“...Then The Spirit said unto Philip, “Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.” And Philip ran there to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, “Understandest thou what thou read?” And he said, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” And he desired Phillip that he would come up and sit with him.”
Acts 8:29-30
Seeking God is highly personal, and you never know when or where non-Christians will seek to learn more about God. One day on my way to church, my cabdriver, an old-fashioned dread-locked Rastafarian, led us into a discussion about Jesus. Our discussion was much too long to go into specifics; however, as it ensued, I learned why Rastafarians consider Haile Selassie akin to God. They believe that Selassie, the confirmed 223rd direct descendant of King Solomon, is Jesus. And since the leaders of seventy-two world nations witnessed his coronation in Ethiopia as "king of kings," their conclusion was that, he must be our Savior reborn; although, Selassie himself never made such a claim. Our discussion was wonderfully energetic, and we planned to have a deeper discussion of the life of Jesus and Christianity upon his visit to my church at a later date.
In today’s passage, the Ethiopian Chamberlain of Queen Candace’s court, was unknowingly reading about the life of Jesus as found in the prophetic book of Isaiah, without fully understanding the texts; when supernaturally, the apostle Phillip appears next to his chariot to explain the prophesy concerning Jesus’ life and subsequent resurrection. The Chamberlain finds the information gained from Phillip so spiritually compelling that, the next body of water he sees, he asks Phillip to baptize him immediately. Once he confirms his belief and the baptism is completed, Phillip miraculously vanishes, appearing in another town miles away to evangelize further. The Chamberlain goes on his way rejoicing armed with the Holy Spirit! Historically, it turns out that, Ethiopia was the first place where a reigning ruler converted to Christianity, establishing one of the oldest Christian enclaves in the world. In addition, it has been referenced that the Chamberlain eventually became an apostle, evangelizing the gospel of Christ into South Asia, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), East Africa, and Arabia Felix (now a smaller Yemen), until he was eventually martyred. God certainly does not waste His resources! One person taught another person and look what happened!
Like the Ethiopian Chamberlain, when someone is seeking to learn more about God, you never know if it is going to be convenient for you or not. Why do I say this? –Well, the discussion with my driver lasted long enough for me to see the congregation coming out of the very church I was supposed to be going into.
“Wow, it looks like the people are leaving,” I said, a little surprised. “–I can’t believe I missed church.” My driver turned to me and smiled, “Not to worry Sistah, we had church right here!” “True!” I said smiling at him. “True.” L.
Study Reference: Acts 8:26-39
Excerpt from: "An Inconvenient Time." In The Master's Hands: 365 Daily Devotions for Everyday Living.
Copyright © 2014 by Lavona E. Campbell
photo: Brant
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