# Soulwinning lessons from Phillip

Key Passage: Acts 8
Date: July 2, 2025

Acts chapter number eight last Wednesday. We did change this subject. Of course, we reminisced about Brother Frank and just a sweet service. I think it was a great thing for all of us. I know it was for me. What a dear brother. Someone said tonight, I miss Brother Frank, and I do too. But praise the Lord, we’ll see him again.

But getting back to the book of Acts tonight, the book of Acts. Just kind of a little bit of review to get our minds going that way here. Acts chapter number one, what happened to Jesus in Acts chapter number one? He ascended. Good. Then there are 120 people. They met in this upper room, and what did they do? What did they have? Ten-day prayer meeting in the upper room. Good.

Then chapter number two is the day of Pentecost. How many people saved and baptized? Come on, y’all just answer out. Just say it. Three thousand. About three thousand. Good.

Then chapter number three, these two preachers went to the temple. And that lame man, “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, rise up and walk.” Who were those two preachers? Peter and John. Good. And people came, and all together 5,000 saved.

In chapter number four, Peter and John spent a night in jail. They were threatened, not really persecuted—well, I guess you could say spending a night in jail is persecution—but they were threatened. And then a little bit later on in chapter number four, this guy sells his land. Look like it probably had his house, but he has a land property, and he sold it, and he gave all that to the church. Now, there are two different names. What is the first name of him? Joseph. Good. And then the apostles, they surnamed him Barnabas. Good. Son of Consolation, or just encouragement, or whatnot. Barnabas became a great, great Christian in the early church.

Then chapter number five, these folks said, “Well, Barnabas, he sure looked good to everybody.” And they wanted that attention, and they wanted everybody to see them. So they sold their land for 3,000—3,000. Man, if you sell land for 3,000, I’m ready to buy it, amen, you know, 300,000, and they gave 200,000 of the building fund. And they said they gave it all, and then boom, you know, God took care of them. What were their names? Ananias and Sapphira. Good. And signs, many signs and wonders. And then there was persecution at the end of chapter number five.

Chapter number six, the shortest chapter in all the Bible—dealing with church, not in all the Bible, in the book of Acts, excuse me—and that church problems. You have growth, and things—you just got a church, you’ve got a problem. It’s not bad; it’s just part of it. But what was their answer to the problems? First of all, they gave the work to other people. They delegated. Good. And they started some procedures, if you will, there. And that was the answer to it. Then they were greatly multiplied after that. They started deacons, really, is what we think they did.

And one of those first deacons, in chapter number seven, the high priest asked him a four-word question: “Are these things so?” Don’t ask a preacher a question because he asked him this, you know, four words, and he ended up the longest chapter in the book of Acts, chapter 7, the longest sermon in the book of Acts. Four words, and he got a full sermon. It was a good sermon. And but they ended up, man, just demonic, and their friends that they bit him, and they murdered him. What was his name? Stephen. Good.

And then chapter number eight, we dove into that just a little bit two weeks ago. First number four, they went everywhere preaching the gospel. They’re supposed to do that first. But now they’re going everywhere preaching the gospel to Christ. And then we really did not get into it, but there was a great revival down in Samaria. And remember Philip went down there in Samaria. So remember that: Acts 1:8, “And ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Now the pattern is being followed.

And then in the uttermost part of the earth, we’ll read a little bit more of that tonight, over down even in Ethiopia, the gospel is getting down to. But they’re following that. And Samaria is a great revival. And it’s interesting to me, chapter number eight, but this man in that revival—kind of just a revival’s going on—but then it talks just briefly about this man named Simon. He’s a demonic man, and he had used sorcery and bewitched these people. They thought he was a great man from God. He did it for a long time. He got saved. In fact, he got saved, he got baptized, and followed Philip. But he still had a lot of issues.

Sometimes we think, man, you get saved, everything’s wonderful, you’ll never sin again. No, no, no, no. Now, I love it when someone gets saved. My dad got saved, and boy, that same day he got saved, he rode down the road and threw his cigarettes and bottle out the window and all that stuff. I love it when it happens like that, but we’ve had a lot of people in our church that have gotten off the bottle, but many of them were saved for years before they did it. It’s not always, boom, you know, everything. I like it when it is, but this man Simon, he got saved, but he still had a lot of issues. And Peter preached that, boy, he preached hard, and he reacted right. He said, “Pray,” I don’t want those things come on me.

