Personal Evangelism

Personal Evangelism

This Sunday at CDC, we were privileged to have brother Terry Tan give us an excellent message on Personal Evangelism based on the passage of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. In the very interesting passage on the Book of Acts, we see how the Lord led Philip to a desert road where he had a powerful encounter with an Ethiopian Eunuch. The Bible says that all Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking and training in righteousness. The famous theologian and writer Michael Green believes that one reason this passage was put in the book of Acts was to teach us the value of personal one-on-one evangelism.

Brother Terry shared with us four lessons that we could learn from this passage in regard to Personal Evangelism.

Firstly, we need to be Sensitive and obedient to God’s calling.

Acts 8:26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."

Philip had been chosen as one of the seven deacons in the early church, commissioned to wait on tables, as it were, in overseeing the distribution of food to the widows. Besides that, Philip was also very successful in public ministry. In a town in Samaria, Philip preached the gospel powerfully, accompanied by many signs and wonders. However, Philip now heard a very strange message from the Holy Spirit, to go south to a desert road, and Philip obeyed. It is something that we all need to strive to learn, to be sensitive and obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit, even when God works in mysterious ways. 

Secondly, the Lord prepares the way for us to witness. 

27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."

In a sense, it seemed that Philip just happened to meet an Ethiopian eunuch, who happened to be a convert to Judaism, and who happened to be reading Isaiah on his way home. The Lord had prepared the way for Philip to witness just as He prepares the way for us to witness today. Brother Terry also shared how once he had went on a mission trip to Cambodia when he noticed a cook standing in the doorway of a Christian meeting, observing. He felt a stirring in his heart to go and interact with her and he asked her through an interpreter if he could pray for her. To his great surprise, she told him “I want to be a Christian”, and he led her to Christ there. The Lord had already worked in her through the ministry and example of other Christians before this, and brother Terry just happened to be there at the point when she was ready to make a decision. Not everyone has the gift of Evangelism but every Christian is called to evangelize. We may not reap but we have to sow gospel seeds, through word and example.

Thirdly, we need to seize opportunities to engage people where they are.  

30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
31"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
   "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
      and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
      so he did not open his mouth.
 33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
      Who can speak of his descendants?
      For his life was taken from the earth."
 34The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

Philip did not badger the Ethiopian, no pressure was given at all. Philip engaged the Ethiopian where he was. We need to flavor our conversation with grace and make the most of every opportunity. We need to gage the needs of the people first, whether emotional, physical or intellectual. We have to be ready to give a reason for our faith.

Finally, Personal Evangelism can be greatly used by the Lord.

 36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" 38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39When 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.

As the Ethiopian came to the faith, this passage was also the first fulfillment of the prophecy in Acts 1:8 where Jesus said that they would bring his gospel to the ends of the earth. Later Christianity is also became prominent in Ethiopia, and the presence and prayers of a Christian as an important court official may well have paved the way for later works in the North African country.

May the Lord help us learn to be His good witnesses, always listening to the Spirit, seeking out opportunities and praying for the lost. In Jesus name, Amen

God bless,

Jason