Extend Ourselves

READ

The life of faith is not meant to be a solitary journey. We were made to follow Jesus together, as an intimate, interdependent community. We need brothers and sisters in faith who encourage us, hold us accountable, and refine us with their wisdom. What’s more, we are called to be a mentor, friend, cheerleader, and teacher to others in the family of faith—even when we feel insufficient or incapable of doing so.  

From the earliest days of the Church, discipleship has been indispensable. God uses mentors and friends to help us see the Truth and beauty in God’s Word. Their fellowship makes God’s love visible, tangible, and irresistible (See Matthew 18:20 & 1 John 4:12). 

God uses spiritual leaders and partners to grow us so that we might extend ourselves to others who are seeking Christ.  

Let’s take a moment to read Acts 8:26-40:

Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. 

He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: 

“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”

The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 

As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

REFLECT

Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch reminds us how sacred discipleship truly is. It is a privilege to come alongside others as they journey toward faith. But the call to offer (and receive) mentorship is not a mere suggestion or recommendation. As Jesus followers, we are directed to give spiritual guidance and humbly receive it. 

The Holy Spirit called out to Philip: “Get up and go.” God wanted to use Philip to transform the eunuch’s life. This was a divine appointment that Philip couldn’t afford to miss. The immediacy of Philip’s response ought to inspire us to offer spiritual care and guidance to others, even when we feel insufficient or inept. Though Philip wasn’t an ordained religious leader or spiritual guru, he went where God called him. He boldly approached the eunuch’s chariot because he knew what God had the power to do through him.

Oftentimes, we shy away from sharing Christ’s love with those around us because we don’t feel wise, holy, or ‘religious’ enough. But God has always used broken, ordinary people for His mighty and redemptive purposes (Acts 4:13). We don’t have to have it all together in order to minister to others. We don’t have to have gone to seminary or read the Bible front to back in order to spread His love. We don’t have to have all the answers; we simply have to make ourselves available. 

The person most people need to invigorate their faith journey is not some unreachable, unapproachable religious scholar, but a humble friend—someone willing to sit with them and wrestle through their difficult questions, doubts, and emotions.  

God doesn’t need to use us in order to transform people’s lives and hearts. We are no one’s savior. Only He can offer salvation, healing, and renewal. Though God alone brings people to faith, He wants to use us as instruments of His grace. He invites us to participate in the redemptive work He is doing in the world. Like Philip, we are called to respond with eagerness and readiness. We are called to step into others’ lives and show them Who our God is through intentional love, care, and service. 

And like the eunuch, we are encouraged to ask for instruction, receive insight, and allow it to transform our lives

RESPOND

Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read. 

• Are you receiving mentorship? How can you invite wisdom and intimate fellowship into your life? 

• Are you discipling others? Who do you feel called to pour into? 

REST

Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying: 

Father, thank You for being the ultimate Source of guidance, care, and wisdom. Thank You for the gift of discipleship, for faithfully using Your people to spread Your love. Thank You for inviting us to step into each other’s lives and encourage one another. God, give me the boldness to ask for wisdom and receive it. Help me to patiently sit at other’s feet and learn from them. Abba, please give me the courage to reach out to others and make myself available to them, even when I don’t feel adept, wise, or holy enough. Let me trust that You can and will work through me, Your broken and beloved child. Use me as a vessel for Your Holy Spirit, so that others might encounter Your transformative power. Amen.

Port City writer Kate Redenbaugh wrote today’s devotional.