And it’s interesting: this man, probably a demonic man used sorcery, got saved, and a little bit later on, look at this eunuch, Ethiopian eunuch, a little bit about him. Maybe he was very distant in some ways, maybe felt like there’s no hope for me. We’ll talk about that here. We’re going to get to the Ethiopian eunuch tonight. We’re in verse number 26, Acts 8 and verse number 26.

Look at verse number 26. Acts 8 and verse number 26: “And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.”

Think about this: Philip has been in Samaria. In many ways, God used him to get the revival going there in Samaria. A lot of people were getting saved; it was amazing. Now, other apostles came down and helped with it. They’re leaving, but it’s a little bit of just a great atmosphere. It’s a city, and God says, “I want you to leave Samaria where all the action is going on right now, and I want you to go to this road from Jerusalem down to Gaza, and it’s going to be desert.”

Now, the desert, you know, daytime, it could reach 120-plus temperature. Nighttime gets cold. And he’s in the city, revival someone’s going on. God says, “Hey, I want you to leave there and go down to the desert.” Philip didn’t know what was going to happen. We know now, you know, he’s going to run to this chariot. We know all that, but he didn’t know that. He just knows, man, great things are happening, but the Lord is speaking to him. And you know what? Philip obeyed. He just left. He just said, well, you know, this is where God wants to be. I’m not here for, you know, prestige, and everybody knows about me in the revival. He just says, if God wants me down there in the desert, that’s where I’m going. And he left.

And another little thing about this, you know, it’s interesting how God goes after individuals. I mean, I don’t know what all is going on in Samaria, but it looks—excuse me, it never came—they used to got you listening, amen. Brother Marlett was mute me for a secretary. It was there. It left, though. But God’s seen this man over here. Aren’t you glad God left the ninety and nine and came after you? And he goes after individuals.

And so he tells Philip. Philip leaves Samaria. “I want you to go down here, this road,” and it’s a long road. God’s, we hear so much about it, a little bit of the same area in Bible times. And this road from Jerusalem down, and it’s just desert, and Philip goes. Philip doesn’t know why, but let’s see what happens here.

Look in verse number 27, Acts 8 and verse number 27: “And he rose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Isaiah the prophet.”

Now, a couple of things about this: This man, we don’t know his name, this Ethiopian eunuch, he was seeking the Lord. Now, I don’t know, maybe he was a Jewish man in Ethiopia, and maybe having that—we don’t know. It doesn’t tell us. But he’s from Ethiopia. And by the way, he’s leaving Jerusalem. He’s going down to Gaza. A lot of times they would travel that way, the Mediterranean Sea, and down to Egypt, and then down to Ethiopia, you know. And he’s traveling. But he had left his home country and came all the way to Jerusalem because he—he said, “Maybe they know the God. Maybe they’re God’s. It may be Jehovah really is the God. I’m going to go to Jerusalem. I want to learn more about him.” That’s where they have the Passover, and that’s where they have religious festivals there. And I’m going to go down there. And he came to Jerusalem, and he was just really seeking the Lord. He’s there for religious days, and now he’s leaving.

He had somehow gotten the book of Isaiah, maybe while he was in Jerusalem. We don’t know. He probably had a little bit of money; he was high up over the treasurer, secretary of the treasury, you know. But he had this scroll, and he’s reading Isaiah. It shows you this man was seeking the Lord. He wasn’t saved, but he wanted to know God.

And it’s wonderful when God leads you across the path of those that are sincerely seeking God. And you don’t know who it is half the time. Well, half the time, most time you don’t know. Sometimes we think, “Well, that guy…” You don’t know. That might be the guy that God’s just really working. He’s really seeking the Lord. This man was just seeking the Lord.

Now, here’s something unique about him. It says there, says he was a eunuch. Now, that was very typical in that day and time if they were in the king’s cabinet, very close to the king or especially a queen. That way there could be no scandal or anything. There’s very often the thing they would do that, and they didn’t have anything to worry about, and those scandals could start and all the rest of that. But for the Old Testament law, that created a problem for those individuals.

