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. Acts 8:26
Things were going great for the preacher in Samaria! The response was wonderful, as dozens, hundreds, thousands in some cases, were responding to the message of salvation. A great work for God was being done as Philip faithfully and powerfully preached the Gospel. Some of the apostles even came from Jerusalem to add their blessing and their abilities to the work. Philip is no doubt delighted and deeply committed to seeing this work grow and prosper. Suddenly, Philip gets new orders. He is to call a halt to the successful and highly exciting work in Samaria and make haste into the desert, away from the packed houses and civilization. Nobody goes out onto the Gaza highway for any reason other than to pass through, because there is nothing to go there for. But the orders are clear, and Philip is nothing if not obedient. And we are enriched beyond measure because of his obedience.
The account of the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch provides us with rich instruction concerning both the preaching of the Gospel and baptism. Although technically not a Gentile because he was a Jewish proselyte, the eunuch was the first African convert to Christianity on record. Note that he was saved before Cornelius, the first European Gentile convert. As we consider Philip’s mission and the fact that he had only one lone convert on this mission, we might be tempted to consider it a flop. But tradition tells us, with some evidence to support it, that the eunuch returned home and presented the Gospel to many in his home land, with great results. Only God knows how many were saved as a result of that little Gospel effort on the Gaza highway. And only God knows how many were saved, and how many were subsequently baptized, as a result of the recording of Philip’s Gaza Highway campaign in Holy Writ. I am sure Philip was not disappointed in the least.
When we hear about a half-dozen, or even a full dozen or more, souls trusting Christ in a series of Gospel meetings, we rejoice at the rich harvest of blessing. But for every Gospel series with such an outcome, the preachers will be able to tell us of a dozen with no apparent blessing in salvation, and some with no apparent stir among those attending or in the community where the series is held. In a great many series, only one soul is saved, and the preachers publicly rejoice but privately sorrow at the tiny results. Are these efforts worthwhile? Would time and effort not have been better spent in more productive and responsive fields? The answer is we can never know. For one thing, God’s Word cannot and will not ever return void (Isaiah 55:11) so we must leave the results of sowing the Word with Him. For another, the results of Gospel preaching are not the business of the preachers; ours is to preach and God’s is to bring the increase.
Let us not be dismayed when little appears to be done, because only God knows what is actually done. – Jim MacIntosh