3rd week in Easter Time, Thursday – 27th April 2023 – Acts 8,26-40; Jn 6,44-51
Obedient to God’s Direction
Philip is one of the first deacons of the church (Acts 6,5) and the first significant Christian missionary to Samaria (Acts 8,5-25). An angel has directed him to a road that leads down from Jerusalem to Gaza on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Philip was not only a faithful preacher, he was also an obedient personal worker. At the commission of an angel, he was willing to leave the crowds and deal with one lost soul. The Holy Spirit chose him to guide and explain the Scriptures to the Ethiopian; to explain God’s plan – the sending of Jesus as the Messiah who quietly suffered for the salvation of humanity. In fact, Philip realizes that God directs the right person at the right time and at the right place. Every believer needs to walk in the Spirit and pray for God’s direction. It is every believer’s business to share the Gospel with others, and to do it without fear or regret. Once Philip has shared the Good News of Jesus with the Ethiopian and brought him into closer relationship with Jesus through baptism, Philip is taken by the Holy Spirit to another place to continue the ministry of spreading the Gospel.
