One of the fascinating aspects of the Bible’s uniqueness is that we can read a passage of Scripture for the umpteenth time and the Holy Spirit can reveal something new and fresh that we’ve never noticed. Of course, that should always be our expectation when reading Scripture. After all, we are told that “all Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Tim 3:16) and is “living and active.” I must admit, however, that I don’t always approach Scripture with such a disposition in my heart and mind. I wouldn’t say that my assumed familiarity of a passage “breads contempt,” as the old saying goes. My familiarity with certain passages leads more to quick reading and without a spirit of expectation that God wants to show me through the Holy Spirit, no matter how familiar I am with the passage.

Recently, I was reading the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch from Acts 8:26-40, when I came to a full stop at verse 29, which reads, “The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it’” (NIV). In particular, the words “stay near it” arrested my attention. Just to recount the story, Philip had been instructed by an angel of the Lord to go south to a desert road leading from Jerusalem to Gaza. While Philip was on his way, he met an Ethiopian eunuch who served as an official in the court of the Ethiopian queen. The eunuch was riding in a chariot reading from the Book of Isaiah attempting to understand. Because Philip obeyed and stayed near the chariot, he was able to hear what the Ethiopian official was reading. This allowed Philip to share the good news of Jesus Christ, and the eunuch was baptized.

All of this leads to the important question, “Who is the Lord telling me to stay near”?      In other words, who has the Lord placed you beside that doesn’t know the good news of Jesus Christ? It might be a neighbor, co-worker, classmate, friend, or a new acquaintance.

As Christians, we often choose to stay near those who believe as we believe, think like we think, speak like we speak, and act like we act. Don’t get me wrong, we need to walk with other Christian brothers and sisters in life. And yet, lest we forget, we are the sent people of God. After all, God is a sending God. The Father sends the Son. The Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit. The Son through the Holy Spirit launches us out into the world as witnesses. As I’ve heard said, “The gospel comes to us on its way to someone else.” The gospel never draws back but moves forward. Having heard the message of Christ from Philip, the gospel moves forward with the eunuch into Ethiopia.

Now, you might be saying, “But the Ethiopian eunuch was seeking to understand God’s word. My neighbor or coworker that God has placed me near has no interest in God or His word.” I get it. I have people I’m around almost every day who have no interest in God. However, they are interested in having a fulfilling life. They are starving for real love, real joy, and a real hope that only comes from the lovingkindness of the God who created them. The French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Paschal famously observed, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.” In other words, all the longings for fulfillment of every person can only be met through a relationship with Jesus. Or as Saint Augustine put it, “Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in Thee.”

If God, as revealed in Jesus Christ, is the human heart’s true longing, then our unbelieving neighbors, coworkers, and friends are no different than the longing of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. So, stay near them sowing seeds of the gospel. A window of opportunity may open for you to share why you believe in Christ.

So, what happens if you share the gospel and the person says, “Thanks, but no thanks”? Continue to stay near them. After all, that person is a person to be loved because they are created in the likeness of God and loved by God. They are not a project to be manipulated or abandoned.

Not long ago, while preaching I told the story of my sophomore/junior year of college. I was not seeking God. Nor was I interested in seeking God. However, there were some guys in my fraternity that were bold witnesses for Christ in the way they lived and how they loved. The aroma of Christ just seemed to ooze out of them and was attractive to me. Even though I was living far from God, they continued to show Christ to me. They never moved on. They stayed nearby. I’d like to think that they were like Philip sensing the Holy Spirit saying to them, “Stay near that guy.” The gospel had come to them because someone stayed near them. The gospel came to me because they stayed near me. Now, I must ask (and you must ask) the question: “Who is the Lord telling me to stay near?”