August 10, 2023

Acts 8: 30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. (NIV)

Before we share the gospel story, we would do well to listen to the people we would reach.*

Someone has said that we have made the witnessing experience unnecessarily complicated.* I tend to agree – but it is such an important enterprise that we shouldn't take it lightly, either. Of course, our lives are a testimony but sometimes we actually have to say something. And we feel totally unprepared, no matter how prepared we are. 

What are we to do? Not everyone responds in the same way to the same strategy. I wouldn’t like to be approached by a stranger asking me if I’m saved, but there are super-extroverted people out there who are thrilled to talk to anyone about anything. In fact, there are probably as many successful witnessing methods as there are lost souls. Before you are overwhelmed by that thought, here are two reminders: 

• Jesus said to go, disciple, baptize, teach. That may be a very bare-bones outline but it’s a command, not a suggestion. 
• It is the Holy Spirit who convicts, not our brilliance and winning ways. 

Here, Philip shows us one very practical three-step approach to witnessing:

1. He was Spirit-led. I doubt if any witnessing strategy would be successful without the Holy Spirit’s intervention. 
2. He checked to see if the man was interested in hearing more. 
3. He listened to the man’s answer before jumping in with a sermon. What Philip heard told him where to start. 

For most of us, witnessing is always going to be a daunting prospect. Whatever else you do to prepare for it, you must always know Bible facts, be led by the Holy Spirit, and be ready to share what Jesus means to you personally. Remember: the Holy Spirit is in charge of the opportunity and the outcome. Notice that Philip didn’t ask the Ethiopian to wait while he went and found someone smarter.* He began where the man was and “told him the good news about Jesus.” (verse 35)

Most people make talking about Christ harder than it really is. Just start where the person is.*