Teaching Text

Acts 8:26-40

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.” 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.” 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.

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.

Sermon Recap

This week, Pastor Suzy Silk continued our sermon series through the Fifth Act, with a teaching on Acts 8:26-40, in which Philip follows a prompting of the Spirit, meets an Ethiopian eunuch, explains the Scriptures to him, and baptizes him in the name of Jesus. This story highlights a key transition in Acts from a focus on the ministry of the apostles to the lives of individuals who came to faith after Jesus’ death and resurrection or even after Pentecost. These accounts show regular, ordinary disciples being moved by the Holy Spirit, explaining the Scriptures, and even performing miracles, and Pastor Suzy encouraged us that through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we can be Jesus’ witnesses in the same ways.

The Holy Spirit empowers ordinary disciples to be witnesses and to resemble Jesus, and the disciples’ response to this is to listen and obey. Throughout the book of Acts, we see Philip and Stephen performing miracles, boldly proclaiming the Gospel everywhere they go, and living radical lives of generosity — in other words, living their lives as compelling missional disciples. These stories encourage us to also posture ourselves to listen to the Spirit, obey His promptings, and go out in the world to show what Jesus is like.

The Holy Spirit also empowers ordinary disciples to share the Gospel across divides, and the disciples’ response is to cross those barriers. Jesus intended for the Gospel to extend beyond Jerusalem and Judea to the ends of the earth. The book of Acts shows us the beginning of this movement, where Philip progresses from sharing the Gospel among mostly Jewish communities to the people of Samaria, an ethnically similar yet culturally distinct people from the Israelites, and later to the Ethiopian eunuch, an educated and established man of power that was seeking the true God. Philip is able to cross multiple cultural and socioeconomic barriers to explain the Scriptures to the eunuch and ultimately baptize him. Jesus came in part to tear down dividing walls, not only between people and God, but between different groups of people. As His followers, we are able to join the Spirit in continuing this work on the earth.

Finally, the Holy Spirit empowers ordinary disciples to explain the Scriptures so others may also become disciples, and the disciples’ response is to study and teach the Scriptures. The words of Scripture are for us, but the Holy Spirit must give wisdom and insight in order for us to understand the Scriptures fully. The Ethiopian eunuch asked Philip how he could understand the book of Isaiah unless someone explains it to him, and Philip, having studied the Scriptures, is able to answer the eunuch’s questions and explain how the passage connects to Jesus. Similarly, Jesus commissioned us to not only share the Gospel, but to teach disciples so that they can also make disciples. If we desire to resemble the next generation of disciples we see in Acts, we too must be prepared to teach the Scriptures, route them to the Gospel, and know the promises of God. The Spirit wants to and is able to empower each and every one of us to witness and resemble Jesus, share the Gospel across divides, and explain the Scriptures. We only need to listen and obey His promptings, be willing to cross barriers, and steep ourselves in the Scriptures to be equipped to answer the questions of the lost New Yorkers who surround us.