Read Acts 8:26-40
26 An angel of the Lord said to
Philip, “Get ready and go southi to the road that goes from
Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This road is not used nowadays.)j 27–28So
Philip got ready and went. Now an Ethiopian eunuch, who was an important
official in charge of the treasury of the queen of Ethiopia, was on his way
home. He had been to Jerusalem to worship God and was going back home in his
carriage. As he rode along, he was reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
29The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that carriage and stay
close to it.” 30Philip ran over and heard him reading from the book
of the prophet Isaiah. He asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 The official replied, “How can I
understand unless someone explains it to me?” And he invited Philip to climb up
and sit in the carriage with him. 32The passage of scripture which
he was reading was this:
“Like a sheep that is taken to be slaughtered,
like a lamb that makes no sound when its wool is cut off,
he did not say a word.
33 He was humiliated,
and justice was denied him.
No one will be able to tell about his descendants,
because his life on earth has come to an end.”
34 The official asked Philip, “Tell
me, of whom is the prophet saying this? Of himself or of someone else?” 35Then
Philip began to speak; starting from this passage of scripture, he told him the
Good News about Jesus. 36As they travelled down the road, they came
to a place where there was some water, and the official said, “Here is some
water. What is to keep me from being baptized?”k
38 The official ordered the carriage
to stop, and both Philip and the official went down into the water, and Philip
baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of
the Lord took Philip away. The official did not see him again, but continued on
his way, full of joy. 40Philip found himself in Azotus; he went on
to Caesarea, and on the way he preached the Good News in every town.
Think
Philip was preaching the
message about Jesus in Samaria when he was called by an angel to travel along
the road to Gaza from Jerusalem. Along
the road he met the Ethiopian eunuch, proclaimed the gospel to him and baptized
him. In so doing he planted the seed of
the church in Ethiopia which continues to today.
Pray
Lord help me to be responsive
to the subtle leadings of your Holy Spirit even though I don't always know
where they will take me.
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