Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward…Gaza.” This is a desert place.
Acts 8:26-40
Again, this Philip is the deacon of the Jerusalem church, not the Apostle. Philip, guided by an angel, came upon an official of the court of Queen Candace of Ethiopia. He was a treasurer of the queen and had been in Jerusalem worshipping and, as he was carried along the road, he was reading the book of Isaiah. So, Philip ran alongside his chariot and asked the eunuch if he understood what he was reading. The eunuch invited Philip into his chariot and asked Philip who was Isaiah writing about in Isaiah 53. Philip, starting with that Scripture, told the eunuch the good news about Jesus of Nazareth. In his sharing the gospel, Philip told the eunuch about baptism. When the traveling party approached an oasis, the eunuch asked Philip to baptize him. As soon as Philip brought the eunuch up out of the water, the Holy Spirit whisked away Philip to another place. The eunuch did not see Philip again but, the eunuch went on his way back to Ethiopia rejoicing in his new salvation in Christ. Such a dramatic appearance and disappearance of an evangelist has not occurred since. But, the Good News of the gospel is still spoken, taught and, preached these thousands of years later. Jesus stated the “gates of hell” will not prevail against His church. The remains of many churches are monuments to the church that once flourished in the world. The Church still does today. But, there are places where it appears Satan has infected a society so much that the church buildings are little more than tourist attractions today. Yet, Satan has NOT prevailed against Christ and His church worldwide. Asia, Africa and, South America are the church’s growth areas today. Our own country is declining but, that does not mean that Christians here cannot support missions around the world to spread the gospel to all people. Let all Christians pray for those who carry the gospel message, and those who support them, that they will fearlessly and bravely speak Truth to those who need to hear God’s message to the world!
Source: S C Ball June 18, 2023
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