Jesus said,
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
John 14:15*
Obeying God’s commandments is easy when they pertain to things we want to do. However, the true test of our obedience is when we are asked to do something we are unfamiliar with or something we dislike/disagree with.
And it is in these tests that our spiritual maturity is revealed. It is easy to say “I will obey” but much harder to live it out. Especially when the instruction given by God doesn’t seem to make any sense.
And this is what we see in the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, found in Acts 8:26-40.
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
Let me summarise the story for you before learning about obedience when it doesn’t make sense.
After the stoning of Stephen in Acts 8:1, a great persecution against the church broke out. This caused all the disciples, except for the 12 apostles, to flee from Jerusalem to various parts of the region.
Philip, often called the Evangelist, one of the 7 men chosen in Acts 6 to lead the growing church in Jerusalem, found himself in Samaria. He had great success there. And yet, the Lord instructed him to leave all that behind, go to a desert road and reach out to an Ethiopian eunuch who was travelling from Jerusalem back home. No other details were provided to him.
And he obeyed.
Because of his obedience, the Ethiopian eunuch received the good news of Jesus Christ, accepted the gift of salvation, was baptized and went home rejoicing. See Acts 8:39.
Although not documented, many church fathers attribute this man as starting the first Ethiopian church and even the Coptic movement.
This was result of Philip’s obedience even when it didn’t seem to make any sense.
Success in Samaria
Now let us go back to the beginning.
After the great persecution, Philip ended up in Samaria. Was he led there by the Spirit or did he just find himself there? Scripture does not tell us but just like the other disciples, he preached Jesus in the place he found himself in. See Acts 8:5.
Philip had tremendous success in Samaria. We are told that crowds or multitudes believed and were saved because of his preaching of Jesus. See Acts 8:6.
He was on a roll. Not only were the multitudes heeding and responding to his preaching, miracle signs accompanied his preaching. Many were healed and delivered of evil spirits. There was great joy in the city. See Acts 8:8.
Philip had a powerful and very successful ministry. And yet in the midst of this, God called him away from Samaria. Yes, away.
Acts 8:26, tells us that angel of the Lord told him to,
“Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place.
Acts 8:26
Obedience When It Doesn’t Make Sense
He wasn’t told why and if he were to meet someone there. He was just told to go. Scripture points out to us that this was not a busy highway or even a street but a “desert place”. In other words, a place where no one would voluntarily go to minister or evangelise.
Philip didn’t argue or question. He obeyed, even though it didn’t make any sense to him.
Obedience Has a Cost Attached to It
However, obeying meant that he had to leave his comfort zone and his thriving and successful ministry to go to a desert road which seems illogical. Obedience often forces us to leave our comfort zone, to stop relying on our own strength and wisdom. Obedience tests our faith and trust in God.
Human wisdom would want to keep the guy who has a successful ministry where he is to ensure that success continues. He could even have a side hustle teaching other would-be evangelists how to evangelise and thus win more souls. Maintaining the status quo would be the expected plan of action.
But that was not and is not how God thinks or works. In His wisdom, He sends Philip away from Samaria, out of his comfort zone. And kudos to Philip, he obeyed. He did not question God because he must have realized that
God’s assignments must be done God’s way.
Building Up Moms
When we take on God’s assignment with our human wisdom and strength, at best we tire ourselves out and at worst, fail in our assignments.
Let me repeat: God’s assignments must be done God’s way.
Obedience Tests Our Trust and Faith in God
Also, holding on lightly to things given to us makes obedience slightly easier when God tells us to move on. Philip did not base his worth or identity on the success of his ministry. He was able to walk away when told to leave it all behind.
He trusted God. For provision and for direction.
And as he obeyed, his next instruction came. He was to run alongside the chariot of the Ethiopian eunuch to explain to him the passage in the Book of Isaiah he was reading aloud.
“Go over and join this chariot.”
Acts 8:29
Again, he obeyed. When Philip first ended up preaching to the Samaritans, he had to overcome his prejudices and biases. The Jews and the Samaritans** did not get along. The Jews looked down on the Samaritans as being a race of half Jew-half Gentile, not a pure race.
Now he was again asked rise above his prejudices and biases to preached to a foreigner, a Gentile. To someone who has absolutely no Jewish link and was not even from around the region.
Philip obeyed.
A Divine Appointment
Unbeknownst to both, this was a divine appointment. Not only was Philip specifically sent to this stretch of desert road at this particular time; the eunuch, unknown to him, had also been directed by the Holy Spirit to pick this particular passage to read aloud at this particular time just as Philip approached his chariot.
Philip then used the passage the eunuch was stuck at as a springboard to share the good news of Jesus. See Acts 8:35.
Philip must have done a great job because the eunuch was so thoroughly convinced and convicted, that when he saw water in the desert, he immediately wanted to be baptized.
And so, Philip baptized him. And as they came up out of the water, we’re told that “the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. Acts 8:39
Assignment completed, the Spirit of the Lord whisked him to Azotus.
“But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.”
Acts 8:40
We then don’t hear of Philip until some 20 years later in Acts 21:8 where we read that he had settled in Caesarea and had a family of his own. Luke writes that Paul and his entourage,
“entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied.”
Acts 21:8-9
Obedience When It Doesn’t Make Sense
As children of God, we are called to a life of obedience to the Father’s word and will. Our obedience pleases God. However, each of us struggles with obedience at different levels. Especially when obedience requires us to get out of our comfort zone and do things we dislike.
The instruction from God doesn’t always have to make sense but obedience is always the right response to God’s voice and call.
So even when obedience doesn’t make sense, if you have heard the Lord’s instruction – to forgive, to love, to give, to serve – you need to obey.
Yes, I know it isn’t easy and that is why we need the Holy Spirit’s help. When we can’t, He can. Psalm 121:1-2 reminds us,
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
Psalm 121:1-2
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Are You Going to Obey?
What has God called you to do? Will you obey?
Are you hesitating because it seems illogical? Or because it is not something that makes use of your gifts and talents? Is the cost of obedience too high?
As a child of God, obedience is the only right response when God calls. Seek godly counsel and even confirmation if needed. But in the end, obedience is what the Lord requires of us.
“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
1 Samuel 15:23
and to listen than the fat of rams.”
Notes
This post is an excerpt of a sermon I preached at my home church FGA Singapore. For the full sermon, please go to Unstoppable Part 14: Unlocking Levels Via Obedience at our FGA Youtube Channel.
* All scripture quoted are from the English Standard Version (ESV).
** History of the Samaritans: The Samaritans trace back their history to when the King of Assyria conquered Israel and removed most of the Israelites out of Israel to Assyria> He then transplanted people from his other conquered lands into Samaria. See 2 Kings 17:6 and 24. Over time, these people inter-married each other and whoever was left in Israel and they became known as the Samaritans. So they were half-Jew and half-Gentile and therefore often looked down upon by the Jews as not pure.
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