to open up a conversation – which of course is often a matter for prayer – and Philip’s question (although a closed question inviting only a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response) was a ripper! “Do you understand what you are reading” (v.30b) ... said with real interest and care. Now, if the Ethiopian had have said ‘yes’, then Philip could have then asked the Ethiopian what he thought about this Isaiah passage and gone from there. As it turned out, the Ethiopian’s answer was basically ‘no’, and happily he asked for help to understand ... clearly inviting Philip to provide such guidance.

Not only this, the Ethiopian invited Philip into his own space, already confident that Philip had the right attitude and motives. Thus Philip must have shown genuine and obvious interest and concern in the Ethiopian man’s situation. Being called and led of God is one thing – responding with a compassionate, caring and sincere attitude is another! We can sometimes respond to a call of God out of a sense of obligation, but not with the sort of open and loving heart toward others that is needed to get the best outcome!! Each and every person we encounter is a soul vitally important to God.

(b) Being willing to take such concerns in a faith-based and gospel-sharing direction.

Philip, because of the preparation he had done, was able to helpfully and accurately comment on the text from Isaiah and how it ultimately pointed to Jesus (and spoke of Jesus’ tragic trial and unjust death). This suggests to us that we need to be doing the preparation now for such encounters, where we wouldn’t want to be left feeling inadequate or under-equipped. How would we naturally and helpfully talk to another person about Jesus’ suffering on our behalf!?!

Sometimes we can refer someone on – but not always ... sometimes it will be up to us (as the one who has developed the crucial trusting relationship) to follow through. One might imagine that Philip took time to point out to the Ethiopian how this Jesus story had become relevant for him. This reminds us, as we talked about last week, the need to be able to helpfully tell our own story of faith (and connect that up with where the other person is at).

Sometimes such conversations will raise deep areas of brokenness and explore all sorts of vulnerabilities and past hurts. We should not shy away from this, for such times can hold particularly sacred moments with great significance – we should attend to these opportunities of ministry with great respect, humility and special prayer. We need to be prepared to allow others to see our humanness and vulnerabilities, at the same time as understanding the source of our hope and the reason why we can cope.

We should allow God to build our confidence and helping skills over time ... these being best built as they are practiced. We can become more and more aware that God is faithful to us as we are called into these situations. God will be the interactive third party in each of our faith-sharing conversations; indeed we should actively try to sense this spiritual dynamic occurring within such conversations. Sometimes I will say something really good ... but have no idea where it came from (well, in hindsight, I know where it came from).

Where we haven’t gone as well as we would have liked, we can know that since we have truly sought to serve in God’s name, God’s Spirit will make up for our deficiencies in the ears of the hearers [which I have to acknowledge every time I preach].

3. Follow through in nurturing discipleship (v.36-39)

Where we have an ongoing relationship with the one we are sharing our faith with, we will have the opportunity to take other steps toward seeing the person accept Jesus in their lives.

(a) Answering questions – sharing truth

We can follow through with the sort of answers people will need to go forward. We can introduce them to the Bible – all the diversity of books and types of literature within, but also the unity of the message contained throughout. The Bible is the ultimate source of enlightenment for all of us, and, properly interpreted, will bring answers to life’s greatest questions. There are many good resources to help us understand and apply the teaching of the Bible, and we should always be prepared to ask for help when we need to address questions currently beyond us. We can say to someone that we currently don’t know the answer, but we’ll find out and come back to them.

We should really suggest that people who are new to the Bible start with the gospels, for these, in their own witness to Jesus, provide the centrepieces of our faith. And if we know these gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) well, we’ll start to know which one might best suit a particular person, e.g. a really structured person might best respond to Matthew, one who just wants a quick read with the ‘nuts and bolts’ of the story might be best suited to Mark, a person who has suffered oppression or been downtrodden should be directed to Luke, and a person who enjoys art, literature and broad concepts might really like John.

(b) Promoting a decision

Although there is nothing said about this between verses 35 and 36, one would assume that Philip asked this Ethiopian whether he wanted to now follow this Jesus that they had been talking about. Sometimes it will be appropriate for us to ask if the other person would like to believe in and accept Jesus (as Saviour and Lord); this being especially important with a person who will tend to procrastinate forever otherwise. This would still be a gentle enquiry of course – and we never would force the issue (just like God doesn’t); for such a decision must be their own.

If they would like to accept Jesus, it would be a good idea to pray with this person to that end, while encouraging the person to pray in their own words (so that their commitment is sure to come from their own heart and mind). We can then continue to pray for them as they undergo both doubt and change. If we have the opportunity, we can look for signs of set-backs, and intervene as possible.

(c) Facilitating a solidifying of commitment to Jesus i.e. baptism, involvement in church community, discipleship.

Philip solidified the Ethiopian’s commitment to and relationship with Jesus through baptism (v.38). As we having recently discussed, baptism publically ties our colours to the mast (from where it is difficult to retreat). New believers will also need a supportive and biblically based church community through which to survive the Jesus-following life – a spiritual environment in which to grow. There really is no such thing as private faith or solo Christians, as believing and following Jesus is a corporate experience, each believer being drawn into the ‘Body of Christ’ ... the church. In the church new Christians can learn about worship, understand the Bible, gather prayer support, discover Jesus in others, grow in Christ-likeness, join a small group, adopt a mentor-figure, discover their gifts, serve others, and reach their full potential.

(d) Nurturing a healthy dependence on God, and promoting a spirit of “rejoicing”.

It might seem (in verse 39) that Philip was pulled away from this Ethiopian convert very prematurely. But this reminds us that no-one should be witnessed to in a way that makes them dependent on us, or unhealthily connected to us such that they can only access God through us. Any new believer needs to be nurtured towards a relationship with Jesus that can survive being let down or indeed losing contact with any given human being. With a level of surety that our primary personhood, acceptance and value is found in God, brings about this state of “rejoicing”.

4. Active Involvement

This Ethiopian man was so much better off for having met up with Philip, and Philip is commended by the testimony of scripture for his obedience; but we know that the impetus behind this interaction was really God’s gracious and active search for people to come back into relationship with their Creator.

We can actually pray quite intentionally for opportunities to witness and share our faith with others. We can pray for God to use us as God used Philip, who was clearly ‘up’ for being used like this. We can pray for God to place us or guide us or prompt us to be in the right place at the right time – where there can be a meeting of the minds – us connecting (helpfully) with someone who at the same time God is desperately seeking out. “Lord, lead me into someone’s path today that I can share Jesus with, and help me be closely attentive to your prompting.” Norman Grubb prayed: “Good morning God, I love you. What are you up to today? I want to be part of it!”

There might be a specific person that we could be praying to have an opening with, and that God will be preparing that same person’s heart and mind (as well as our own) for that encounter. Where there have been significant roadblocks in the past e.g. emotional hurt, philosophical objections or exposure to hypocrisy, we should pray for the energy and patience to hang in there and continue to pursue a trusting friendship that will reap great results.