Reframing
Acts 8:1-8
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.
4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.
Acts 8:26-40
24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
25 After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
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.
31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
This Sunday’s service can be viewed on our Facebook page @ October 22, 2023
Hello NewDay Friends,
This week we will be learning more about the story of Philip from Acts 8, and his adventures. I can imagine if he was a modern day blogger- his posts would be something like this:
"Went out for coffee today, strolling the sidewalk, and heard someone reading about a guy I know- Jesus!- so I jumped in his car with him, went for a ride, told him all I knew about Jesus, and next thing we know, a Baptism happened! Then poof- I was brought to the next suburb, just like that. Gotta love the Holy Spirit!"
There are some important parts to this story- The Ethiopian Eunuch- an important official serving God in the palace of the Queen of Ethiopia. He was seeking God, and wanted to understand God's Word. Philip took the time to explain. The Eunuch was all in, and because He met Jesus, the people of Ethiopia came to know Jesus- people that are still following Jesus today!
Philip also got to experience what happens when we follow the Holy Spirit- unexpected conversations and encounters occurring, where we are given a platform to tell what we know and Who we know, and leave the rest to the Holy Spirit. (It seems he also got a taste of time travel of some sort).
We also are reminded to pay attention to the small and big things happening around us, and join God where He is at work in our world, in the lives of people who are desperate for love, hope and a good word. May we join God in those efforts each day.
I am looking forward to seeing you Sunday!
In Christ,
Pastor Kari
Save the Date: Our next potluck will be Sunday, November 5.
The theme will be "International Foods".