Did you ever have the experience of thinking about a friend you hadn’t seen for a long time, when suddenly you met him or her! An important official was in for a surprise something like that as he was returning home to Ethiopia, after being up to Jerusalem to worship God. (verses 27-28.)
In his carriage he was reading from the Bible Old Testament, but he was confused! At the church in Jerusalem, he had heard the wrong message about God, but he didn’t realise it was wrong. Now he was reading the Bible, and it wasn’t making sense to him!
Meantime, “The angel of the Lord” told an evangelist called Philip, ‘Get ready, and go south to the road that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So, Philip got ready and went” those many miles south. (verses 26-27.)
Along that lonely desert road, perhaps he wondered why God had sent him there. Then, as a carriage came along, the Spirit of God told him, “Go over to that carriage”. Philip obeyed, and heard someone reading aloud from the Bible!
“Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
“How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?” he said, inviting Philip to sit in the carriage with him. (verses 29-31.)
God’s wonderful timing had brought Philip to meet this Ethiopian official, just as he was trying to understand something in the Bible! It was where Isaiah the prophet had talked about a Person, instead of a sheep, being sacrificed for sins! (Isaiah 53:1-7.)
“The official asked, ‘… of whom is the prophet saying this? Of himself or of someone else?’ Then Philip began to speak; starting from this passage of Scripture, he told him the Good News about Jesus.” (verses 34-35.) Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was the One the Old Testament prophets had said would come, and be sacrificed for our sins. (Isaiah 53:1-12. Acts 10:38-43.) Jesus Christ was the “Lamb of God” who alone could take away the sins of the world. (John 1:29.)
Have you trusted Him to take away your sins, and make your life pleasing to God? Are you ready, as Philip was, to share your good news with others?
“As they travelled … they came to a place where there was some water, and the official said, ‘… What is to keep me from being baptized?’ … Both Philip and the official went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.” (verses 36-38.)
In God’s timing, BAPTISM comes after a person becomes a true Christian. It is the way Jesus taught that the true Christian should illustrate what has already happened to him/her. Going “down into the water” illustrates the “burial” or “putting away” of the past sinful way of life - REPENTANCE. (Romans 6:1-14. Colossians 3:3-11) The coming “up out of the water” illustrates his/her desire to live a NEW LIFE pleasing to God from now on, by faith in Jesus Christ. (Galatians 2:19-20. 2ndCorinthians 5:17-21)
Read Acts chapter 8, verses 26-40.
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