Let me just read it for you, a portion of Deuteronomy 23:1, talking about a eunuch: “He shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord.” Now, there’s a lot of debate about exactly what that means, “cannot enter into the congregation of the Lord.” But they couldn’t worship quite like the rest of the people, specifically Jewish people. They were a little bit of the—they cast out. Now, there are some verses in Isaiah where God has mercy on them.

But can you imagine if that was you? Now, whether it was his choice or whether, you know, for him to move up and become so high in the government, it was his choice? We don’t know. But imagine him. He said, “Well, I could never go on the congregation of the Lord.” He’s still seeking the Lord. He wanted to know God, he wanted to understand the God of Israel and Jehovah. And he’s reading about Jesus in Isaiah. But the honest truth is, if he knew much of their Old Testament law, by the way, in Jerusalem, they’d let him know about it in Jerusalem, you know, all the scribes and high priest and Pharisees lived, and he was a little bit of an outcast.

Ever feel like that? That’s why this man was. I mean, by the Old Testament law, he could not enter into the congregation of the Lord. And yet he sought the Lord. Man, I like to know the Lord. And God sends this preacher all the way from Samaria. I want you to leave all this day because there’s an individual. God’s making a difference one person at a time. It used to be at the very beginning of a church, we used that a lot. That’s what God does. And Philip obeyed. He doesn’t know what’s going on. Philip just obeys the Lord, but God’s got a soul in mind when he’s moving forward.

Now let’s keep going here. We’re in verse number 29, verse number 29, Acts chapter 8: “And the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.”

Now, let me say something here. Philip still didn’t know what was going on. He didn’t know. At this point, he did not know he was reading the book of Isaiah. At this point, he didn’t know he just left Jerusalem where he was seeking. He didn’t know that. He just obeyed the Lord. I kind of like how he worded that there; it’s very interesting. He says there, “Then the Spirit said unto him, Philip, go near and join thyself to this chariot.”

You know, now they’re in the desert. It’s hot. I imagine probably sweating, you know. And Philip says, “I’m supposed to go over there.” That’s kind of awkward. They’re going to be like, “What are you doing?” I’m supposed to go join us up. They’re going to be like, you know, probably they had a chariot, and maybe they had some shade, and maybe they have travelers that would kind of try to walk beside it in the shade. I don’t know. But Philip says, you know, he gets out. I don’t want to be one of those guys. I’m fine. I’m all right.

But Philip just—and by the way, sometimes when God says, “I want you to go be friends so-and-so at work. I want you to go join yourself to your neighbor. Go be a good neighbor. Go make yourself a friend of him.” God does that. Philip didn’t debate about it.

Look at this next verse. I love what Philip did. It’s amazing what it did. Verse number 30: “And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Isaiah.” So now he knows what’s going on. “And said, Understandest thou what thou readest?”

And he said, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. Philip just obeyed, just obeyed, went and joined himself, and when he got over there close enough, he said, “Man, he’s reading Isaiah 53.” And Philip said, “Hey, you understand what you’re reading?” The guy said, “Man, I got to have something to tell me what’s going on here, you know.” And he asked Philip to join him.

Isn’t that something when we just obey how God really just opens the doors to reach people? So many of our people, when we get at least in my Lord, you know, we’ll say it’s so easy because God really does the work when we just obey. And it wasn’t our great soul-winning, and I had all just everything right now. No, it’s the Lord that does that stuff, man, when you just obey. It’s like it just opens the door.

I haven’t played pickleball in a while. I need to get back to it. But anyway, sometimes when you’re playing pickleball—how many people play pickleball? Come on now. The rest of you all need to get right with the Lord. I’m teasing. You know, sometimes, and I’m bad about it, I’m not that great, but you hit it, and they’re up on the net, and you hit it where it’s just like you’re just setting it up perfect where they can just cram it down your throat, you know? Man, you hit it just right there, boom, you know, and then they just kill you, you know, and you’re like, “Did I put it right where you wanted it? You want it? You’re left to the right next time,” you know?

Now, that’s the way it was for Philip. God just put it right there with Philip. And when we obey—you say, “And I don’t want to talk to Uncle So-and-so. We witnessed them for 400 times, and you don’t want to be pushy.” But if the Spirit says, “Go join yourself and go over there and try to talk to,” obey. It’s just amazing how God, he opens the door and he just makes everything happen. It’s amazing. I’ve had so many people say it’s so easy when it’s the right one. God just lines it all up.

