“How can I possibly share the gospel with someone like him? We have absolutely nothing in common!” As American culture continues to fracture into smaller and smaller fragments, It’s easy to give into such despairing thoughts. This time of year in Port Gibson, Mississippi, you can run into young men who wear their pants at half-staff and listen to rap, ranchers who wear boots and jeans and listen to country, and tourists wearing Birkenstocks and carrying cameras – and all on the same block. And in our larger cities we have people who come literally from all over the world, speaking different languages and claiming different faiths, or none at all.

Well, at first glance, the same problem faced Philip when the Holy Spirit told him, “Go over and join this chariot” (8:29). For Philip could not afford such a conveyance – that’s why he had to run to catch up with him (8:30). And while Philip was a Jew, the man in the chariot was an Ethiopian. While Philip was married, and had four daughters (21:8-9), The Ethiopian was a eunuch, unable to have children. While Philip, along with the rest of the Christians, was trying to avoid government persecution (8:1), the man with the chariot was a respected diplomat, a court official of a queen (8:27). It’s hard to imagine a greater amount of cultural difference between any two individuals.

So, how did Philip manage to cross so many cultural barriers to tell this man the good news about Jesus (8:35)? And how was Philip able to present the gospel in such an effective way that the court official wanted to be baptized immediately (8:37)? Well, it wasn’t because Philip did any kind of miracle, even though he was capable of such feats (8:6). Instead, being prompted by the Holy Spirit (8:26, 29), Philip simply explained how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies like the one the Ethiopian was reading from Isaiah 53 (8:32-33). And since every Christian has the same Word and the same Spirit, we can share the same good news even with those with whom we might think we have very little in common.

So what happened when Philip moved outside of his comfort zone, sharing the gospel with someone so strange to him? When the two parted ways, all their social distinctions remained. But just as the eunuch went on his way back to the Ethiopian court rejoicing (8:39), Philip had found a new brother in Christ, and he kept on preaching the gospel wherever he went (8:40). May God grant all of us the opportunity to share the same good news today – maybe even with a very strange stranger.

Acts 8:26-40 (ESV)

26 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.
27 And he rose and went. 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
28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”
30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 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.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”
34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?”
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.
36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”
37
38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.
40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.