Get up and go...and Philip ran to him

Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert...So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" – Acts 8.26,30

There are a lot of great lessons in the book of Acts. Although this is a book of transition and we should not build doctrine solely on the book of Acts there is still much to learn here. Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch is an example of that kind of lesson.

The story picks up after Peter and John have returned to Jerusalem preaching the gospel in Samaria. Suddenly the Holy Spirit instructs Philip to got to Gaza. He simply says ‘get up and go.’ So Philip got up and went.

I love that kind of obedience. It challenges my heart. God said go and he went.

But there is more to it than just that.

God sent Philip down to Gaza not for a crowd or a multitude, but one person. An Ethiopian eunuch was all alone in a chariot reading from the scroll of Isaiah. God sent Philip out into the desert to reach one man with the gospel – one. It reminds me of the parable of the shepherd and the one lost sheep and challenges me to see the importance of each and every individual.

But then as Philip got close the Spirit said to go to him, and Philip ran to the chariot.

He ran. He didn't try to delay. He didn't try to find excuses. He ran to the man to share the gospel.

I love the fervency and sense of purpose. But at the same time I am challenged. When was the last time I ran to someone to share the gospel with them? When was the last time I had that kind of sense of purpose?

Oh if we could all just have the heart of Philip, obeying God, seeing the importance of each individual,a nd rushing out to share the message.