Good day dear friends. I thank you all for your prayers for us who are delegates to the 2012 General Conference in Tampa, Florida. We are way behind schedule and today will be a very heavy day. Your prayers for wisdom and peace will be a blessing to us all.
The text for this coming Sunday from the Book of Acts is found in Acts 8: 26 Later God's angel spoke to Philip: "At noon today I want you to walk over to that desolate road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza." 27 He got up and went. He met an Ethiopian eunuch coming down the road. The eunuch had been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was returning to Ethiopia, where he was minister in charge of all the finances of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians.28 He was riding in a chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 The Spirit told Philip, "Climb into the chariot." 30 Running up alongside, Philip heard the eunuch reading Isaiah and asked, "Do you understand what you're reading?" 31 He answered, "How can I without some help?" and invited Philip into the chariot with him. 32 The passage he was reading was this: As a sheep led to slaughter, and quiet as a lamb being sheared, He was silent, saying nothing. 33 He was mocked and put down, never got a fair trial. But who now can count his kin since he's been taken from the earth? 34 The eunuch said, "Tell me, who is the prophet talking about: himself or some other?" 35 Philip grabbed his chance. Using this passage as his text, he preached Jesus to him.36 As they continued down the road, they came to a stream of water. The eunuch said, "Here's water. Why can't I be baptized?" 38 He ordered the chariot to stop. They both went down to the water, and Philip baptized him on the spot. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of God suddenly took Philip off, and that was the last the eunuch saw of him. But he didn't mind. He had what he'd come for and went on down the road as happy as he could be. 40 Philip showed up in Azotus and continued north, preaching the Message in all the villages along that route until he arrived at Caesarea. (The Message)
All of our spiritual disciplines are interrelated; if you read the Bible, you should pray for deeper and better understanding. If you worship, you should take a Bible with you to better understand the sermon and other messages that God may share during worship. If you sing, you should know the message behind the song or hymn and sometimes the song will show the biblical passage behind the author's writing such a message. This passage is about that exact same thing. The Holy Spirit guided Philip to a person who did not yet understand God's message of salvation through Jesus Christ. The person in question was an official of a foreign court, who also happened to be a man of Jewish faith. As he read a particular passage he was reading Isaiah and did not quite understand what he was reading. It was a passage foretelling the coming Messiah and what He would endure for our sake. Philip took advantage of that opening and shared Jesus with him, leading the official to ask for baptism, which he received. Then the Holy Spirit whisked away Philip, but the official had something far better, the new knowledge and relationship with God.
While we are ending appointment season, this passage should be preached about our system. The official did not cry nor yell, "Wait! I was just getting to know this servant of Yours, why is he being taken away so soon?" The official knew his need had been met in God through this servant and having that the man moved on with his life and although the Bible does not tell us more about him, his life was different and he may have had a hand in bringing more people to that special relationship that is ours in Jesus Christ.
What have you done with the first time God met your need in Jesus and you accepted Him as Lord and Savior? Well, it's not too late, get busy!
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for the servants You have used in my life and in the life of this dear reader to bring them to relationship with You. May we understand that although that first servant is now long gone, we have the most important part, a relationship in Jesus because of his/her work. May we now understand and undertake that which is ours to do; sharing Jesus. We ask for wisdom, courage and boldness in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
