Speak of the Good News

The scripture today flows nicely into my thought stream for the past several weeks. Philip was being a prophet. He was sharing the good news. He was telling the future...Jesus loves every one of his children and treats them with diginy and respect. He died for every one, right down to the athiest who cannot find a reason to believe. We can be a prophet! We know the future! Rev 17:14 tells who wins.
youTube Penn Jillette gets a gift of a Bible My Uncle sent me this video. It is worth your 4 minutes. Let us all be like the person this athiest describes.  (youTube: Penn Jillette gets a gift of a Bible) Hope you find it. It makes you evaluate your reason for being on this earth. 

Read Acts 8:26-40

Title in NIV: Philip encounters the Ethiopian eunuch.

Ethiopia is an ancient kingdom in NE Africa on the Red Sea that, today, includes Sudan. The word Ethiopia means black or with burnt face. I always heard that the man Philip was sent to minister to was a black man. A eunuch is a man lacking normal function due to castration or disease. In Oriental times, these men were put in charge of harems or of their lord’s bed chambers. He was a high official in some courts. I suppose since he did not have sexual function, it made him more trustable and more focused on his job. He did not have the temptations as others do or distraction to get in the way of his task.

The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip and told him to go down to the dessert road. He met an Ethiopian eunuch. He was an important official in charge of the Queen’s money. Candace was queen of the Ethiopians. He was going to Jerusalem to worship and stopped to read the book of Isaiah in his chariot. Again the Spirit spoke to Philip and told him to stay near the chariot.

He asked the eunuch if he understood what he was reading. He said no and he needed someone to explain it to him.

He read, “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearers 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.” Isaiah 53:7-8

Philip told the eunuch the good news about Jesus and apparently included baptism because when they came to some water, the eunuch asked to be baptized. Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch said he did so they went down into the water. When they came up, the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away. (I guess he needed him some where else….fast.) The eunuch went on his way rejoicing. Philip appeared in Azotus preaching in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

*Do we listen to the Spirit and do what it says like Philip or lolly gag around and deny what the Spirit tells us to do?

* Do we allow temptations to get in the way of spending time with God on a daily basis?

* Good strategy: Listen to someone and then pick a concept and ask if they understand what it means.

* Ask someone how you can pray for them.

* Do we take the time to study our Bibles even if we don’t understand?  God speaks through his Word to us. If we never pick up the phone, we can’t hear the person on the other end talk. God will give us understanding or send someone like Philip to help. Be aware! Answers may come from a bumper sticker or the words from a song.