Why Philip and the Ethiopian Official doesn’t Promote Drive-by Evangelism
Evangelism, like most ministries, can be very diverse, and that’s a good thing. If we believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ is truly for all people in all generations, then we should recognize the complexity of different cultures. We see just a glimpse of this diversity in Acts, where Paul emphasizes different aspects of the Gospel depending on his audience. (Acts 13:16-41, 17:22-31)
Still, while I would be hesitant to gate-keep what qualifies as sharing the Gospel, I do think mainstream American evangelism has misrepresented what the Gospel at face value even is. Furthermore, I find the methods that are encouraged to share the Gospel to be problematic.
For too many, the Gospel is an individualist ticket to get to heaven and avoid hell. This gospel is often evangelized through tracts, isolated (and sometimes out of context) passages of Scripture, and arguments designed to prove to a stranger that they deserve to go to hell. Some call this method “drive-by evangelism”, for how quick and relationally detached its method tends to be.
By all means, the Gospel of Jesus Christ does save us from eternal death, cleanses us from our sins, and brings new life. If we have experienced this salvation, why wouldn’t we want all those around us to experience it too? Why wouldn’t we have an urgency for others to know, even if it’s detached? I have a few reasons why this doesn’t justify drive-by evangelism, but one big reason is because that isn’t how Jesus and the Apostles did it. Yes, we should make the most of everyday, time is short. But I am not convinced that it merits some of the popular methods used by American evangelists.
I won’t spend too much time evaluating what we mean when we say “The Gospel” and sharing said Gospel. I have elsewhere written on what the Great Commission according to Matthew actually details. In short, making disciples according to Jesus cannot be done in a detached, drive-by method. For further study on what the Gospel means according to the Bible, I would strongly recommend Scot McKnight’s The King Jesus Gospel.
For this blog, I want to challenge the idea that '“drive-by evangelism” is Biblical, as some have defended its method by pointing to Philip’s evangelism to the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8.
My desire for this blog is not to be negative, but to go back to Scripture. Christians agree we should evangelize, but often feel unequipped or intimidated. Some have been taught the “drive-by” method and feel disconnected from it. My hope is that this blog will help clarify some of those concerns.
Philip the Evangelist
Turning to the later half of Acts 8, we read the story of Philip encountering an Ethiopian Official, and sharing the Gospel to him:
“An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip: ‘Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So he got up and went. There was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch and high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to worship in Jerusalem and was sitting in his chariot on his way home, reading the prophet Isaiah aloud.
The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go and join that chariot.’
When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, ‘Do you understand what you’re reading?’
’How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone guides me?’ So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this:
‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who will describe his generation? For his life is taken from the earth.’
The eunuch said to Philip, ‘I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about—himself or someone else?’ Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture.
As they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, ‘Look, there’s water. What would keep me from being baptized?’ So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any longer but went on his way rejoicing.”
Let’s break down a few points from this passage. When reading this story in its completion, I am convinced we’ll see it does not model a “drive-by” method of evangelism.
The Ethiopian Official was previously in Jerusalem, and is now reading Scripture
When we compare this story with the other evangelism stories in Acts, we will often see a pattern in the context of who specifically the Apostles are witnessing to. For example, the first instance in Acts is during the Jewish holiday, Pentecost. Peter witnesses to a Jewish crowd in fellowship, proclaiming the resurrected and ascended victory of the Jewish Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.
Peter also didn’t do this on his own initiative. He and the rest of the disciples waited until the power of the Holy Spirit came upon them and was revealed to the crowd. (Acts 1:8) Peter explained this when the crowd was amazed and confused at the sign of tongues. (Acts 2:1-14) Similarly here, the story says Philip approached the Ethiopian because the Holy Spirit told him to.
Even in the non-Jewish context, we see Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles being in a context of philosophical discussion. (Acts 17:17-21) The point being, these weren’t random strangers on the street minding their own business, but people interested in discussions related to the Gospel.
Philip asks the Ethiopian if he understands the Scriptures
We don’t get to read the entire discussion these two have word for word, but what we do read is very telling. Philip doesn’t ask if the Ethiopian wants to go to heaven, he asks if he understands the Scripture he’s reading. The Ethiopian admits confusion and needs an interpreter to explain to him.
Verse 35 says, “Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture.” Luke has shown this pattern previously in his writings. After his resurrection, Jesus explains to two oblivious disciples how his death and resurrection was foreshadowed “…beginning with Moses and all the Prophets…”. (Luke 24:27) When revealing his resurrection to the remaining disciples, Jesus says, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:27)
When looking over the evangelism in Acts, we see the Apostles consistently using Old Testament passages in their witnessing to show its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. McKnight explains, “These citations of Scripture aren’t apologetic props in a sermon that could get by without those props. No, the apostles’ Gospel was the Story of Jesus resolving the Story of Israel. The texts the apostles quoted from the Old Testament weren’t props; they were the light posts to help Israel find its way from Abraham to Jesus.” (McKnight, 2011, Pg. 134)
This is not to suggest that to evangelize we must always give a lengthy Bible study from Genesis through the Prophets. But to evangelize the way we see in Acts is to give a Gospel that is rooted in the whole story of Scripture. It is also to witness a Gospel that gives bigger implications than avoiding hell. It is to become a citizen of the Kingdom that is already present but not fully realized.
Being an Evangelist does not equal becoming an Extrovert
As Christians, we’re going to have diverse encounters with those who have not heard the Gospel. In the case of Philip and the Ethiopian official, there was already some context for Philip to lead from. The Ethiopian clearly had some Jewish affiliation, and he had Scripture on hand. To tell the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to tell the story of the Bible, and for many of our peers today, that means starting from the beginning. In most cases, that won’t be effectively done within a few minutes or with a short tract.
Sharing the Gospel according to the Bible takes time. Evangelism takes time.
Jesus also designed evangelism to be shared relationally. Yes, in Acts 8 Philip and the Ethiopian part ways immediately after baptism, but this was done supernaturally by the Spirit for the Spirit’s purposes. In day to day evangelism, we relate to others, imitating how Christ came to relate the Good News to us. We spend time with those we witness to, caring for their needs and hearing their story.
For those who feel convicted to evangelize but don’t have the best people skills, I want to encourage you. Sharing the Gospel is done through our words and our actions, but I would argue, mostly our actions. It is the love of the Spirit shining through us that gives our words credibility. (Matthew 5:13-16; John 13:34-35; 1st Corinthians 13:1-7)
Paul did not rely on being extroverted and having clever arguments to evangelize. Instead, he chose humility and focused on Jesus and his rule as Messiah of Israel. (1st Corinthians 2:1-5; 15:1-8)
Don’t be intimidated if you don’t have the best people skills. Abide in Christ, read the Scriptures, hear their story, and humbly share yours and the hope you have in Christ.
Bibliography
McKnight, S. (2011). The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited. Grand Rapids, MI. Zondervan.
Dunn, J. (2013). John’s Gospel and the Oral Gospel Tradition. In The Oral Gospel Tradition. Grand Rapids, MI. Eerdmans. (Original work published in 2011)
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.