By the way, if it’s not your time, and sometimes it is, sometimes it is, you can do whatever you want to; it’s just not going to happen. You just obey. There are seasons to everything. Sometimes for me, I’ll have just a dry spell, no one’s saved for so long, and then all of a sudden, my God, kind of all right, your season. It’s just, wow, everywhere. But it’s just a matter of obeying.

I would have been great to soul—and I don’t know if there is such a thing—there are faithful, obedient soul winners. That’s the key. Philip just obeyed, and God just—he put it right there.

Now, here’s something else about this. Notice this. That’s about this thing here. Oh, I’m getting ahead of myself. I’m getting ahead of it. I’m sorry. There’s one thing I want to just emphasize: Philip, he went and joined himself, but the guy invited him up to the chariot. Just a little bit trying to get some lessons about winning souls from Philip. Don’t be pushy. You ever had a soul winner say, “Well, they said they’re Spanish, but I know they can speak English. I asked them what time it was when I was leaving, and they told me the time, so they can really speak English.” Okay, maybe they are lying to you. What are you going to do about it? Hold them down and you’re going to listen to me? You can’t push it on them. You can’t make somebody listen. More often than not, you’re going to turn them off. Don’t be pushy.

Now, sometimes if there’s kind of hanging in between them, they’re letting you talk to—the Bible does say, “compel them to come in.” But be careful about being pushy. We’re not there trying to make it happen; we’re there to obey the Lord, and the Lord opens the doors. He waited for him, and he said, “Hey, come on in.”

When God said—it’s amazing. I never forget years ago, we were in Alabama. I was a youth pastor down there. We took some teenagers out soul-winning. I was with a boy named Stephen. Amen, Stephen. He just went—oh, for a while, I was holding with us. We were in a trailer park, nice trailer park. And they came to a man, and he was getting out of his truck. And we went and talked about the Lord and asked about his salvation, “We go to heaven if he died today?” whatnot. And the man said, “You know, I just took a drive down out of the country asking God, ‘How can I know I’m going to heaven?’” Just pull up in his driveway as we’re walking there. That’s the Lord. As we obey.

Philip just obeyed, and God set that thing up perfectly. And this man that was seeking the Lord, maybe he felt like an outcast. God said, “I got something for you there.” And it’s wonderful when God uses us like that.

Now look in verse number 32, verse number 32: “The place of the scripture which he read was this: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth.”

And amazing, when Jesus was on trial, he could have dumbfounded them all, but he didn’t. Verse number 33: “In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.”

And the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, by the way, Isaiah history says was martyred for the Lord, or of some other man?”

Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. Long hair is a sin on men? I emphasize a little bit. He preached unto him Jesus.

You know, before they’re saved, don’t get caught up in a bunch of arguments. Tell them about Jesus. Someone said it this way, we catch them—and it isn’t exactly right, but we catch them, fishers of men—we catch them, he cleans them. I like that a little bit. Friend, they’re not going to understand it all anyway because the natural man does not receive the things of God. They are spiritually concerned. They don’t have their spiritual eyes open until they’re saved. They’re born again. They need to hear about Jesus.

No, he didn’t preach unto him about music or whatnot. He preached unto him, Jesus. That’s what they need. Now, once they get saved, yes, yes, there’s a lot of growing to do. Salvation is the miracle of the moment. Boy, they believe when Jesus—boom, they’re saved. But growing is a process of a lifetime. But he preached unto him, Jesus. He just—he just told him about Jesus.

This is an interesting one. A month or two ago, Sunday morning, we had a visitor, I think, 27 years old, if I remember that lady. And she had so many questions, and she was out in the parking lot. I had shaking hands after service, all that, and I was leaving. And some of our folks were being patient and trying to answer her questions. They did a wonderful job. And they were trying to steer it to salvation. They were doing a wonderful job.

But one of the things she brought up was the King James Bible, whatnot. And she was saying literally, she said, “I don’t need that. I need one of those, this is the words. I need a New Age Bible I can understand. I don’t want that Bible.” And our folks were not trying to argue. They were trying to answer some questions, whatnot. But we got, you know, to Jesus. And she bowed her head and she asked Jesus Christ to be her Savior.

