UNTO ALL THE NATIONS

Newsletter 247 June 12, 2011

Acts 8:26-39
King James Version

When the Lord gives an instruction, He not only wants us to listen, but wants an immediate response. Moses’ first response was, “Not me Lord.” He saw the fire in the bush, he heard and recognized the voice to be that of the Lord, He knew the task was worthy. But being a humble man, in spite of knowing that he was only there because God had preserved him, when most boy babies were being killed, in spite of the special preparatory training God had given him in Pharaoh’s palace, then how to live in the desert, he made excuses that he could not do this. How very like us all. God gave us all weaknesses that we might be strengthened through overcoming them.

Moses pointed out that he could not speak well. Perhaps he stuttered, Abraham could have said, “Not my only son God, I can‘t sacrifice him.” Saul of Tarsus could have pointed out, “My eyesight is poor.” God knew all these things, but He also knew how to overcome them and make each a more effective witness, perhaps through overcoming an obvious weakness. Where there is a weakness, there is always a way to overcome it.

GOD SENT

The first important point is that God sent Philip. Here was a man who was engaged in a very worthy task. He was helping, “serve” the widows, as a deacon. He was already preaching to a very responsive people, when God sent him out into a deserted spot. I can just hear him thinking, “Not right now, Lord, these people are being converted every day.” But, God said, “Go,” so he went without delay, and because he did, he found himself in the right place, just at the right time .to open the door to the continent of Africa, through the Ethiopian he met there.

26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. (Acts 5:19, Acts 8:29, Acts 8:5, Genesis 10:19)

27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, (Psalm 68:31, Psalm 87:4, Isaiah 56:3, 1 Kings 8:41, Jeremiah 12:20)

A RECEPTIVE PERSON

This was just the man to reach for the Lord. He was wealthy, he had bought a hand written scroll of the Prophet Isaiah. He was a man of influence, the treasurer of Ethiopia. But he would never been able to become a Jew because he was an eunuch, a servant of the Queen. To follow the Lord, no problem.

28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.

29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. (Acts 8:39, Acts 10:19, Acts 11:12, Acts 13:2, Acts 16:6, Acts 7:20-23Acts 21:11, Acts 28:25, Hebrews 3:7)

30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?

31 And he said , How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

It was no coincidence that he was reading exactly the right prophet, and in just the right place, when Philip asked him a simple question.

START WHERE THE LISTENER IS

He had a question, and here was a man who could answer it. God’s timing is perfection.

32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: (Isaiah 53:7)

33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. (Isaiah 53:8)

34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of him self, or of some other man?

THE MESSAGE IS JESUS

God set the stage, and Philip gave him the answer. Jesus! Jesus is always the answer, His own words, “No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. (Matthew 5:2, Luke 24:27, Acts 17:2, Acts 18:28, Acts 28:23, Acts 5:42)

36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? (Acts 10:47)

When he spoke of Jesus, he also showed the way through Jesus. He saw a body of water and asked, *What doth hinder me to be immersed?” (The Greek word here is “bap-tid-’zo” meaning “to make fully wet’ “Wash.”

37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Dipping in water would have been meaningless if he did not first believe in the divinity of Jesus. This confession is the solid rock on which the whole church is built. Without this faith in Jesus, there is no hope. All is lost. (Matthew 16:18)

38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
(1 Kings 18:12, 2 Kings 2:16, Ezekiel 3:12, Ezekiel 3:14, Ezekiel 8:3, Ezekiel 11:1, 2 Corinthians 12:2).

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READ THE BIBLE THROUGH AGAIN IN 2011
JUNE

12th. Sunday – 2 Samuel 20, 21, Acts 9:1-22, Psalm 73:1-14
13th. Monday – 2 Samuel 22, Acts 9:23-43, Proverbs 14:26-35
14th. Tuesday – 2 Samuel 23, 24, Acts 10:1-18, Psalm 73:15-28
15th. Wednesday - 1 Kings 1, Acts 10:19-48, Psalm 74:1-9
16th. Thursday - 1 Kings 2, Acts 11, Psalm 74:10-17
17th. Friday – 1 Kings 3, 4, Acts 12, Proverbs 15:1-8
18th. Saturday - 1 Kings 5, 6, Acts 13:1-25, Psalm 74:18-23

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THIS WEEK'S SCRIPTURE

“Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Colossians 3:17

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SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS ! – Forward this along to all your friends. The saved will rejoice and the unsaved need its message the most, so everyone is blessed: YOU FOR SHARING, AND ALL FOR READING.

http://www.amazon.com/P-J-Mills/e/B004KAS792/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
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An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole, which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water, at the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house." The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."