The First Ethiopian Convert

Devotional Hours with the Bible, Volume 8: Chapter 10 - The First Ethiopian Convert

By J.R. Miller

Acts 8:26-40


Stephen was gone; his voice was hushed--but another worker rose up and took his place. "God buries his workmen--but carries on his work." It is instructive to study the character of Philip, as it comes out of this story.

He must have lived near the heart of Christ, for we see him here in communication with heaven. Those who are far away, are not called for important work. Bonar says, "God always uses the vessel that is nearest to him."

Another good thing in Philip, was his promptness in obeying the voice of God. God cannot use those who loiter and take their own time to do His errands. He must have servants who will go instantly, "minute men," ready at an instant's call to go to the end of the earth.

Another good point was Philip's self-denial. He was doing a great work in Samaria. He was popular. People gathered about him, throngs flocked to hear him. It was not easy to leave his great field in Samaria, with so much of encouragement and success, and go away into a desert, alone, with nothing definite marked out for him to do there. Yet Philip went as cheerfully on his long, lonesome journey--as he would have gone to preach to the largest crowd in Samaria. We should never raise the question of what is pleasant to us, when God gives a command. Our only desire should be to do his will. We do not know what is large or small in the work of the Lord. The desert call seemed small, only a desert road, and one man--but Ethiopia was behind it, and it may be, that the results of that one bit of obscure work surpassed all the other work of Philip's whole life. In any case, that is not, is never, the question. The only matter is, What does God bid?

Philip was also tactful. It required considerable courage and skill for this plain evangelist to speak to the great man riding in the chariot. Many a person with zeal lacks wisdom and blunders so in God's work as to do harm, rather than good in trying to win men.

Philip also knew his Bible. When he found the noble traveler puzzled over a text, he did not have to take time to look up its meaning. He had himself studied the Bible before, and knew its teachings, and was ready, therefore, at a moment's call to make plain the meaning of the difficult passage. Those who would do Christ's work--must know Christ's Book.

A man was wanted for an important errand, and an angelic messenger came to Philip and bade him to drop his work in Samaria. The incident suggests the close connection between heaven and earth. The Christian work in this world is directed from heaven. If we are living as we may, as we should--we are always receiving messages from Christ, bidding us to go here or there--and do this or that. "Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip: Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." Why did not the angel go himself, instead of calling Philip away from his important work? The answer is that angels are not sent on such errands. They are ministering spirits, doing Christ's bidding in the great work of redemption--but they do not preach the gospel. How could they preach? They have not been redeemed, and how could they tell the lost of the love of Christ and the blood of redemption?

Christ makes His redeemed ones the messengers of the gospel to others. They know what sin is, and understand the need of salvation. They know what Christ has done for them, and can tell others what He will do for them. 

We should be ready every moment to speak to others of Christ and His love. If we are led to think of another, to be anxious for his salvation, and to pray for him--it is certain we have an errand to that person and that God wishes us to be the messenger to carry the very blessing we are asking Him in our prayers to send. We should hasten with our message. There may not be a moment to spare. Christ's errands are exactly timed. If Philip had loitered he would have missed the Ethiopian. It seems strange that Philip should be called away from the great work he was doing. Multitudes were awaiting upon his ministry, and his work was very successful. It certainly was a trial of Philip's faith. But he was not careless in his obedience. He went where the Master bade him to go--and he went immediately. He asked no questions and made no objections. God often sends His servants on what may seem to them strange errands--but He always has some purpose in doing so. No errand of God is useless.

Untempered Zeal

Converts Guide: Chapter 7 - Untempered Zeal

By John Hames


"Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves." (Matt. 10:16)


One of the many things which furnished material for shame and regret in the early part of the writer's Christian experience was the rash and unwise way we approached and dealt with the souls we were trying to help. We sincerely thought it was our duty as a Christian to exhort about every person we met on the street to get religion. As a result, we became a public nuisance. We considered it almost a sin to be in conversation with a person more than ten minutes and not to speak to him on the subject of religion. It was not a great while, however, before we discovered the fact that we were driving souls away rather than winning them to Christ.

This is a point where newly converted souls need much instruction. They are so happy and full of joy that they try to talk religion into nearly every one they meet. If they should continue this unwise action they would talk themselves clear out of employment and out onto the sidewalk.

I hope the reader will not mistake my meaning. It is perfectly right to speak to people on the subject of religion; however, it is not using the best wisdom to buttonhole every person you meet, neither is it wise to speak to the same man on the subject every time you meet him.

We have found it more harmful than helpful to argue on the Scriptures with sinners and carnal-minded church members.

We were once accustomed to awkwardly approach people with the following question: "Do you live without sin?" This method, of course, called forth an argument wherever we went. Our intentions were good but our judgment was tremendously faulty.

