Category: Devotions

Acts 8:36
“As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptised?”

Philip has within his presentation of the good news talked to the Eunuch about water baptism. He would have told him that Jesus was baptised. That Jesus left instructions that the Church should continue the practice. That those who follow Jesus do so through baptism.
They are on the desert road so there’s not much opportunity for a water baptism. This was a dry place.
So the Eunuch carried this command in his heart and as they travelled on the road it grew into a desire and a longing.

The baptismal service wasn’t well attended. It was the Eunuch and his attendants and Philip. But God was there. How lovely when the audience of One is more important than the thousands in a crowd!
Why shouldn’t I? There was no reason.
The dreams you have to follow God, to do what He says, to be like Christ are in your heart, now why shouldn’t you follow through with them? No reason!

Acts 8:35
“Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.”

Philip didn’t bring out his own favourite Bible verses. He started with what the man was reading. He talked of the suffering servant laying his life down. And he made it absolutely clear, this was and still is the good news.
The eunuchs circumstance of life maybe bad and it was bad for Jesus. But the bad news for Jesus is the good news for the man.
We are good news people. It feels good to be that don’t you agree?

Acts 8:34
“The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”

Tell me. Who is he?
The invitation to talk about Jesus!
That’s what life is really all about. That’s what the Bible is about. It is why you are still here. It is your calling. It is the expectation upon your life. It is what you will be questioned about at the end of time. Did you tell of Jesus? People are waiting for you. Frustrated in life. Broken perhaps. Confused, not knowing the answers to their questions.
Are you telling today?

Acts 8:33
“In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”

We don’t know a lot about this Ethiopian eunuch. Was he a eunuch from birth? Or was he one of the many royal court slaves castrated so that they served without the threat of falling sexually to the Royal harem? Who was he worshipping in Jerusalem, because it wouldn’t have been Christ?
Now look again …
This eunuch reads about another’s humiliation.
The slave reads about injustice of this other man.
The eunuch would never have children and guess what?!
But this man he is reading about actually had his life taken from him. Now it is this the Eunuch obviously hadn’t experienced.
Who was this man? This man who lived like I lived but who died for some reason, who was he? What is his name?

Acts 8:32
“The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:”He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”

Oh and it just so happened! Of all the things he could have been reading about in Isaiah he was actually reading about Jesus!
Don’t worry about how to start the conversation as you will often find that Jesus is there before you set out!
Who was led?
Who was like a lamb?
Who did not open his mouth?
Jesus!
Interestingly and we can only wonder if he did, but a couple of chapters later in Isaiah 56:4-5 he would have read:
“For this is what the LORD says:”To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant-to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.”
The plan of this suffering servant involved the salvation of the eunuchs!!
When a person reads about Jesus in the Bible it is inspiring but when they know and can see that this Jesus came for them then that is a life-changer!

Acts 8:31

“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.”

Unless someone. Unless you and me. How will they ever hear or know unless there is someone?
Will you be that some one?
The one who goes up close to the stranger, the foreigner, the sinner, is that you? Will you sit with the sinner not to judge or dismiss or protest against them but to help them understand the spiritual journey they may already be on though perhaps unrecognisable. Are you that some one?

Acts 8:30
“Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.”

Philip ran and so should we. If we believe God has told us to GO then why delay, why saunter in this world as casual missionaries? No, we must run and run with all the energy we can muster. We must run and think not of ourselves, nor worry about what will confront us, nor of what will be expected of us. But we must run with passion for God and compassion for others.

Philip listened and so should we. How will we ever hear if we do not listen? People have things to tell us that we would never know if we were not good listeners. But as we silence our own noise in favour of theirs then we just may realise that somehow, supernaturally even that God was there before we got there.

Philip asked and so should we. We need to find relevant questions based on what is going on in their life. We need to find the connections, we need to build more bridges than we knock down by any prejudice and offence that we carry towards others. We do that by finding the right questions.

Mission isn’t complicated really. Run, listen, ask, we can all do that.

Acts 8:29

“The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

God wants to position you so that others will find Him. Can you believe that today as you go about your usual duties whatever they are that God has positioned you in that place for such a time as this?
The Spirit didn’t ask Philip to preach or to engage with the man, he just asked him to go up close. When you go near you are able to see and hear what you couldn’t before. Some people charge into their opportunities doing all the talking that they miss what God wants them to see.
Just go near today, near enough to observe, to listen to a persons story. You may never guess what might happen next.

Acts 8:28
“and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.”

Where did he get the book of Isaiah from? Who gave it to him to read?
Many are in the chain of someone’s salvation, they are not reapers they may be distributors of kindness or of books.
What can you pass on to someone?
Never think a conversation about spiritual matters is something that is brand new. You may be amazed at where the person is spiritually. Their journey may have begun way before you meet them.

Acts 8:27
“So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,”

You never know who you will meet if you just start out.
Some people want to know all the details before they say yes to God. They could have started out a long time ago but time has lapsed and now they will never know who they missed.
He has told you to GO. You don’t need another word or confirmation, you just need to start out.
Today God may want you to meet someone you have never met before. He may direct for your paths to cross. Exciting things happen to those who GO. Strangers become friends. So open your eyes today, value every opportunity to talk to people and even those outside of your culture, who perhaps you would have never met if you had not started out.