In Acts 8, we meet Philip. He was one of the deacons in Acts 6:5 who were chosen to serve tables with Stephen. He eventually became a mighty, miracle-working, articulate preacher, who would later be known as Philip the evangelist (see Acts 21:8). He was one of the servants on the ministry team in Jerusalem. And after everybody was scattered at the beginning of Acts 8, he went to Samaria and preached the Word.

Now, in John 4, Jesus went to Samaria, despite the animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans, to meet the woman at the well. By the end of that encounter, not only did she believe, but many of the Samaritans also believed in His name (see v. 39).

So Philip went where Jesus did, and he preached the gospel with great success. "The multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed" (Acts 8:6-7).

This is pretty amazing for the church janitor in Jerusalem who was sent out on a mission with incredible results. He said, "Yeah, I'll serve tables. I'm not too good for that. I want to serve." And the Lord—the same Spirit who gave him the gift to serve the body of Christ in those little capacities—greatly expanded his service.

In verse 26, he was given another commission. "Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, 'Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.'" There, he met "a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship" (v. 27).

The man was probably a Gentile who came to believe in the God of Israel. Having relinquished the foreign gods of Ethiopia, he had come to worship—and he was coming back empty, which is how religion always leaves you. Something wasn't settled with him.

Philip heard him reading from Isaiah 53, so he asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" (v. 30). The man replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" (v. 31). And he invited Philip to sit with him. This gave Philip the opportunity to preach Jesus to him as the Messiah. When the eunuch asked if he could be baptized, Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may" (v. 37). And the eunuch confessed Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

Talk about a setup. Here's a Gentile convert to Judaism with a copy of the Scriptures. His heart is open. He's teachable. It's so perfect: right time, right place, right person, right attitude. It just all came together. He believed, confessed Jesus as the Son of God, and was baptized. "And he went on his way rejoicing" (v. 39).

Now there is a principle here of faithfulness. In Luke 16:10, Jesus talked about being faithful in little. If you're faithful in little, you'll be entrusted with much. And you'll be faithful with much, because you've been tested on the little.

Some people fail right here, thinking, God has called me to bigger things! But God will never call you to bigger things unless you're faithful with the small things. You start small. You work your way through it. And if you let the Lord humble you, in due time He will raise you up, as He did with Philip.