Showtime

Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture [Is 53:7–8]. Acts 8:35

T hroughout high school, I was never drawn to participate in the drama club. But when I went to college, someone invited me to take part in an off-Broadway play to be performed and directed by students. The Fantasticks was one of the longest running in history. I reluctantly agreed. In a week, to my complete amazement, I had the part of El Gallo—the lead. In a few weeks I went from reluctance to enthusiasm. The more we practiced, the more comfortable I got with my lines, and the more I thoroughly enjoyed this experience.

The first and only performance was on a Saturday night. I’ll never forget the last ten minutes before the scheduled start of the play when I was to walk to center stage and sing the classic “Try to Remember.” I stood quietly, alone in the shadows. I reviewed what I had learned, what I had memorized, remembering the countless rehearsals. Of course, I was nervous, but I was also ready. My heart raced with excitement and anticipation. It was showtime.

Philip was one of Jesus’s disciples. I like to think of him as one of the more steady and dependable men in the troupe. For example, when Jesus was faced with the hungry thousands on the hillside, He asked Philip what he thought they ought to do to feed them (see Jn 6:5). One day, an angel of the Lord appeared to Philip and asked him to take a trip toward the city of Gaza. Philip had no idea why God had asked him to go on this journey. He just obeyed.

Not far from home, Philip passed a chariot that was pulled off to the side of the road. Prompted by the Spirit, he stopped. On this chariot was a man reading from the book of Isaiah. “Do you understand what you’re reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” the man replied, “unless someone guides me?” (Ac 8:30–31).

This was the moment Philip had waited for. This was the time he had looked forward to as he had read and studied the Scriptures. This was what he had prayed for when Jesus had challenged His Spirit-empowered disciples to be His “witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (1:8). For Philip, the curtain was about to go up. It was showtime.

So taking all that he had learned, coupled with the power Jesus had promised, Philip told the man about his Savior. And miraculously the man listened to Philip’s words, was convicted of his own sin, and received God’s grace in full measure right there on the spot. Soon, as they journeyed down the road, Philip invited the man to be baptized. He humbly agreed. What a great story.

This account provides a perfect backdrop for God’s gracious call on our lives. He wants you and me to prepare ourselves—to read, study, and pray—for the mo- ments in our lives when we are called on to “give an account of [ourselves] to God” (Rm 14:12).

I think my favorite part of the story of Philip and the man from Ethiopia is that during the years while Philip was training for this moment, God was preparing the heart of the unbelieving man to hear Philip’s words.

And because God still supplies the hearts of the speaker and the listener, I wonder who God is preparing in your world to hear your words. Keep reading, keep studying, and keep praying.

When the curtain goes up and it’s showtime for you, you’ll be ready, too.