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Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road-the desert road-that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. "How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."
The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. (Acts 8:26-38 NIV)
The Spirit's Leading
This scenario between Philip the evangelist and the traveling official from Ethiopia is a seamless case of a coaching intervention (Please note that not all cases will be as simple as this one). As uncomplicated as this case may seem on the surface the coach is still responsible for perceiving an opening for a coaching relationship. This encounter, between Philip and the Ethiopian Official, was created by divine interventions; first by an angel then by the Holy Spirit. Coaching with "Spirit" has a dynamic of its own; it involves a third party, albeit, the Holy Spirit adding a dimension to the coaching process that cannot be undermined or avoided. A coach's job is facilitated when God involves Himself in the transformation of a person's life since His insight is greater than ours. Therefore, coaching with Spirit is essential today. For this type of coaching to work one must be sensitive the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Cultivating a relationship with God through prayer, scripture reading and meditation, disciplines that lead us to hear and tune into His voice, develops spiritual sensitivity. His voice and promptings will lead us to His desired targets. Through this encounter between Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch the following coaching principles emerge.
Coaching Principle #1 - Be led by the Spirit
Interventions usually take place when something malfunctions with the client's performance or a supervisor observes a hopeless situation by his own discernment. Spirit-led coaching is different. A Spirit-led coach is sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and requires a supernatural auditory sense to pick up information from a divine source. In this case Philip was directed by an angel of the Lord to redirects his path, and moments later hears the voice of the Holy Spirit leading him to his next assignment. Philip was led to speak with an important official of an important country, which was located south of the Holy Land. Apparently God had a purpose and an assignment for the Ethiopian Official and needed someone to reach out to him. As in the case with Philip, the Holy Spirit may lead you to a person but after introducing you to that person He allows you to use your wisdom, knowledge and insight to continue the coaching relationship.
Coaching Principle #2 - Wait for an Open Door
Once on the scene Philip was responsible to listen and perceive his opening. This opening occurred when Philip heard the Ethiopian official reading a passage of scripture from the book of Isaiah the prophet. A Coach creates an opening by asking open-ended questions. Coaches should" use questions to coach followers instead of providing answers" (Hackman, et al., pg. 144). Philip simply could have volunteered his expertise and said, "Hey, I am familiar with that passage of Scripture that you are reading. Let me tell you what it means." Instead, Philip heard the eunuch reading the scripture from the book of Isaiah and was perceptive enough to ask him a simple question: Do you understand what you are reading? Philip patiently waited for an opening to take place. When he perceived an opening he simply asked a simple question. The official appreciated the gesture and immediately invited Philip into his chariot, and allowed him to explain the meaning of its contents. The official simply had no clue of the meaning of the passage and stated that he needed someone to help him decipher it. The Holy Spirit had alerted and brought Philip to the chariot but now it was Philip's opportunity to perceive an opening, ask the right question and enter into a coaching relationship. His astute thinking opened the door to evangelism.
Coaching Principle #3 - Lead a Person to Understanding
In this situation, how do you know that a person has understood the message? This scenario between Philip and the official does not tell us about the coaching details that occurred inside the chariot but we can deduct with high reliability that learning, understanding and conversion took place inside that chariot. We know this because when they came upon a large body of water the Ethiopian asked if he could be baptized in water. This statement alone indicates the official had captured the essence of Philip's interpretation of the scripture. The official understood and accepted the message, and desired to move into the next stage after conversion. The coaching relationship was successful.
Coaching Principle #4 - Understanding Leads to Application
How do we know that the client understood and accepted Philip's teaching? It's simple, after the conversation between them, the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" To be baptized in water requires one to be "born-again" which meant that Philip achieved two purposes. First, he was successful interpreting and explaining the passage in Isaiah. This passage simply pointed to and revealed Jesus as the Messiah who was to come, and in fact had come to fulfill his mission of redemption. When the eunuch understood this truth he was compelled to receive the Messiah as his Savior. Second, after the eunuch's conversion, as the chariot moved along, Philip discussed the significance of water baptism. Upon approaching a large body of water the Ethiopian commanded the chariot be stopped, they stepped into the water and he was immersed in water. The Holy Spirit's purpose was fulfilled and the coaching relationship ended as Philip was ushered away.
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