When we get a command from God, how are we supposed to respond?
In Acts 8:26-27, we read:
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 …
This is the beginning of the story of how the Apostle Philip meets the Ethiopian eunuch. The eunuch, open to hearing the Gospel, listens to Philip’s teaching, accepts Christ as his Savior and is baptized.
One of the things that strikes me about this story is Philip’s immediate response to the Lord’s command.
“So he started out…”
God commanded. Philip obeyed.
No hesitation. No questioning. No preparation, as far as we can see.
God doesn’t always give us the most desirable missions. He doesn’t always put the most desirable people in our paths. Church ministry and what we’re calling Hands and Feet Church Marketing isn’t always comfortable.
It’s eye-to-eye. Toe-to-toe. It’s sacrificial. It’s personal. It’s relational.
Honestly, when the Holy Spirit whispers to me to reach out to someone I don’t know or someone I wouldn’t normally engage in conversation, I freeze most of the time. I second-guess. I scroll through all of the ways this engagement will interfere with my schedule or pluck me from my comfort zone. I question God.
I wonder how many blessings I’ve missed because of that disobedience.
We should hold in high esteem people who, like Philip, hear the command and “start out.”
Do you know someone like Philip — a person who obeys the Lord’s promptings without hesitation?