The incident with the Ethiopian serves to show God’s active involvement in making sure that the good news of Jesus Christ reaches all those whom he has chosen to eternal life (cf. Acts 13:48).

First, the angel of the Lord commanded Philip to travel south on the desert road. Then the Spirit told Philip to go up to the chariot of the Ethiopian. In both instances, the Lord was directing the events, making sure that his servant was in the right place at the right time (desert road to Gaza) in order to speak to a man who had been chosen to eternal life (Ethiopian eunuch). The fact that the eunuch was baptized and departed with joy confirms that he had embraced the good news of Jesus for himself and was a true believer.

The sovereignty of God should be a comfort to us in our evangelistic efforts. The Lord will make sure that his people hear the good news of Jesus Christ in their lifetime. However, we must also remember that the Lord uses his church as an instrument in his plans. He wants godly men to be sent out into all the world. It is not for us to know who the elect are but to do what we can to ensure that the good news of Jesus Christ is shared as far and wide as possible. In our own circles and elsewhere we must make plans to promote the ministry of God’s Word.