Acts 8:26 An angel of Adonai said to Philip, “Get up, and go southward on the road that goes down from Yerushalayim to ‘Azah, the desert road.” 27 So he got up and went. On his way, he caught sight of an Ethiopian, a eunuch who was minister in charge of all the treasure of the Kandake, or queen, of Ethiopia. He had been to Yerushalayim to worship; 28 and now, as he was returning home, he was sitting in his chariot, reading the prophet Yesha‘yahu. 29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot, and stay close to it.” 30 As Philip ran up, he heard the Ethiopian reading from Yesha‘yahu the prophet. “Do you understand what you’re reading?” he asked. 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” And he invited Philip to climb up and sit with him.
32 Now the portion of the Tanakh that he was reading was this:
“He was like a sheep led to be slaughtered;
like a lamb silent before the shearer, he does not open his mouth.
33 He was humiliated and denied justice.
Who will tell about his descendants,
since his life has been taken from the earth?”[Acts 8:33 Isaiah 53:7–8]
34 The eunuch said to Philip, “Here’s my question to you — is the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip started to speak — beginning with that passage, he went on to tell him the Good News about Yeshua.. (Complete Jewish Bible)
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We are living in what is often called a post-Christian world. This simply means there are people who have no knowledge of God, except what they might get in the media. They are hungry for the Spirit but are looking in all of the wrong places. Culture today is indeed very spiritual but that does not mean it is Christian.
Philip was given an incredible opportunity. He encountered someone who was curious about God but had no idea how to interpret what he was reading. Philip was available when God called and he was obedient to God’s leading. With just a few words of invitation, he shared the Gospel with the Eunuch “of great authority.” It is quite possible that God used the new-found understanding of the Scripture to spread the Gospel into parts of Ethiopia. Philip was not responsible for what the Eunuch did with the knowledge, but only for his part in sharing the good news. God has ways of spreading his Good News, and God uses our obedience to do it. We focus on obedience and let God take care of results.
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Hymn for Today: "Christ is Made the Sure Foundation" by John M. Neale.
1. Christ is made the sure foundation,
Christ the head and cornerstone,
chosen of the Lord, and precious,
binding all the church in one,
Holy Zion's help for ever,
and her confidence alone.
2. All that dedicated city,
dearly loved of God on high,
in exultant jubilation
pours perpetual melody;
God the One in Three adoring
in glad hymns eternally.
3. To this temple, where we call You,
come, O Lord of Hosts, today:
with accustomed lovingkindness,
hear Your servants as they pray;
and Your fullest benediction
shed within its walls alway.
4. Lord, here grant to all Your servants
what they ask of You to gain,
what they gain from You, forever
with the blessed to retain,
and hereafter in Your glory
evermore with You to reign.
5. Praise and honor to the Father,
praise and honor to the Son,
praise and honor to the Spirit,
ever Three, and ever One,
one in might, and one in glory,
while unending ages run.
Thought for Today: “Adonai is my Rock, my fortress and deliverer,
my God, my Rock, in whom I find shelter,
my shield, the power that saves me,
my stronghold.
I call on Adonai, who is worthy of praise;
and I am saved from my enemies. (Psakm 18:3)(Complete Jewish Bible).
Please pray: For the development of Christian leaders in Botswana.
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