It was amazing to me. I had not spoken to her a word about the King James Bible. I had this Bible here, my big Bible. But as soon as she said, “Amen,” asking the Lord as Savior, she opened her eyes. She looked up and she said, “I want a Bible just like that right there.” To the point I’m thinking, that’s my Bible. That’s my preaching mom. I’m not giving that to you. But it was amazing to me. And our people were doing a good job. They were not trying to argue with her. I don’t want to act like that at all.

But she had questions. But once she got saved, I didn’t say a word to her. She just said, “I want a Bible just like that right there.” Just tell them about Jesus. That’s what they need. God can change them, grow them, clean their hearts up. And he preached unto him, Jesus.

Let’s keep going. Let’s keep going here. We’re just kind of going through this Acts chapter eight. We mentioned that Bible study. Verse number 36: “And as they went on their way, they came to a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?”

Wait a second. Time out for a second here. Where are we at right now? The desert. 120 degrees, sun’s beating down. And there’s water? Isn’t it amazing how God can provide water in the desert? God’s work, and people are getting saved. He wants them to grow. God can provide a Baptist tree in the middle of a desert. God can provide. And that’s what it is. It’s where they’re at. I mean, here it is, right down this road, desert, and all of a sudden, they came into a certain water.

And the eunuch said, “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?” He wants to get baptized. I like that. Let me just say about baptism in the Bible: they would get saved. The normal phenomenon, just this is the way it was—they get saved, they get saved, and they get baptized right away. Now, a lot of people are not going to do that in our day and time, but that’s what we’re shooting for. That’s the Bible practice.

If someone gets saved or they want to get—someone gets saved during the invitation, there have been people saved before at the end of our service. Once we’re dismissed, they get saved, and there’s, you know, 15, 20 people left. And the person wants to get baptized, and I said, “Hey, bring everybody back in, whoever, 20 people left, whatever,” and we baptized because that’s the Bible picture. And that’s what we’re after. I understand it’s not always going to happen, but we don’t want to just give in to the way it is in our day and time. We want to shoot—you know, you shoot it enough and you’ll hit it every time, you know. The Bible practice was, they got saved and baptized right there, and that’s what we want to try for. That’s where they did it in the Bible.

And so just want to kind of reset us a little bit there. Let’s shoot for that. It doesn’t always happen, but I want to try for it. That’s what they did in the Bible. And boy, if they get saved and they want to get baptized right away, that’s a wonderful, wonderful day. We want to do all we can to provide for that. And that’s what they did in Bible time, just as immediately after they got saved, and they got baptized, and that’s what we want to shoot for. A lot of people won’t do that in their day and time, and I understand, but we want to shoot for that.

Let’s keep going here because everybody’s wondering what time we’re going to get out now. Verse number 37: “And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart…” No, I said, “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Now, so much there, so much there in verse 37.

A couple of things: Number one, Philip said, “Well, you know, we can talk about baptism first,” saying, “I need to get some kind of profession of faith from you. Have you believed or not?” He wanted a confession from his mouth. It’s interesting. He said, “If you believe with all thine heart.” He was really accomplishing what is that Romans 10:9? “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth and believe in thine heart.” He was getting both. Philip was getting both in that one verse. He said, “Hey, let me hear from you. Are you believing with all your…” He was getting the mouth and the heart. And Philip knew both are important, biblical.

By the way, it was with all. If someone is putting, “Well, I know it’s Jesus, but I got to be good enough.” No, no, no, no. “Well, it’s I know I’ve got to believe on Jesus, but I got to get baptized too.” No, you’re not putting all your belief on Jesus. You’re putting part of your belief on Jesus, part of your belief on baptism. Well, if I’m putting 90% on Jesus, but I still have to do these things? No, no, you’ve got to put all your belief on Jesus to save you. That’s the scary part when people bring works into salvation. There’s no promise in the Bible for partial belief.

By the way, it’s not believing on Jesus for everything. I think that’s a wonderful thing, but it’s talking about salvation here. As far as you getting into heaven, you put all your belief on Jesus Christ. That’s how you get saved. If I’m not putting all of my belief—by the way, it’s not a certain amount of belief. Someone says, “Well, I don’t have much faith.” That’s all right. Whatever faith you have, as far as getting to heaven, you put that little bit of faith all the way on Jesus. It’s just a little bit. All right, put all that little bit on Jesus. That’s how you get saved. Faith is a step. So often at this point here, they know Jesus, they believe that, but then they got some doubt and they kind of going back and forth. But when they step out on faith in Jesus, that’s what saves.

