Arise and Go: How God Uses Ordinary People to Change Lives Forever

What if the most important conversation you ever have happens in the most inconvenient place, at the most inconvenient time? The story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 shows us exactly how God works through ordinary believers who are simply willing to obey.

What Is the Most Common Spiritual Stronghold People Face?

Before diving into the story of Philip, it is worth addressing something that affects nearly everyone. When asked what the most common spiritual stronghold is, the answer might surprise you. It is not addiction. It is not involvement in the occult. It is anger and unforgiveness.

The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 4:26-27, "Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil." - Ephesians 4:26-27 New King James Version (NKJV)

Anger itself is not always the problem. The problem is when anger is allowed to stay, when we feed it, rehearse it, justify it, and refuse to deal with it. When that happens, it becomes a foothold for the enemy. And anger rarely travels alone. It brings with it unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, jealousy, fear, anxiety, and despair.

Sometimes we carry something for so long that we stop seeing it as bondage. We just think, "That's the way I am." But it does not have to be that way.

What Does the Bible Say About Following God's Lead Even When It Does Not Make Sense?

God May Lead You Somewhere That Makes No Sense. Go Anyway.

Acts 8 opens with Philip in the middle of a full-blown revival in Samaria. Crowds were gathering, miracles were happening, and people were believing. Then God tells Him to leave and go to a desert road.

"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." - Acts 8:26 New King James Version (NKJV)

From a human perspective, this made no sense. The road was lonely, lightly traveled, and possibly midday, the hottest and least convenient time to travel. The angel gave no explanation. Philip was simply told to go.

And he went.

God interrupted a ministry to a multitude because one man mattered. The initiative in this mission was entirely with God. Philip was not inventing ministry ideas. God was orchestrating the whole encounter.

Some of us miss divine appointments because we are waiting for convenient assignments. But the Spirit often speaks through interruptions. Go when it disrupts your plans. Go when it feels awkward. Go when it seems inefficient. Because somebody there is your one.

How Does God Prepare People Before We Even Talk to Them About Faith?

God Is Already Working Before You Arrive. Speak Up.

When Philip arrived at the desert road, he found an Ethiopian eunuch, a man of great authority over the treasury of Ethiopia, sitting in his chariot reading from the prophet Isaiah. God had already been at work.

"Then the Spirit said to Philip, 'Go near and overtake this chariot.' So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, 'Do you understand what you are reading?'" - Acts 8:29-30 New King James Version (NKJV)

This man was already seeking. He had purchased an expensive scroll of Isaiah. He had traveled hundreds of miles to worship in Jerusalem. He was asking questions and searching for truth.

Here is something important to understand. You are not the Holy Spirit. You are not manufacturing conviction of sin. You are not forcing salvation on anyone. You are stepping into something God is already doing.

Philip's question, "Do you understand what you are reading?" was a simple icebreaker. It was a receptivity question designed to gauge whether the man was open to a conversation. That is all it was. Not a sermon. Not a theological debate. Just a conversation starter.

We often overcomplicate evangelism. Sometimes all it takes is the right question. Try asking someone, "Has anyone ever shown you what the Bible says about how you can have eternal life?" Or, "What do you think happens after a person dies?" Ask the question and wait. If they are interested, they will tell you.

Speak up. Start the conversation. Because God may already be preparing someone before you arrive.

What Do People Really Need: Religion or Jesus?

People Do Not Need More Religion. They Need Jesus. Open the Bible.

The eunuch was reading from Isaiah 53, the passage about the suffering servant. He asked Philip a direct question: "Of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of some other man?" - Acts 8:34 New King James Version (NKJV)

And then Philip did something critical. He opened his mouth.

"Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to Him." - Acts 8:35 New King James Version (NKJV)

Philip did not debate politics. He did not urge self-improvement. He did not preach morality. He preached Jesus.

The Bible is not ultimately about becoming better people. It is about a Savior who came for sinful people. The Scriptures ultimately lead to Jesus Christ. As Jesus Himself said in John 5:39, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me." - John 5:39 New King James Version (NKJV)

Isaiah 53 points directly to the Lord Jesus Christ. The suffering servant who was rejected, humiliated, and led like a lamb to slaughter. Jesus willingly suffered. He willingly endured injustice. He willingly walked the road to the cross and offered Himself as a sacrifice for sinners.

You do not have to know everything to help someone. Learn how to share the Gospel. Tell your story. Tell how you were in darkness and Jesus brought you into light. Point people to Jesus, because He is still effectively saving sinners.

Can One Conversation Really Change Someone's Life Forever?

One Conversation Can Change a Life Forever. Invite a Response.

As Philip and the eunuch traveled, they came to water. The eunuch did not hesitate.

"Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, 'See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?'" - Acts 8:36 New King James Version (NKJV)

Philip had not read a single word from Isaiah about baptism. He had explained it as part of sharing the Gospel. And this man responded immediately. New believers in Scripture are eager to respond. When people encounter the real Jesus, they respond appropriately.

The eunuch was baptized and went on his way rejoicing. One desert road. One conversation. One act of obedience. One changed life.

There is a story from after World War II about a young German man named Hubie whose Father had been killed by a Belgian soldier in the resistance. Hubie became a Christian and, despite being diagnosed with a terminal illness, had one singular ambition: to lead someone to Christ. When a young Belgian man named Jean visited and said he realized he was not yet a Christian, Hubie was the one who sat with him and led Him to faith. When asked why he was so especially joyful, Hubie said it was because he had been praying for years that God would let him be a blessing to a Belgian boy, to repay with the gift of life what a Belgian had taken from Him through His Father's death.

The Gospel had so changed Hubie that he did not see an enemy. He saw his one.

That is why you speak up. That is why you start the conversation. You never know what God has already been doing in the person standing in front of you.

Life Application

Philip arose and went. That simple act of obedience changed someone's eternal destiny. God is still on a mission, and He is still sending ordinary believers to unusual places to win solitary souls.

Somebody around you is your one. It may be a son or daughter, a friend, a coworker, a neighbor, or a classmate. The Spirit is still saying, arise and go.

This week's challenge: Identify your one. Write down the name of one person in your life who is far from God. Pray for them every day this week. Then look for one natural opportunity to ask a simple question that opens a conversation about faith. You do not need a script. You just need to show up and speak up.

Ask yourself these questions as you reflect:

• Is there anger, unforgiveness, or bitterness in my life that has been given too much ground? What would it look like to release that to Jesus this week?
• Who is my one, and am I actively praying for them?
• Am I waiting for a convenient assignment before I obey? What inconvenient place or person might God be calling me toward right now?
• When was the last time I started a spiritual conversation with someone who does not yet know Jesus?

Never underestimate what God may do through one Spirit-led conversation. Go anyway. Speak up. Open the Bible. Invite a response.

 

 

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Join us this Sunday at Great Commission Church for a welcoming and uplifting worship experience. If you’ve been searching for a church near you, you’ll discover a warm, authentic church family ready to help you grow in faith.

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