The Gospel Spreads

Strolling down the beach, I took in the usual sights—waves lapping at the shore, sea gulls soaring, children frolicking in the surf, and people relaxing on the sand. However, there was one unusual feature that caught my eye—a narrow indentation in the cliff wall adorned with stones in small stacks spanning the length of it. I later learned a group of rocks intentionally balanced together like this is known as a cairn. It is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker, memorial, or burial monument.¹ I like to imagine that one person built a cairn on that stone shelf and that, over time, it inspired others to add their own until they filled the entire span.

I’d love to know the stories of those cairns on the beach that mark tributes to people’s private memories. As I envision them, the stacks make me think of Stephen, the first martyr who was stoned to death (Acts 7).  Like the cairns, Stephen’s tragic death became a beautiful marker of the spread of the gospel. What the enemy meant for evil God used for good. Persecuted believers fled Jerusalem but continued to follow Stephen’s example by sharing the gospel boldly wherever they went. Since the beginning of the church, Christians have gathered to grow and scattered to share. 

After recounting Stephen’s horrific death, Acts 8 continues with the story of Philip as he travels beyond the walls of Jerusalem. Luke describes Philip and his fellow deacons as “of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom.” (Acts 6:3, ESV) Earlier in Acts we learned that Philip and six other Greek, Jewish believers had been commissioned to serve neglected widows so the apostles could continue devoting themselves to prayer and preaching the gospel (Acts 6).

However, fulfilling the call to serve the needy jolts to a stop when Philip and the rest of the believers flee Jerusalem. Perhaps he felt a bit unsure of himself at first out on the road. He had a clear calling in Jerusalem—the apostles had even laid hands on him to commission him as a deacon. Maybe Philip fretted about the widows he’d served and wondered what would become of them. Perhaps he lamented that he could no longer use his gift of hospitality once the flock of believers had scattered. While he may have felt confused and sad, it’s clear from reading further that Philip recognized that serving tables was only one of the ways the Lord would use him.

Traveling through Samaria, Philip begins preaching the gospel to those who the Jews considered outcasts, half-breeds, and idol worshipers. The former table server begins casting out demons, healing the sick, and preaching the name of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. In fact, Philip’s ministry has such impact that news of the incredible wonders the Spirit performs through him reaches the apostles in Jerusalem. Peter and John come to see the spiritual awakening in Samaria and pray for the people formerly detested by the Jews to receive the Holy Spirit. This moment highlights a key theme from Scripture: those we exclude, God includes because the gospel is for everyone.²

Meanwhile, Philip, the former deacon, shows that he’s game for anything the Spirit wants to do through him. After performing signs and wonders in Samaria, an angel appears and instructs him, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (Acts 8:26, ESV) On the road, Philip encounters an Ethiopian eunuch reading the prophet Isaiah as he travels in his chariot. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, Philip asks, “Do you understand what you are reading?” (Acts 8:29b, ESV) The eunuch invites Philip to ride along with him and a divinely appointed conversation ensues: “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.” (Acts 8:35, ESV) 

Philip’s explanation of the gospel prompts an immediate response and the Ethiopian stops the chariot to be baptized at the last watering place before the desert road through Egypt.² Just after this joyful encounter, “the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.” (Acts 8:39B, ESV) That one conversation enabled the joy-filled Ethiopian to bring the gospel back to his people. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Ethiopia later became one of the first regions in the world to adopt Christianity as its state religion in 333 A.D.

Philip next appears later in Acts 21:8, where he’s labelled “Philip the evangelist.” His example inspires me. He lived out his calling to be a witness for Jesus in whatever he did—whether serving tables, casting out demons, healing the sick, or preaching the gospel. Philip shows “God’s plan is to make his invisible presence and his invisible grace visible through his people, who incarnate his presence and carry that grace to others…The body of Christ is designed by God to be an organic, consistently ministering community.”³

Philip’s example also convicts me. He demonstrates willingness for the Lord to use him in whatever ways are best. Rather than pigeon-holing himself to serve in only one way, he’s adaptable and continually open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Are we willing to let the Lord expand our comfort zones to use us in different ways like Philip?

This reminds me of a friend from a Bible study who moved away a few years ago. She sent a text message to our group recently that read: “Miss you ladies—Prayers for my new Bible group this evening. Nine ladies God brought to my home to dive in to the study that changed my life.” What a joy to watch the Lord transform a spiritually hungry participant into a leader filled with the Spirit and equipped to share the good news of Jesus with others. She’s stacking memory stones from her time with our group, sharing what she learned with others through the power of the Holy Spirit. Trusting God, she’s stepping out in faith to lead and not letting fear hold her back from the new ways God wants to use her.

The Lord equips us with gifts to use at different times and in different seasons. Like Philip and my friend, we must continually seek the leading of the Spirit as He equips us and opens new opportunities to use us to spread the gospel and see lives transformed.

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• 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairn
• 2. Village Church teaching video “Week 7, Simon & Philip”
• 3. Paul David Tripp, New Morning Mercies, Crossway, 2014, Oct. 11 entry.