We were also accustomed to putting the following question to strangers on the street: "Are you saved?" "Are you a Christian?" This method tended to stir up strife and the devil rather than produce conviction. The question was alright but we did not properly put it. We should have first prepared the way for our question by saying, "Good morning; how are you today?" etc., and after passing a few brief remarks on the general topics of the day then put our question.

Should we have adopted this method no doubt the people would have accepted our question in a better spirit and been profited thereby.

We need to re-study our Bibles

(John Angell  James, "The Church in Earnest")

We need to re-study our Bibles, and learn
what real Christianity is--how holy, how heavenly,
how spiritual, how loving, how morally and socially
excellent a matter it is. What separation from the
world, what devoutness, what intense earnestness,
what conscientiousness, what enlarged benevolence,
what unselfishness, what zealous activity, what
unearthliness, what seeds of celestial virtue--our
profession of godliness implies.

Having examined this, and obtained an impressive
idea of it, let us survey our own state, and ask if
we do not need, and ought not to seek, more of the
prevalence of such a piety as this, which, in fact, is
primitive Christianity.

Is our spiritual condition what it ought to be, what
it might be, what it must be--to fulfill our high
commission as the salt of the earth and the light of
the world? A Christian, acting up in some tolerable
measure to his profession, walking in the holiness
of the Gospel--is the strongest and most emphatic
testimony for God to our dark revolted world, next
to that of Christ Himself.

Half-hearted Christianity!

(Horatius Bonar)

If you are Christians, be consistent. Be Christians out and out — Christians every hour, in every part. Beware . . .
  of half-hearted discipleship,
  of compromise with evil,
  of conformity to the world,
  of trying to serve two masters,
  of trying to walk in two ways, the narrow and the broad, at once.
It will not do. Half-hearted Christianity will only dishonor God, while it makes you miserable!

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money!" Matthew 6:24

Those ghastly corpses might well have affrighted Rizpah!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"Then Rizpah, the mother of two of the men, spread sackcloth on a rock and stayed there the entire harvest season. She prevented vultures from tearing at their bodies during the day, and stopped wild animals from eating them at night." 2 Samuel 21:10 

If the love of a woman to her slain sons, could make her prolong her mournful vigil for so long a period—shall we be weary of considering the sufferings of our blessed Lord? She drove away the vultures—and shall not we chase away those worldly and sinful thoughts which defile our minds? Away, you evil birds! Leave the sacrifice alone! 

Rizpah bore the scorching heat of summer, the night dews and the rains, unsheltered and alone. Sleep was chased from her weeping eyes—for her heart was too full for slumber. Behold how she loved her children! Shall Rizpah thus endure—and shall we give up at the first little inconvenience or trial? Are we such cowards—that we cannot bear to suffer with our Lord? She even chased away the wild beasts, with courage unusual in her gender—and will not we be ready to encounter every foe for Jesus' sake?

Her children were slain by other hands than hers—and yet she wept and watched. What ought we to do—who by our sins, have crucified our Lord! Our obligations are boundless, our love should be fervent, and our repentance thorough! 

Those ghastly corpses might well have affrighted Rizpah! But in our Lord, at whose cross-foot we are sitting, there is nothing revolting—but everything attractive! Never was living beauty so enchanting, as a dying Savior! To abide by His cross—will be our solace.

I am going to vomit you out of My mouth!

(James Smith, "Daily Bible Readings for the Lord's Household")

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold—or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold—I am going to vomit you out of My mouth!" Revelation 3:15-16

The Lord Jesus hates lukewarmness! He would rather we made no profession of religion at all—than to profess—and then not practice His precepts!

He loves to see His people zealous—and it is a shame to us, when we are dull and lifeless in His ways.

It is to be feared, that many professors do not realize that their 'indifference' is a sin! They think that having professed Christ, if they just attend to a few religious duties, and creep along in a certain religious course—that this is enough. They are never hot—and they do not really like to see others on fire for the Lord.

Professor of religion, Jesus says, "Be hot—or be cold!"
Be altogether a Christian—OR throw off your vain profession!
Do not wear the Christian name—only to dishonor it!

Professing Christian—are you hot, or cold—or lukewarm?

We might as well sing Mother Goose rhymes!

We might as well sing Mother Goose rhymes!

(A.W. Tozer)

"My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
 For Thee all the follies of sin I resign."

We sing that — but we might as well sing Mother Goose rhymes, because we do not mean what we are singing! 

If God Almighty compelled us to be entirely 100 percent honest, we simply could not sing the the average hymn — because their words would not be true of us!

"All to Jesus I surrender,
 Humbly at His feet I bow,
 Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
 Take me, Jesus, take me now.

 I surrender all,
 I surrender all,
 All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
 I surrender all."