“Do you believe with all your heart?” And he wanted a confession from Philip, and he said, “It’s your heart.” By the way, there used to be a tract that went around for years. I think it’s still printed somewhere, but it was “Missing Heaven by 18 Inches.” Anybody ever see that tract? Yeah, it used to be fairly popular. And it’s talking about from your head to your heart. Some people knew all the facts. They got it all in their head, but then they never believed on him in their heart. Putting all your belief on Jesus in your heart and trusting in Jesus with your heart—that’s how you get saved. Do you believe with all your heart? Wow, what a wonderful, wonderful verse.

Now, here’s the amazing thing about this verse number 37 there. That’s a great, great verse there. “And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” It’s so good. It shows you that baptism is always after salvation. It shows you clearly what saves: believe in your heart, all your heart, on Jesus. It’s a wonderful verse.

Now, here’s an amazing thing. You know the most popular version they say besides the King James Bible? You know what it is? ESV is very popular nowadays. They say—this is a little bit old, but if I looked it up again today, it’s the NIV. What matter if it’s the ESV or the NIV? You know, both of those and a lot of the others, they don’t even have that verse in there. It’s deleted. It’s gone. I mean, the most popular ones. This is interesting. I looked up the ten most popular versions, and all these are on the top ten: NIV, the ESV, the New Living Translation, Christian Standard Bible, The Message—all of those are part of the top ten. That verse is gone. Not even there. Just deleted.

Well, why do you stick to the old King James Bible? Because I don’t want a verse like that, believing on Jesus, deleted, taken out. It’s important. I think it’s important. I like that verse. Clear about baptism, clear about salvation. Oh, yeah, so very, very clear. What a great verse taken out of so many, just gone.

Now I’m looking at verse number 38: “And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.”

A couple of things about it: First of all, Philip didn’t debate him and say, “Well, you need to show me if you’re really believing or not.” You know, he just took his word.

And notice how it’s so clear there that they both went down to the water. Watch that: “And they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch.” Notice how it says “both” just twice. “And he baptized him.” You know, the word baptism comes from the Greek word baptizo, which means immersion. If he was just going to sprinkle him, he could have got a cup of water out of that water and sprinkled him, or he could have—probably had some water in that chariot somewhere, you know, brought us water bottle, Aquafina or whatever it was, you know. But they both went down into the water, emphasizing, hey, baptism, by the way, in the Bible, you’ll never find infant baptism. No, you’re baptized after you’re saved, and it wasn’t sprinkling. No, no, it’s immersion. By the way, if you’re picturing Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, it’s hard to picture that if you’re getting sprinkled. No. Both, both went down into the water and were baptized.

Verse number 39: We’re going to hurry along here. “And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.”

There’s a little bit of a debate. Most will think it’s just talking about the eunuch, but a little bit of debate was who was rejoicing—Philip or the eunuch? Yes, I believe that both were rejoicing. But the Lord said, “All right, you got your job done.” Now let me just a word or two about this. I wish every person I led to the Lord, I got to disciple. But it doesn’t always work like that. Now, I know the Bible talks about it; it wants us to disciple. “Teach them all things I have commanded you.” But you know, Jesus didn’t get to disciple the woman at the well. He didn’t get to disciple the thief on the cross. Now, I like it; I’m after that. You know, more often than not, you lead to the Lord, and a lot of times you can move here, there, and yonder. But so often God will bring someone else along to disciple. And we say, “I’m going to get that one person. I’m going to disciple them.” No, you just keep telling people about Jesus, trying to get them baptized, and try to help people grow. More often than not, you’re going to go on your path and go on their path.

Now, I want that, and that sometimes does happen. I like it when you get to see someone baptized and disciple them. But sometimes we just want to follow that order. It didn’t follow that order for Philip. God let Philip over here, and the eunuch was going over there. Just keep winning souls, folks, trying to get them baptized, and try to disciple whoever you can, wherever you can. And God uses it, brings it all together. Most of the time, we’re going to be discipling someone else. We didn’t leave the Lord. You know, it’s not a truth, and somebody else is going to be the disciple to the people you lead to the Lord. You just keep obeying the Lord. Just keep obeying the Lord.

Look at verse number 40, and we’re going to be done for the night. Verse number 40: “But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.” Philip just went everywhere telling people about Jesus.

