Day 7 – Philip
“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.”
Acts 8:26-31, read 36-40 for more
There is so much that I love about this story and about Philip. His photo is surely hanging along with the others in the Willing Hall of Fame. The Lord says, “Jump”, and Phillip says, “How high?”
Here’s something I notice: The Lord’s instructions are general in nature. “Go south”—no explanation as to why or what to look for. And Philip doesn’t ask, he just goes. It kind of forces him to be curious and aware. What might God be up to? What does He want him to know and do?
He sees a chariot in the distance and thinks, “I guess maybe that’s it?” The Spirit says, “Yep, go for it”…
And do what? “You’ll figure it out. Listen to me and go be you.”
So he does. And the rest, as they say, is history.
(Most scholars believe that this was the first seed of the gospel in Africa.)
God brings Philip into this mission as a partner. He expects Philip to participate actively, to carry his own weight engagingly and fruitfully. Philip can’t do it on his own, and God, apparently, doesn’t want to do it alone either.
What is the risk here – if there even is one?
It seems to me that the only risk is missing out on being a part of what the Spirit of God is up to.
INWARD: Father, what do you want me to know?
How is my willingness to listen and go?
Is there some “Go” that the Spirit might be saying to me? To a neighbor? A co-worker or family member?
Can you recall a story when God said, Go and you did?
OUTWARD: Father, what do you want me to do?
Father, is there a step I can take today towards listening and going?
A little more:
Take a few minutes to create your own Willing Hall of Fame with names from scripture, but also people from your own life and story.
Enjoy celebrating them.
Maybe even borrow some of their faith for the road ahead.
