opening your mouth

The message of the Gospel is the cornerstone of our faith. Jesus's sacrifice and resurrection as the payment for our sin is the very truth that we cling to as believers. Ultimately, if we read the Bible closely, we realize that God desires every person to realize what His son gave us, to return from our rebellion and draw close to Him. Paul says,

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" (Romans 10:14)

We have a responsibility to share the love of God that we encounter every day, and the Church has wrestled with evangelical methods for centuries. From monastic isolation to military conversion, we've tried just about every strategy we can imagine. Let's look today, though, at some key ideas about evangelism, about sharing the Gospel, about sharing the love of a perfect God-man who gave up his life for a filthy, prideful, rebellious world.

In Acts 8, there is a story about a man named Philip who meets a eunuch on the road, and shares with him the gospel. We can learn a few things from Philip's story. Consider these ideas, and think about how they apply to your life.

1. Evangelism requires interest

Of the four ideas I want to talk about, this is the only one that doesn't have anything to do with you. Jesus told a parable about a man who scattered seed on the ground. Each type of ground represents a different kind of person. We need to learn that we are not responsible for the type of soil a person might be. Some people will listen eagerly to the Gospel, some skeptically, and some not at all. The eunuch that Philip encountered had some level of interest in the Scripture already:

"And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah." (Acts 8:27b-28)

2. Evangelism requires opportunity

This is a difficult part of the process for many people. After all, the question of, "when do I talk about it?" is at the forefront of our minds. Obviously, Philip had an opportunity here to speak to this man, but there some reasons why!

"Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, 'Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.' This is a desert place. And he rose and went." (Acts 8: 26-27a)

"And the Spirit said to Philip, 'Go over and join this chariot.' So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, 'Do you understand what you are reading?'" (Acts 8: 29-30)

Philip was listening to the Holy Spirit, and more than that, without knowing the reason for what the Spirit asked, immediately did what he was told. The first part of finding opportunities for evangelism is listening to the Spirit of God. The second part is paying attention to what's going on around you. Notice that Philip realized what the eunuch was reading. He had his opening, his 'in' and he started asking the eunuch about it. Opportunity seized.

3. Evangelism requires knowledge

"And he said, 'How can I, unless someone guides me?' And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:

'Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.'

And the eunuch said to Philip, 'About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?' Then Philip opened his mouth and beginning with this Scripture told him the good news about Jesus." (Acts 8:31-35)

Philip knew what he was talking about. As a Jewish man, he was very familiar with the Scripture and the prophets. He had probably read that scripture a thousand times in his childhood, and was able to use his knowledge of God's word to share with the eunuch. It's important in all our enthusiasm over spiritual gifts, missions, worship, and the like, not to forget that God gave us the Bible for a reason. It's his love letter to us! We should make it a priority to fall in love with His Word and learn what it says.

4. Evangelism requires initiative

This is the last, and most important, idea. Let's return to the last verse we read:

"And Philip opened his mouth..."

No matter how interested a person might be in God, no matter how many chances we might have, no matter how much we know, unless we open our mouths and share the good news, it won't mean a thing. God has given us everything we need to bring His light and salvation to the world. We encounter so many people every single day between work, school, errands, and friends, that we have no excuses. Philip led an Ethiopian man to the saving grace of God because of one simple fact: He opened his mouth.

My challenge to you (and myself) is to look for our chances to do the same. Do not remain silent while there are those who are separated from God.

Open your mouth.