Saying “Yes” to God in Our Discipleship

This past weekend in my message, “Seeking Understanding,” I spent most of the sermon exploring ways in which the Ethiopian eunuch grew in his own journey with God through Philip’s influence. Near the end of the message, I touched briefly on how Philip’s life of discipleship was marked by saying “yes” to God again and again.

Philip first appears in the book of Acts as part of the answer to a conflict within the early Jerusalem church. Widows were being cared for and fed by the church, but inequality existed between the Hellenistic and Hebraic widows in the way that was being done. The apostles, wanting to be faithful to their calling to preach the word, prayerfully selected a group to minister to this need. That group consisted of people filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom so that they could appropriately serve those in need (Acts 6:3). Philip was one of seven chosen for this work. When he was called to a ministry of humble service, Philip simply said “yes” to God.

Shortly thereafter, a persecution came upon the church following the martyrdom of Stephen, one of the other of this group of seven, and the church was scattered out of Jerusalem. Philip made his way to the region of Samaria, a place where Jews would not readily go, and in that place he proclaimed the message of Jesus with signs and wonders (8:5-6). Amongst the inhabitants of this area often dubbed as second-class citizens, Philip again said “yes” to God and wonderful things happened for God’s kingdom.

It was after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon these Samaritan believers, that God spoke to Philip by means of an angelic visitation a simple message: “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza” (8:26). Philip did not know where that road would take him or what he was to do there, but he still said “yes” to God, setting his feet upon the pathway with no clear destination.

As he traveled that desert road, the Holy Spirit again spoke to Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it” (8:29). Without knowing what the purpose of this was, Philip once more said “yes” to God. His obedience put him within earshot of the Ethiopian eunuch who was at that moment reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

I imagine it was then that Philip understood why God had led him to this specific road and this specific chariot. After Philip asked a question of inquiry and the eunuch described his need for a guide, Philip next said “yes” to God by opening the Scripture in a way that was powerfully transformational. The eunuch responded with his own “yes” to God, desiring to be baptized right then.

But again, after the baptism, the Holy Spirit led Philip elsewhere, giving us one last picture of his “yes” to God that takes him essentially out of the story of Acts. From start to finish, Philip’s life with God—his discipleship—was marked by saying “yes” again and again to God.

His “yes” at times meant a “no” to other things. We do not know what he was doing before he was selected to serve the widows, but certainly he said “no” to those things to say “yes” to service. We do not know what plans he had to linger in Samaria after the dramatic conversion, but his “yes” to God’s call toward the desert road meant a “no” to lingering where the Holy Spirit had just fallen. As the Ethiopian eunuch came out of the waters of baptism, Philip may have desired to travel to Ethiopia, caught up in his joyful celebration of life with Christ, but Philip had to say “no” to that in order to say “yes” to God and be carried off preaching to Azotus and Caesarea (8:40).

What is God calling us to say “yes” to this day in our life with God? How might our “yes” to God mean a “no” to something else? What would it look like to continue to say “yes” to God throughout this day, this week, this year, and all our lives like Philip?