Lessons About Evangelism from Philip’s Encounter with the Ethiopian
In the eighth chapter of Acts, Luke tells the story of an angel instructing Philip to journey south toward Gaza. On that trip, he runs into an Ethiopian man reading a scroll of Isaiah. Philip starts a conversation, and the Ethiopian becomes a follower of Jesus.
Let’s examine this story of evangelism and consider how its lessons can help us share our faith more effectively.
Philip is called out
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 the Kandake (which means “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” (Acts 8:26-29, New International Version).
We tend to think that Cornelius was the first Gentile convert to Christianity (Peter helps convert him in Acts 10). But many (including the Greek historian Eusebius) consider this to be the first story of a Gentile convert. As a eunuch, he may have worshipped the Jewish God, but the Law wouldn’t have allowed him to be considered fully Jewish.
Lesson one: Stepping out and taking a big swing
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.
This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its 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.” (Acts 8:30-33, NIV)
One of the hardest things about sharing your faith is initiating the conversation. Here, we see Philip approaching the Ethiopian man who is reading Isaiah, and he asks a question that one might even consider rude: “Do you understand what you’re reading?”
This is a big swing, but Philip didn’t have time to build a relationship and gradually move the conversation in a more spiritual direction. He had to come in and ask the question that needed to be asked, and it paid off.
It’s easy to think that we can somehow ease the conversation in a spiritual direction in a way that feels organic and irresistible. The truth is that we eventually have to get over that hurdle. We can’t be afraid of asking questions about spiritual things so that we can share our faith.
Asking specific and pointed spiritual questions feels like a significant risk because it feels like rejection if they’re not interested. But it’s worth it.
Lesson two: Turn their questions toward Jesus
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 (Acts 8:34-35, NIV).
Thanks to the Spirit, Philip is in the right place at the right time. The passage the eunuch is reading naturally leads to a conversation about Jesus. But we need to notice that Philip takes the reins from the moment the eunuch asks him the question. Luke tells us that Philip took that question and began to unpack the good news about Jesus.
Sometimes, our self-consciousness makes us offer little bits of information in the hope that they’ll ask more questions. If the Ethiopian asked us the same question, we might answer it like this: “Isaiah was talking about the coming Messiah!” And then we’d wait for a follow-up question requesting more information. This is how we subconsciously appeal for their permission to continue. But Philip takes the initial question as permission to lay it all out for the Ethiopian.
If someone asks us a question that lends itself to a discussion about Jesus, take the opportunity. Obviously, we want to be sensitive to the situation. If they’re not interested, we shouldn’t push them. But we never want to put them in the position to drag the good news out of us.
Lesson three: Be prepared to lead them to Jesus
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch 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 (Acts 8:36-40, NIV).
In Philip’s discussion about Jesus, he must have elaborated on baptism. And it’s interesting that the eunuch saw the water and suggested that he be baptized. Philip baptizes the eunuch and the Spirit calls him away.
One of the hardest things about sharing our faith is taking that final step. Even after having a completely positive conversation about Jesus, it’s easy to leave the work unfinished. We might not be in the position to baptize them, but we can often help them ask for Jesus to fill their life and lead them. Sometimes asking, “Are you interested in following Jesus yourself?” can feel more difficult than even starting a spiritual conversation. But we need to push through the fear of rejection.
We don’t want to end up in the position Philip did, where the person we’re talking to has to say, “Hey, there’s some water. Are we going to do this thing or not?”
Remember Jesus Film Project® resources!
Jesus Film Project has some free resources that you may find extremely helpful. Becoming Like Jesus While Being Yourself is a guide that will help you understand how your personality impacts the way you (and others) approach faith. This resource will help you get to know yourself better and improve your ability to communicate with different kinds of people.
Jesus Film Project films can also be very helpful in introducing people to Jesus and getting them to talk about spiritual things. On our YouTube channel or our “Watch” page, you’ll find feature-length movies, short films, and inspiring series—many in multiple languages (the JESUS film itself is available in more than 2,000 languages). These are easy to share and free to stream or download. Share a video and ask one of the included discussion questions from our website to start spiritual conversations today.
Plus, the free Jesus Film Project App makes it easy for anyone to access and share these films. Download our free app on the App Store or Google Play, and you’ll have a library of films in the palm of your hand. Share our app with others who might find this resource useful too! Together, we can help people all over the world experience the story of Jesus in their heart language.
