Devotion from Jason Sell

Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”  Acts 8:30

Does the idea of talking about the Bible bring you anxiety? It did for me. How do I start the conversation? Do I have the right answers? Should I whisper or use a bullhorn? Should I knock on doors or sit at meals to have these conversations? I worried about rejection and needing to be completely COMPETENT in the Scriptures, when all I needed to be was CONFIDENT in the ability of the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit to do His work.

Taking a deep dive into the story of Philip & the Ethiopian in Acts 8, we see a model for us to follow. First, we see Philip's motivation. He was fully on board with Jesus’ mission. He quickly responded to the Holy Spirit and engaged the Ethiopian. He didn't drag his feet, make an excuse or allow any obstacle to hinder the mission of spreading the good news about Jesus.

Second, we see Philip's method. How we communicate is as important as what we communicate. Philip didn't need a bullhorn. And he didn't respond with a vague plan to meet up someday. He was urgent, yet understanding; obedient, but not obtuse. We see Philip do three things: He RAN, he LISTENED, and he ASKED. Philip didn't clobber him with Scripture, shame him with sanctimonious demands, didn't even speak first.

If you're not sure how to approach sharing your faith, stop putting so much weight upon your own abilities, and give the Spirit room to work through you. Romans 2:3-4 teaches that God doesn't force us into repentance, but that His lovingkindness is what leads us to repentance. God has the lead on producing the repentance that we long to see in others, so we should follow His lead and treat others with the lovingkindness that He has already shown us. No bullhorns, no clobbering. Just a motivation and a method that models God's love for others – that is what the Holy Spirit is asking us to do.