[Acts 8:26-40 (ESV)]
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and join this chariot." So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:
"Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth."
And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?" And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
{Rev. Charles Han}
Something happened down in Florida recently. A very unlikely divine appointment.
This passage also describes a very unlikely divine appointment. Philip and this Ethiopian eunuch. Philip had no business sharing with this eunuch w/o the intervention of the Holy Spirit.
God sovereignly and graciously breaks us out to accomplish His mission.
Looking at our church and where we were, you can see how God has been redirecting this church. I've asked God whether He will change our church to be less inward focused and actually reach out to people who don't know Christ. This passage gives me hope. God can change the direction and movement of the church. The church was told in Acts 1 to witness to the ends of the earth. But they stayed in Jerusalem... until persecution broke out and the church was scattered. This tells me that God will direct us even when it is not in our plan.
Philip was led by the Spirit to go down to Gaza. Ok. Then Philip is led to run beside the chariot of this Ethiopian official. And then see this, the EASIEST evangelism opportunity ever! This guy is reading from the word and he is confused. God had arranged it all perfectly.
The Gospel breaks through all barriers to redeem all peoples.
Philip, a middle-class Jew. This Ethiopian high ranking official, wealthy, Gentile eunuch. They were so dissimilar. Not only that, but eunuchs are considered unclean under Jewish Law. According to traditional wisdom at the time, Philip had no business even talking with this man.
When we look for the movement of the kingdom in the 21st century, we see the greatest growth in Latin America & Africa. So how did this happen? Most missionaries came with a colonial mindset. Missionaries tried to westernize the Africans to convert them. There was no movement. However, when local leaders understood how the Gospel met them in their culture, it exploded with growth. Africans did not need to become like European or American to become Christians. God met them where they were.
The Gospel challenges us to reach those we would normally have no business associating with.
We are not called to just reach people who look and dress like us. The gospel should also challenge us to meet those outside of our circle of friends. Not to completely ignore people like us, but to welcome those who are unlike us. To embrace not only those who are like us, but people who need the Gospel regardless of how dissimilar they are compared to us.
The Ethiopian eunuch was wealthy. He had a chariot, even though most people walked or rode horses. He had power and influence as a high ranking finance official. He was able to make this long trip. But even though he had all this, something was missing. How do we know? Because he made this long, treacherous trip to Israel. Somehow he heard of this God of Israel. But he would have been turned away from the Temple. Why? Because he was a eunuch, ritually unclean. He would only have been able to go around the courts. And he even bought scrolls of the Jewish Law, very expensive in those times. But he did not understand it. He did not find what he was looking for.... This is when Philip comes and meets him.
Many commentators have speculated that the eunuch would have read on further and ran into Isaiah 56:3-5...
"Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say,
"The LORD will surely separate me from his people";
and let not the eunuch say,
"Behold, I am a dry tree."
For thus says the LORD:"To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
I will give in my house and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off."
Surely, this would have impacted the heart of this Ethiopian eunuch unlike anything else. To know that he had a place, even having forsaking family & marriage. That he had a legacy in Jesus...
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