Philip’s Clarity

Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.
–Acts 8:35

This week, we’re looking at three characteristics of an effective proclaimer of God’s Word. So far, we’ve seen through Philip’s example that evangelism requires invincibility and humility. Third, an evangelist needs to have clarity of message. Acts 8:26 says, “An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, ‘Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a desert road.)” Philip had a successful revival going in Samaria, yet God was saying, “Your ministry is over there, in the desert.” Philip didn’t ignore God’s leading, and he went.

On the road, he came across an Ethiopian court official who was on his way back from worshiping in Jerusalem. This man wasn’t Jewish by birth, but he had converted to Judaism. Verses 30–31 say, “Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.”

We learn that the Ethiopian man was reading from Isaiah 53, which is one of the clearest prophecies of the Messiah in the Old Testament. The prophet described the Messiah as the Suffering Servant, the innocent Lamb who died for the sins of the world. Isaiah 53:5 says, “He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.”

The Ethiopian man wanted to know who these verses were about. Did Philip say, “Everybody interprets Scripture for themselves; all that matters is what it means to you”? No, he gave the man a clear answer. Look at Acts 8:35: “Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.” Isn’t that amazing? All Philip had was the Old Testament, but that was all he needed to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

To be the effective witnesses Christ has called us to be, we must be clear in the message we share. The gospel is not about you or me; it is about Jesus. We have to be able to articulate with laser-like precision that Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “Portrait of an Effective Evangelist,” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2021.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.