Words of Life: 5 Days in Acts 8Sample

Day 3: Explanation counts

Read Acts 8:30-35

You might have heard people say: ‘Preach the gospel at all times; use words if necessary.’ People typically think it was a famous Christian, Francis of Assisi, who said it. Of course, it's certainly true that how we live as Christians is very important: the Book of James teaches us that faith without works is dead – not real faith at all (James 2:26). But don’t you think the Ethiopian man in Acts 8 would have disagreed with this quote, famous as it is?

Let’s listen to him again. Philip comes up to the chariot and hears the man reading aloud. Philip asks him if he understands what he’s reading in the Book of Isaiah (8:30). 'How can I unless someone explains it to me?' If you’ve read Isaiah yourself, you may have had the same feeling! The Ethiopian man is hungry to know what the prophet is saying to him, but he simply doesn’t understand it. He needs help to make sense of it. Without Philip’s willingness to explain the gospel, this man’s understanding is going nowhere. It wouldn’t have been good enough for Philip to say... ‘Well, I’ll help you cross this desert road because I’m very kind and that will show you what it means to be a Christian.’ Explanation counts.

It’s the same today. People around us aren't going to know and come to understand the wonderful news about Jesus unless someone explains it to them. Being willing to start the conversation and explain the gospel, to give a reason for the hope that we have...to put words around our faith, really matters.

At this point, you might be thinking, ‘Yes, I’m willing, but what could and should I say?’ That’s tomorrow!

To think and pray through:

• Am I willing to explain the good news about Jesus? What stops me from doing it?
• How might I make myself available for God to use me in helping people understand the gospel?