Now, here’s something interesting about Caesarea. We’re going to be done. Caesarea, chapter number nine, Paul gets saved—remember Saul wrote to Damascus, and then he gets saved, becomes Paul. Chapter number 10, there’s this man up in Caesarea named Cornelius praying, remember, in the vision, and he sends these men down to Joppa to Peter, and Peter and some of the brothers, and they go up to Caesarea, and they get saved. Well, I wonder how Cornelius knew to pray or who to pray to. Well, Philip, he’s just going everywhere telling people about Jesus, and that’s our goal: just go everywhere telling people about Jesus.

Now, one last thing, and I’m done. You said you were done by the goal. We’re not at 7:15 yet. We’re good. Amen.

A little personal testimony. Maybe if there’s someone here kind of debating in your head—not always the same for everybody—but maybe a little personal testimony will help for you. When I was very young, I made a decision for Christ. I woke up early one morning, talked to my dad, prayed. But I was so young, I doubted. I don’t know if I meant it. To this day, I don’t know if I got saved at that point or not, but I didn’t know. I doubted. I worried and fretted, lay awake at nighttime, wondering if I were going to heaven or hell.

And when I got older, the one I always talked about—I was sitting in the back seat of the car. I was a little bit of my blackness stolen, right? Didn’t tell anybody about God. I was just working in my heart. And I prayed. I know I got saved. I know I’m saved.

But later on, actually, I was in Bible College. And they were teaching us about getting other people baptized, and well, they emphasized, you know, you get baptized after you’re saved. That’s so—wait a second. If I really got saved that second time, that’s when I know I’m saved. I got no doubt after that, then I’ve not been biblically baptized. I think it was like a junior in Bible College. I’ve been in Bible College for a while. And I went forward and said, “I want to get baptized.” Nobody said, “What’s wrong, Brother Paul? What’s wrong, Paul? Man, I thought he was saved and baptized years ago.” He’s a little weird. Well, they’re right about that. I am a little weird, you know. But I thought, “I don’t care what they think. I want to follow God’s biblical plan. I want to be baptized after I’m saved.” Boy, I had a peace. I had a peace. And the Bible’s always: you get baptized after you’re saved.

Would you bow your heads and close your eyes? So many things we covered tonight. So many things. Would you just let the Lord—maybe he’s speaking to you about something? Would you ask him to lead and guide you, whatever may be? Would you please stand with that word of prayer? Just spend some time with the Lord. However he guides you, you’ll be obedient to him. Father, thank you for your word. It’s amazing. So much covered tonight. Father, would you send your Spirit just giving each individual what we need and help us to respond as you would like? And we’ll thank you, Lord, for what you do. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

As our instruments play, would you just spend some time with the Lord? Be obedient to him as our answers play. Let me tell the Holy Spirit if there’s someone you want to go join myself with, I’ll do it. Just tell him. Just tell him, “I’ll be willing to join myself with him.” Maybe there’s a certain person he wants you to witness to.

Amen, amen. Look at this. It is only 7:18. No, it’s 7:12. Look at that. We’re all right there, you know. And good to have you here tonight. Good to have every single person here. Man, the Bible’s awesome. It’s got it all, and it’s a wonderful, wonderful book. And praise the Lord. Good to have you. First Wednesday night at 6 o’clock. Good to see every person here tonight. That’s just great. Good to see Paul Scribner slipping them back there. That’s great. Praise the Lord for that. Keller, whatnot, and just awesome to see it. If a few men could help us with the tables and chairs in the back, we’d appreciate that very, very much. And great to see it all out tonight. And God bless.

Looking forward to a great Fourth of July. If you cannot come here on Friday, I understand some can’t. I hope you have a great Fourth of July. Maybe it’s been a great time with your family. It’d be awesome if you get to be here. We’ll have a good time of fellowship and food on Friday. Looking forward to that in a special way. Amen. Glad you’re here.

Brother Russ, boy, I liked it. He had his Air Force uniform on Sunday. It was awesome. That’s pretty awesome, Brother Russ. Would you dismiss us and order prayer, please, brother?

Original File: Pastor Paul Chisgar ＂ Soulwinning lessons from Phillip＂ The book of Acts- Wednesday PM 07⧸02⧸2025 [vNny0HJm540]