Read Acts 8:25–40
Questions from the Scripture text: What had Peter and John done (Acts 8:25)? Where did they go? What did they do, where, along the way? Who spoke to whom in Acts 8:26? Where did he tell him to go? What sort of land was that? How did Philip respond (Acts 8:27)? Whom does he see? How much authority does the man have? Under whom? Of what did he have charge? What had he come to Jerusalem to do? Where was he now (Acts 8:28)? What was he doing? What does the Spirit tell Philip to do (Acts 8:29)? How does Philip overtake the chariot (Acts 8:30)? What does he hear? What does he ask? What does the eunuch ask in return (Acts 8:31)? What does he request? What was he reading (Acts 8:32-33; cf. Isaiah 53:7–8)? How does it describe Jesus? What does it say would happen to him? What does the eunuch ask about the passage (Acts 8:34)? What does Philip do (Acts 8:35a)? Where does he begin? What (Whom!) does he preach? What do they see in Acts 8:36? What does the eunuch ask? What does Philip answer (Acts 8:37a)? And how does the eunuch answer (verse 37b)? What does the eunuch command in Acts 8:38? Who go down into the water? What does Philip do? Who comes out of the water (Acts 8:39)? What happens to Philip? What does(n’t) the eunuch see? What does he do? Where is Philip found (Acts 8:40)? Where does he go now? What does he do along the way?
What are the key components of the gospel’s witness as it goes into the rest of the world? Acts 8:25–40 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these sixteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the Spirit sends preachers to hearers whom He is going to bring to faith in Christ. He gives them faith with the whole heart in Jesus as He is preached by all of Scripture and adds them to His visible church on earth.
Angels don’t appear to us (or our pastors) and tell them where to go, and the Spirit doesn’t verbally tell us to whom to speak. But both of those things happen here to Philip to remind us that when God’s sovereign providence does bring us into situations and conversations about the gospel, it is orchestrated by the same God for the same purpose every bit as much as if we had special revelation directing every move.
We’ve just seen the gospel go to Samaria (cf. Acts 8:25). And now it goes to what comparatively is as if it were the end of the earth. It just so happens that Queen Candace’s chief treasurer is a worshiper of the one true God. It just so happens that he’s reading Isaiah the prophet. It just so happens that he’s in chapter 53.
But nothing “just so happens.” Not in Acts 8. Not in our lives. We know that Christ has died for an innumerable multitude. We know that the Spirit will bring to faith every single one for whom Christ died. We know that this Spirit is orchestrating all things according to that word of Christ’s power by which He upholds all things. So, what should we be preparing to do?
We should be prepared to talk about the Bible. The Spirit Who is speaking directly to Philip could also have spoken directly to the eunuch. But His chosen method is to employ teaching/preaching (Acts 8:31a, Acts 8:35).
We should be prepared to start from any Scripture and preach Jesus (verse 35b)—Jesus as the Just One Whose life was taken away as the sacrificial lamb (Acts 8:32-33). Jesus as the Christ (Acts 8:37b). Jesus as the Son of God (verse 37b).
We should be prepared to explain by baptism that Jesus is both able and willing to save (Acts 8:36).
We should be prepared to call people to trust in and worship Christ with the whole heart (Acts 8:37a).
We’re not going to vanish and be zapped 25 miles away in a blink like Philip is in Acts 8:39-40, but we should expect that the greater miracle—the bringing of a sinner to faith—is something that the Spirit is very much still doing by the preaching of Christ from His Word.
When do you get to hear Jesus preached? When do you get to tell others? What is the Spirit doing?
Sample prayer: Lord, we thank You that You are ruling and overruling all things to bring those for Whom You died to faith in Yourself. Grant unto us to be always ready to give an answer for our hope. Build us up in that hope, and bring others into it, we pray through Jesus Christ, AMEN!
Suggested songs: ARP19B “The LORD’s Most Perfect Law” or TPH172 “Speak, O Lord”
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