Acts 8:26-40
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian[a] eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” [37] [a] 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
Footnotes
a. Acts 8:37 Some manuscripts include here Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
Unexpected Roads
Sometimes God calls us into the unexpected.
I still remember vividly when I felt the Spirit of God telling me to come to Canada when I was sixteen. It was through a dream, gentle yet undeniable. I wasn’t prepared for such a dramatic change, and I could see so many ways it could go wrong. I was afraid. But the invitation from the Spirit came with peace, not pressure—with strength, not fear. And it led me to full submission and obedience to God.
Philip knew that kind of call, and this began with a whisper from an angel—an instruction to leave the thriving ministry in Samaria and take a solitary journey on a hot, dusty desert road. No clear outcome. No obvious strategy. Just a direction. Go.
And Philip went.
On that road, a divine appointment was waiting. A man—powerful, devout, curious—was returning from Jerusalem still with questions, reading from Isaiah and hungry for understanding. At just the right moment, the Spirit prompts Philip to approach, listen, and engage.
What follows is stunning in its simplicity. A conversation becomes a gospel moment. A question becomes an invitation. A reading becomes a revelation. The Word becomes a Person. And a journey becomes a baptism.
This is the beauty of how God works—through Spirit-prompted people who are willing to obey without seeing the full picture. The desert road is transformed into sacred ground because obedience and openness met the seeking heart of another.
“Look, here is water.”
What might have felt like a dry and empty path was already filled with divine preparation. The eunuch’s question—“What can stand in the way?”—echoes today. What barriers do we assume stand between people and the Gospel? This passage reminds us that God tears down those walls when his people step faithfully into his direction.
Philip disappears, but the eunuch goes on his way rejoicing. Mission accomplished. The Gospel continues, not because of the grandeur of a plan, but because of one obedient man on a desert road, and one seeking heart, ready to be found.
Questions and Prayer Prompts:
- Is God prompting you to “go” somewhere unexpected right now?
Pray for the courage to obey—even without knowing the full story.
Here I am, Lord. - Is there someone around you seeking, reading, or wondering, like the eunuch?
Ask God for eyes to see divine appointments and boldness to ask simple, open questions.
Use me, Lord. - What barriers do you assume keep others from faith?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal where he is already working and give you faith to believe in unlikely transformations.
Nothing stands in your way, Lord.
“Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” (Acts 8:35)
May we do the same.
Author Bio
Yeonjun Kim serves as the Young Adults & Youth Pastor at Heavenly Seeds Church in North York, Toronto. Together with his wife Kay, a Children’s Pastor at the same church, they share a deep passion for God and the next generation. As 1.5-generation Korean Canadians, they bring a unique heart for bridging cultures and guiding young people in faith. In addition to his pastoral ministry, Yeonjun is a videographer with the National Ministry Centre of The Alliance Canada, where he tells stories of hope and transformation. Through both preaching and filmmaking, his desire is to share the story of Jesus and inspire others to live in the hope of the Gospel.
Luke and Acts taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
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