Good day dear friends.
I am the grandson of immigrants. My mom's dad and I believe mom, were from Mexico. Yesterday I sent out no ConCafe in solidarity with those who were making their plight known to us. As a pastor of the Gospel I only want us to love one another and to show compassion to each other as those who believe and follow Christ. I listened very briefly to radio talk shows last evening and I heard anything but love and compassion. I heard ignorance and fear. We should not operate in that way. We as sons and daughters of the most High should live as those who have experienced mercy and should show same to others, especially the less fortunate.
On Sunday, we studied the passage from Luke that had the disciples receiving a visit from the risen Jesus and their reaction to this unexplainable thing. It wasn't until the Lord opened their minds did they understand what the scriptures had said to them. Our sermon was precisely on that subject and how much we may be missing out by not studying the Bible with prayerful, open minds.
Here's our study guide for today:
Monday: Open our minds to understand, indeed! Reread the passage from yesterday’s sermon. Then go to the Book of Acts, chapter 8, verses 26 through 40. What is the message of this story? With whom do you identify in this story? Why? What’s keeping you from fully understanding God’s word for your life?
Sunday's passage was from Luke 24:36b:Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate in their presence. 44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
Today's passage: Acts 8:26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go toward the south {Or [go at noon]} to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Ga'za." (This is a wilderness road.) 27 So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Canda'ce, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isai'ah. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it." 30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isai'ah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" 31 He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32 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 silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth." 34 The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" 35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" {Other ancient authorities add all or most of verse 37, And Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he replied, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." 38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azo'tus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesare'a.
With whom do you identify in this story? Two choices: Philip or the Ethiopian. Philip is a disciple, a believer, one who believed in Jesus and had his mind opened by Him. The Ethiopian wanted to believe and was reading passages from his Bible, a passage from Isaiah. The Ethiopian was reading aloud and Philip comes alongside him and hears him. Philip asks him if he understood what he was reading. The reply was no, because no one explained it to him. (He hadn't gone to church or Sundays school, in other words!) Philip takes advantage of the opportunity and proclaims the gospel of Jesus to him. The Ethiopian believed and requested baptism. Great story. More so, if it applies to you and your reading and understanding of the Bible.
The message of the story if that God can use us to help explain scripture to others or can use someone else to explain scripture to us. If we are willing and if we begin our study with prayer and an openness to the leading of God.
We can list 1,001 excuses for not understanding and most of those will center on the fact taht we're not praying and not making time to read God's word as we should. What's your excuse? How can God remove that from your life?
PRAYER: God of us all, shower me with love and compassion. Make me a person whose very life shows that I belong to You. Remove from my life that which keeps me from understanding all things. I pray in Christ Jesus' name. Amen.
May the Lord bless you and keep you! Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
