Day 114, Acts 8
Good Day Everyone!
Today we see Philip moving from Samaria and head south! Why?
Because the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip
”Get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route”
Well known today as “The Gaza strip“ I saw it — some houses on fire when my Arab Christian tour guide drove us through just to see it –
I have to imagine that it wasn’t the best place to be even back in Philip’s time -
- but he GOT UP – and SET OUT and ran into an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury –
He came to Jerusalem to worship and funny that right after Simon and the talk of money we see the eunuch in charge of money — he was on his way home –
He was reading the prophet Isaiah — I love it –
The Spirit said to Philip —
“Go and join up with that chariot.”
So Philip didn’t know any of the circumstances — and he just went — that is how we have to be…
sensitive to the Spirit!
You see the Spirit often is a still voice that speaks to you and gives you an inspiration to do something -
- the more in tune and sensitive you are to the promptings of the Holy Spirit… the more we become accustomed to His voice and discerning God’s will!
It’s a voice that just speaks to you — simple — Go do this or that — I’ve realized that the reason we don’t hear the voice is we either have too much noise going on in our life and ALSO we are always in a rush — busy – running here and there!
I remember a few weeks ago — I was leaving the house to go to an event and I felt the Spirit tell me to go back and bring something to the event — and I said – NO – I’m late — I get there later and found I needed that item I didn’t bring!
I was going to a dentist appointment and I heard the Spirit tell me to go back to the car and bring one of my Faith on Fire books into the dentist office — I was running late so I didn’t want to go back… but the voice was so loud — and I said – yes but WHO am I going to share this book with?
I felt crazy but went back to the car – got the book — and turned out that the dentist noticed it and wanted one — turns out her cousin is a writer and a Christian — so it was a great moment of evangelization
THANK GOD — I listened! So I believe it is a voice that we also discern — if you are not sure ask… Lord Jesus is that you? If it persists then you know it is the Lord —
but the voice is always simple — not a lot of details and the Holy Spirit is not a drama queen!
Anyway -
Philip asks, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
And that is what the Church should be asking all the people — DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
The Ethiopian answers… “How can I understand, unless someone instructs me?”
THIS IS THE QUESTION OF THE 20th CENTURY!!!!!
What are we doing today in the Church to ensure that people understand the Catholic faith? Are we providing enough instruction?
The true Spirit of Vatican II was intended to improve on the deficiencies in the teaching of the faith and called for a RENEWAL in Catechises — and a new Evangelization!!!
Calling for a new creative way to meet the needs of every member of the Catholic Church in their understanding!
SO here we see — that there must be instruction in order for there to be understanding!
There also of course MUST BE the Holy Spirit —
Philip gets in and sits with the Ethiopian!! I love it –
Now what is so key here is that the early church was not teaching about Jesus from the New Testament — but from the Old Testament!
I think that this is really sinking in with me!!! They taught Jesus as Messiah all from the Old Testament from the written source and from Tradition — the oral teaching — this is why the oral teaching is so important –
Not everything was written down in New Testament –
So Philip proclaims JESUS from the verses we read here from the prophet Isaiah!
By the time Philip is done… the eunuch wants to be baptized — and isn’t God good!!!!
What a coincidence that they came upon some water — God always provides when we are moving in HIS WILL and HIS PLAN!
This is not always so easy to see of course but when we move because we were told to — commanded to move in the authority of God and by the Power of the Holy Spirit — then we are sure to have all we need to accomplish His will!
And so the eunuch is baptized — and so he teaches, he baptizes and then Philip is snatched away and the eunuch sees him no more!
This is our example — to keep moving— follow the Spirit where He leads — come and go — be not attached to where you are at the time –
this is a problem for many Christians because we get comfortable where we are at — many do not like to change — the Spirit is always changing – always transforming — always moving!
Philip was moving – going to all towns — and he could not make that kind of movement without the spirit and could not have kept going if he was attached to where he was andwho he was with!
Don’t you just love Philip?!!
Remember that Philip said – show us the Father and that will be enough for us — I think that he must have been thinking — THIS IS AWESOME — so glad that Jesus opened His eyes to so much more about seeing the Father — He was seeing Him in JESUS!
He must have been so close to JESUS and the TRINITY — Father Son and Spirit!
God bless you!
Please Share!
Speaking of Moving — tomorrow we will move into Chapter 9: 1-22 Saul’s Conversion!
