“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. (Acts 8:31)
How many times have you failed to take an opportunity to share the gospel with someone out of fear? Maybe you fear rejection or you fear not having the words to speak. Fear can often hinder us from doing what God is calling us to do. However, I want to let you know why you have no need to fear.
In Acts 8:26-40, we get to witness Philip, a disciple of Jesus, take the opportunity to evangelize and share the gospel. He meets this Ethiopian eunuch and is able to open up the Word of God. In the end, the Ethiopian is converted and baptized by Philip. That’s amazing! But we’re also given the inner workings of what was going on. In 8:26 an “angel of the Lord” tells Philip to “go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” It’s at that moment that Philip sees the man reading the prophet Isaiah (Acts 8:28). Then the “Spirit said to Philip” to join the man, and it’s at that moment that Phillip shares the gospel. Immediately after the man is baptized, “the Spirit of the Lord” took Philip away. Presumably, he took him to another gospel opportunity.
What’s important here is the one who orchestrated everything was not Philip, but God. Philip was just obedient. He went where God called him. He did what God told him to do. Sometimes we are intimidated with evangelism because we think too highly of ourselves. We think the opportunities for evangelism and its success depend upon us, but it depends on God. So share the gospel without fear, knowing that the one in charge of every moment is God.