Staying Near the Chariot: A SOAP Journal Based on Acts 8

Today was the Daytona 500 stockcar race where the cars drive very fast and very close to each other... and sometimes crashing. This racetrack drafting, in a strange way, reminded me of Phillip, at the Spirit's command, running to stay near the Ethiopian's chariot. The following SOAP journal was originally posted on a blog where pastors were journaling along with their sermon series. I wrote it a long time ago, but today as I re-read it, it ministered to me again and I hope it might also minister to you where you are today!

If you are not familiar with the term, we used the SOAP acronym as a simple devotional guide... standing for:

• Scripture—what verse or short section caught my attention today? 
  
• Observation—what can I briefly notice that the passage specifically says?
• Application—what will I do differently as a result of having read this today?
• Prayer—what will I ask the Triune God to do for, in, and through me today?

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S = Acts 8:26-31 

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, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet.

The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 

O = This man Phillip was one of the seven men chosen to “wait tables” so that the Hellenist (Greek-speaking Jews) widows got their fair share of the distribution of bread (6:1-7). Is it any surprise that we see this Spirit-filled man sharing the “bread” of the gospel of Jesus Christ with people of other cultures, even at great risk to himself (his co-worker Stephen had just been killed)? Here are four other simple observations I made.

• Saul’s persecution had scattered the Christians from Jerusalem and Philip went out boldly preaching the gospel (lit., good news) not complaining about persecution (the bad news) and people paid attention (8:4-8). It seems to me that we rarely hear what the Spirit is saying when we are busy complaining. 
• The Spirit-led witnessing of Phillip happened as he responded in trusting obedience to simple (but incomplete) instructions. 
• Finally, God cared enough about a disabled Ethiopian accountant to send a special messenger, Phillip, to him. This assignment was not a stretch for a man who had ministered to both the overlooked (6:1-7) and the overwhelmed (8:4-8) to now overtake the perplexed official and open the Word of God to him. 

Jesus is for everyone, but Jesus is also the only way. Transformational!

brett-jordan on Unsplash

A = When the Spirit says “Go” why do I so often over-think and under-obey? If I want to be Spirit-led I must not only be quick to hear and obey what he says to all Christians through the Bible, but also willing to trust those small fragmentary promptings he speaks to my heart. By fragmentary I mean that rarely do we see the second and third steps until we take the first. How long do I need to run alongside this person’s chariot? The Spirit didn’t tell Phillip, so I guess that means as long as it takes. When can I share what I know? When I am asked to do so…until then I need to keep running beside the chariot! So, in my multi-cultural, multi-ethnic context, how willing am I to stay near another’s cultural “chariot”? Will I take the time to learn about them and to enter into authentic conversations concerning their questions about Christ? I hope so.

P = O Lord, may I be quicker to obey your voice and patient to wait for the right moment to give an answer. May my interest and care for others make them thirsty enough to ask for a drink and may my words be true to yours so that a cup of kindness grows into the baptism of a transformed life. Start the process in me today so that I have something truly good to share with others. Amen.