Philip and the Ethiopian

Wow...praise God! The Holy Spirit really does work in mysterious ways. I know this phrase is a really big cliche, but it's very true in today's passage. There are no such things as coincidences in life and this passage is proof of that. The Holy Spirit leads and we follow the direction that He is pointed at. It's scary because we're not sure where it'll lead to, but we should follow it regardless because there is a reason for everything.

Something that struck me about the Ethiopian was that he had gone to worship all his life, read God's Word, and listened to the message and all the teachings the religious leaders gave, but he did not understand one word of it because no one would really explain to him what he was doing or why he was doing it in the first. The crazy thing is that it reflects many people in the church today because they are like the Ethiopian in that they do the routine every Sunday morning. They give their mouth service at worship, say the right things in prayers, and serve the church, but do they know why they are doing these things or for whom it is all for? I don't believe that this is so.

The religious leaders had failed him to begin with because they themselves didn't believe in Christ, but more importantly, they let this Ethiopian fall through the cracks. He would have been another person who thought they had salvation by just merely showing up and doing all the right things but no believing in what the sacrifice that was the cross. There are so many people out there that are misinformed and are deceiving themselves that they are saved when they really aren't. These are the people who will be gnashing their teeth and weeping bitterly outside the gates of heaven.

It is important that we not let this happen in our church and our ministry as well. We can't let those outside on the fringe or hardhearted slip through the cracks. I know some of us don't want to because honestly, it's inconvenient and can be irritating. I include myself in this group. Hey, I'm the laziest person I know. ^-^ But we need to keep our eyes alert, ears open, and hearts willing to listen for the Holy Spirit to point the direction to the lost and confused. We may fall short in a lot of way but I know God can use us mightily for His kingdom but only if we are willing to listen and just do it.