Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch along a desert road south of Jerusalem is one of the great examples of personal evangelism in Scripture – one from which we can all learn. Not only was Philip available in terms of regular obedience to God’s desire to actively proclaim the gospel wherever God sent him, he also obeyed the prompting of the Holy Spirit to join the chariot in which the eunuch was riding. Upon discovering that the Ethiopian was reading from the prophet Isaiah, Philip seized the opportunity by asking the man a question: Do you understand what you are reading?(v. 30). When the Ethiopian asked for guidance, Philip showed that he both knew the Word of God, and he knew how to use the Word of God to help another. In fact, Philip used this Old Testament Scripture to point the man to Christ rather than merely speak about religion. Finally, after the eunuch confessed Jesus as the Christ, Philip was ready to do follow-up with the new believer. He knew that water baptism was one of Jesus’ directives in discipleship; he had practiced it earlier in Samaria. The fact that the eunuch asked to be baptized demonstrated that he also knew of its importance. After Philip baptized him, the evangelist was suddenly taken from the scene by the Spirit of the Lord once again. According to early Christian tradition, this Ethiopian eunuch became one of the earliest missionaries to Africa; taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the remotest part of the earth (Acts 1:8). And it began with a humble servant named Philip, who like his associate Stephen, was first selected to serve food to widows in Jerusalem.